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Who is Joe Black?
I’ve recently received a couple of Emails from a person that calls himself Joe Black. These Emails are typical liberal Bush bashing blaming all of problems with the hurricane response, if not the hurricane itself, squarely on the Federal Government and President Bush. I pointed out, correctly, that the way the response is set up to work that most of the problems were the result of the failings of local and state government in Louisiana. His reply was that I was a “Beer guzzling Rush Limbaugh Lemming” (Must have seen my photo in the Club G’itmo pages) and that I should stop watching Fox news and reading Free Republic. He also said “those talking points are stale”. My initial response was the obvious. I pointed out that he was a closed minded liberal idiot. It was a knee jerk response and really is beneath me. So first I offer the idiot my apologies. But I must point out that the truth is not simply a talking point nor does it become stale. As new information comes to light I am more convinced than ever that if we must play a blame game it is Louisiana Governor Blanco that primarily dropped the ball here. No less a publication than the New York Times (All the Liberal Bullshit that’s fit to print!) published a story on how the white house considered taking control from Governor Blanco in order to get things moving. When the rescue operation really started becoming effective was once General Honore, under Federal command, took charge.
Let’s examine some of the more obvious bullshit that is being spewed by the left.
1.) President Bush ignored the fact that levees were weak. Funding was cut due to the war or due to tax cuts for the rich.
Fact: Under the Bush administration the state of Louisiana has enjoy more federal dollars for engineering projects than any other state. Louisiana senator Mary Landrieu never presented any bill to the senate to improve the levees in her home state and President Bush (much to my annoyance) has never vetoed a spending bill that has crossed his desk. It is up to the congress to initiate and approve spending. Government revenue has increased with the Bush tax cuts. And the “Rich” are still the ones paying the vast majority of our taxes. Tax cuts spur the economy raising taxes will have the opposite effect. If you don’t understand how this works read my previous article on the subject or, better yet, take an economics class with a teacher that isn’t preaching a liberal agenda.
2.) President Bush was “Surprised that the levees broke” implying that he was ignorant to the existing problem.
Fact: This is a quote taken out of context. Several experts stated well in advance that this was a real danger and President Bush personally asked Gov. Blanco to enforce a general evacuation prior to the storm. The storm had passed and all of the media was reporting that New Orleans had “dodged a bullet” Then the levees broke. It surprised most people that they gave way after the storm had already passed.
3.) The Federal response was slow because “Bush doesn’t care about black people”
Fact: The Federal response was slow because Gov. Blanco didn’t request Federal assistance until Wed. As to the charges of racism, what utter bullshit! President Bush has appointed more Blacks to positions of high authority than any president in our history. Home ownership among Blacks is at a record level due to the Bush economy and policies. At some point the black population will realize that the Democrats aren’t interested in helping them to improve their lives. Government welfare has done more to impoverish the black population than any other single cause. Johnson’s “Great Society” is the biggest boondoggle in our history. We’ve spent billions and the poor are no better off.
4.) There weren’t enough National Guardsmen due to the war in Iraq.
Fact: There are plenty of Guardsmen available as is evidenced by all of the National Guard in the area today. Once again Governor Blanco failed to call up enough help in a timely manner. She could have requested troops of President Bush before the storm even hit the area but for whatever reason did not. She still is refusing to co-operate with federal authorities.
5.) FEMA was better organized under the Clinton administration.
Fact: In 1989 after Hurricane Hugo ravaged Charleston, SC one of the most commonly heard complaints was that FEMA responded slowly. Check the facts yourself. Historically the first responders bringing aid are organizations like the Red Cross. Having lived through 3 of the Hurricanes that hit Florida last year, I can attest to this. I was also down in the Miami area as a volunteer with the J.C.’s after Andrew hit. The first responders there with food and water were organizations just like the one I went with. The Feds came in later. Reportedly the Red Cross was ready to move in with food and water even before the levees broke but were stopped by officials from the state of Louisiana with the excuse of not wanting to create a magnet for evacuees. Once again it would seem that most of the suffering was caused by Governor Blanco and her people.
6.) Bush should not have incorporated FEMA into the Dept. of Homeland Security.
Fact: I won’t argue the point except that this idea came from congress. It was supported by, among others, the junior Senator from New York Mrs. Clinton. I still don’t think FEMA should have a cabinet level post. The problem here is that there is already too much bureaucracy. Private organizations with public support are far better at disaster response. FEMA is and should be the federal agency that helps people put their lives back together after the disaster has passed.
7.) The lawlessness and looting were caused by Bush’s failure to respond faster.
Fact: New Orleans has historically had one of the highest crime rates in the nation. Louisiana has long been known as one of the most corrupt political situations in the country and the NOPD has not escaped this fate. The video of the looting showed several of the police not only not stopping looters but joining them. And, again, the slow response of the National Guard is the fault of the Governor.
I could go on but I think I’ve made my point. Mississippi and Alabama have suffered greatly in this storm as well but you are not hearing the stories of wide spread crime or the complaints of slow response from these communities, and this is primarily because they have far more competent local and state leadership.
Isn’t it interesting that the areas with the highest crime rates and the worst poverty are almost all controlled by Democrats, while the areas where the most improvement has been made are recently Republican. The areas that have never had these problems to a large extent are those that are historically Republican.
