A Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the Welfare state

[usregimechange]

But this is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster.

The man-made disaster is not an inadequate or incompetent response by federal relief agencies, and it was not directly caused by Hurricane Katrina. This is where just about every newspaper and television channel has gotten the story wrong.

The man-made disaster we are now witnessing in New Orleans did not happen over four days last week. It happened over the past four decades. Hurricane Katrina merely exposed it to public view.

The man-made disaster is the welfare state.

http://forums.stltoday.com/viewtopic.php?p=2808052#2808052

Do you believe the arguemnts the right wing is making?

What do you think a victim of a hurricane or the welfare state?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. Anyone who thinks the U.S. is a "welfare state" is probably sitting

on the deck of their trophy house sipping wine coolers as they type that drivel.

No, the U.S. is a minimum wage, no health care, shrinking supply of affordable housing, no public transportation, inadequate school state.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

2. Let's throw in destroyed wetlands and crumbling infrastructure. (n/t)

[area51]

6. What Lydia said. (n/t)

[tocqueville]

3. what welfare state ?

"a welfare state assumes primary responsibility for the welfare of its citizens. This responsibility is comprehensive, because all aspects of welfare are considered; a "safety net" is not enough, and nor are minimum standards. It is universal, because it covers every person as a matter of right"

This applies to most European states, Canada, N Zealand...

how much it applies to the US is matter to discussion... specially in Bush's America.

[alarcojon]

4. Weird definition of "welfare state"

It actually happened largely over the past five years, as the Bush administration cut infrastructure funds, incuding funds that would have been used to test and upgrade levees.

You've gotta feel for that poor guy stuck atop a minivan. Anyone know how long he was there?

Yeah, the right is blaming the victim again. Nothing new. The question is, how do WE frame the issue to counter their lame arguments?

[punpirate]

5. This is the sort of thing...

... that makes me grind my teeth at night. The only real welfare in this country is corporate. When 60% of corporations pay no taxes at all, and the wealthiest in the country pay even less than the middle class, thanks to loopholes in tax law, the middle class are left to foot the bill. They, on behalf of the rest of society, expect that money to be used to good purpose.

When it's not--such as with Joe Allbaugh's and Michael Brown's administration of FEMA--there ought to be serious repercussions; however, not only does the right wing defend intentional incompetence and non-performance, but the right then blames the victims for expecting tax monies to be used wisely and well.

If what's happened this past week had happened in almost any other industrialized nation today, it would have brought down the government.

[applegrove]

7. No - the welfare state & lawlessness and fragility was exposed by

the President standing down for 5 days.

[Hidden Stillness]

8. Hurricane Exposes the Planned Murder That is Neo-Con Capitalism

Needless to say, conservative "thinking" doesn't make any sense, again. How does a complete LACK of Federal Government response, or even funding, and a complete outsourcing of all these resopnsibilities to commercial, profit-making interests, reflect one way or the other, on government or society? Doesn't that prove, actually, the complete failure of unregulated capitalism? The disaster is that of corporations deciding the way everything, everywhere will be handled, or ignored--and why.

[The Flaming Red Head]

9. It exposes a too little in welfare state

Louisiana was a harsh place to be poor in before Katrina. This shows what happens in a state when a catastrophe occurs where they've cut back too much on social services prior to the disaster. It is making it even harder and more expensive to help the victims.

And right now because of failure in the communication grid (or whatever it's called) people are having a hard time finding stores that can accept their food stamp cards. Even if they can find the food they need on the shelves at the grocery when they get to the cashier the cards aren't working properly and they're leaving empty handed.

[mmonk]

10. Actually

I thought it exposed the no help, free for all, battle of the fittest state.

[yowzayowzayowza]

11. This is a disaster of the AVARICE STATE.

which deems itz righteous interests superior to the most basic elements of humanity and our democracy. With all due respect, the "greatest generation" has left us a task more daunting than defeating global fascism on the battlefield; conquering the "avarice state" within ourselves.

Why can't we have free and fair elections? The avarice state.
Why must Grandpa shepherd Walmart shopping carts for want of a fistful of pills? The avarice state.
Why did we have a Constitutional crisis over an immaterial fellatio fib? The avarice state.
How did we start a war over a pack of lies? The avarice state.
Why have we created an ecologically unsustainable society? The avarice state.

As a google of the term "avarice state" returns zero hits, perhaps it could be a retort to the reich wing "welfare state" meme?

[mntleo2]

12. Its A CORPORATE Welfare State

(breathless helmet headed reporter) "...And you see, this is really a lot better to give rich people all your tax dollars because, well you see, they just DESERVE it more than you do...." :sarcasm:

Cat In Seattle

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. Yes, it is

------------------------------------------------------
Save the Gulf, then save the nation!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm

[Catt03]

13. It's about fear.

Fear of ever having to use welfare and fear of the poor.

[CityDem]

15. Shows something

Katrina exposes the fact that we have cut taxes for the wealthy at the expense of taking care of the poor, elderly and young people in this country. It is time to raise taxes on the rich to provide reasonable health care, child care, low income housing, etc. for the less fortunate in our country.

[Wordie]

16. ...and Bush refusing to fund the levee repairs had nothing to do with it.

The army corps of engineers had said they were needed but Bush refused the funding, saying it was "pork."

Saving people's lives is now considered "welfare" by Bush and his cronies on the far right.

Jeez.