THE EDITOR, Sir:
DAWN RITCH'S take on the effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans is quite puzzling. She misunderstands the role of government in protecting and attending to the needs of people in situations like this. Just as it is the government's responsibility to protect the population from terrorist attacks, it is also responsible in this case. Asking people to fend for themselves in extraordinary conditions as this is not only unconscionable, it is un-American.
USING THE RACE CARD
I know Ms. Ritch is not serious about local authorities in New Orleans witholding assistance from those affected by the storm, so I will not comment on that. However, she took Jesse Jackson to task for objecting to the term refugees being used to describe the people leaving the city, implying that he is once again using the race card.
To prove him wrong, she mentions a trailer park of white residents who were relocated as a result of last year's hurricane. The fact that these people are white is not unusual because the typical poor person receiving government assistance in the United States is a white woman living in rural America, not the black urban female that politicians use when they try to dismantle assistance programmes for the poor.
The failure of the federal government in helping New Orleans stems from diverting funds for levee improvement to the war in Iraq. Engineers involved with the project warned of the effect the reduced funding could have on the safety of the city months ago. The government was very aware of the risk it was taking but decided to do it anyway.
I am, etc.,
ROBERT TAYLOR
rtaylor827@aol.com
East Orange, New Jersey
Via Go-Jamaica