Could the Federal government have done a better job? Yes, they could have. Was the president responsible for most of the problems and mistakes? Of course not, only the lefts hatred of all things Bush tries to stick these charges on him. But America isn’t buying the bullshit. Only 13% of the country thinks he is to blame and at least 13% are going to be dissatisfied regardless of what he does or how well he does it.
Wake up to reality Mr. Black. To quote the greatest modern President “It’s not that the liberals are ignorant, it’s just that so much of what they know is wrong”
If this still doesn’t convince you drop a line to my friend Logicdoc. (logicdoc@logicdoc.com) He’s been chomping at the bit to tear a liberal a new asshole.
Addendum for Mr. Black:
In your most recent Email you put forth the proposition that conservatives fear education stating that if people were “smarter” they would be less likely to vote for a “buffoon” (A buffoon that probably has a much higher level of education and experience that you!) that would try to amend the constitution with a very personal belief. I must assume here that you are referring to President Bush’s proposed amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. I will address your second point first. If you paid attention in your civics class you would know that in order to pass an amendment it requires the approval of 2/3 of the states. So if this happens than it’s pretty clear that this is far more than a very personal issue of President Bush. Also where states have put similar issues to a vote the overwhelming majority, in most cases near 70%, of the voters are in favor of this. Since the nation is very narrowly a conservative majority it follows that many liberals also approve this principle. Speaking for myself, I could care less what consenting adults do in the privacy of their homes. I also have no objection to allowing some form of legal union to grant the status and rights of a spouse to any 2 people that wish it. I object most strenuously to government schools teaching “diversity” as though this is a normal lifestyle. It most clearly is not. I also believe that no one deserves any special rights or privileges simply because they belong to a minority or special interest group.
As to your first point, I pointed out in my reply that you confuse education with intelligence. These are two entirely different, though not necessarily exclusive, traits. An education certainly does not guarantee intelligence and the reverse is also true. As to conservatives fearing education lets look at the primary supporters of the liberal agenda.
It is well established that as a whole the black population votes primarily Democrat. In fact without this demographic the Democratic Party shrinks to the point of near obscurity. Again as a whole this same demographic is among the most poorly educated in our nation. Many blacks ultimately switch party affiliations once they have the educational background to understand that the white liberal base has been lying to them about the reason they are oppressed for years. It is no wonder that the democrats so strongly oppose school vouchers that might allow the under privileged blacks to escape the government schools and the liberal indoctrination they largely preach. Again with very few exceptions the most vocal of the liberal pundits do not posses anything that resembles a well rounded education. The liberals in academia are, typically, sorely lacking in practical experience. The liberals in the entertainment industry are seldom college educated and those few that are have majored in generally useless disciplines that do nothing to prepare them for the “real world”. (Art, Drama, Music, Etc.)
I would submit to you that it is the liberals, and rightly so, that fear education. This is why they try so desperately to control it. This is also why they are so set on controlling the courts. They know that they can enforce their agenda against popular opinion with a court ruling were legislation will not pass. I point to the gay marriage issue in Massachusetts as a prime example of this principle. An extremely liberal state that passed a popular (read voter approved) law defining marriage as between a man and a woman only to have one man, elected by no one, declare it unconstitutional. Further this judge overstepped his authority by a huge margin ordering the state legislature to pass a law normalizing gay marriage! This is the absolute height of liberal arrogance and hypocrisy. The party that claims to be the party of “every man” thumbs its nose at the majority of those it claims to represent. The Supreme Courts decision regarding eminent domain is another prime example of this phenomenon. None of the courts conservatives voted in favor on this decision and the majority of the public certainly doesn’t agree with it.
Through all of the complaints I hear about President Bush’s policies and agenda I hear almost nothing by way of alternatives. We can’t have privatization at any level of Social Security but the democrat’s only answer is to raise taxes to put a band aid on an intolerable situation that they created in the first place. The liberals would have you believe that Government is more capable of handling your finances but I harbor no such illusion. Look at France or for that matter most of Europe. The liberal policies that they enforce have the majority of Europeans living at a much lower standard of living than the vast majority of us enjoy. Unemployment is higher, consumer goods are more expensive, and in spite of the lies that the liberals what you to believe, medical care is poorer. For this utopia Europeans are taxed at rates often exceeding 70%. If you feel this is a better why of doing things, move there. I understand that many European nations have easy immigration.
Our public education is a disgrace but the Democrats are against holding our teachers accountable. The liberal establishment in our education system is typically more concerned with some student or group of students being offended than they are with teaching basic skills. Our college campuses are fast becoming an inflexible bastion of political correctness rather than the place where any and all ideas are open for debate.
It frightens me that the modern Democratic Party takes more of its cues from historical figures like Stalin than from our own ounding fathers. Liberalism has failed everywhere it has been tried. Even the article you plagiarized in your original Email calls Europe a model of inefficiency. (As a side note there was a statement about gas prices and taxes explaining why the European highway system is superior to ours, which tells me the writer either has not widely traveled outside of the democratic controlled communities here or has no idea what the roads throughout Europe are really like, once again a liberal basing a statement on his wishes that the US is inferior rather than any modicum of fact.)
Liberalism (lib’ er el iz’m) adj. – The fear that someone, somewhere, may be thinking and doing for themselves.