Hurricane Katrina rent subsidies expire–along with Houstonians’ patience
Update/related: Chaos and anarchy at a New Orleans city council meeting.
***
The Houston Chronicle prints a story about Hurricane Katrina families in Texas whose federal rent subsidies have run dry:
More than two years after Hurricane Katrina transplanted thousands of New Orleanians into Houston, the lives of the most vulnerable — the unemployed and working poor — are starting to unravel. Once kept afloat on federal rental assistance, these families are losing their benefits and are ending up on Houston’s streets, activists and social workers say. The families are going from cheap motel to cheap motel or doubling up in other people’s homes, sleeping in armchairs or on floors. Those lucky to have transportation are living in their cars.
”We have gone from pillar to post,” Hickman said. ”I can’t see myself living on the streets.” The 59-year-old was disqualified from rental assistance after she broke up with her husband who was designated as the head of the household — thus, the sole recipient for FEMA rental assistance.
In the last month, a second displacement of hundreds of people has become more pronounced as the process of transferring the FEMA program to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development got under way. The shift between the two agencies has not been seamless with many local landlords, who accepted FEMA money before, opting out of the program that will require tenants to start contributing to their rent payments March 1. So far, 48 landlords representing 68 properties have said no to the HUD program, said Spurgeon Robinson, the director of Harris County’s Disaster Housing Assistance Program, or DHAP.
This has forced hundreds of households with no money to scramble to find security deposits and to move on again.
The majority of transplanted Katrina evacuees in Harris County, an estimated 100,000, are not on federal housing assistance and have moved on with their lives, but there is a small minority of people who still are struggling, community activists say.
The newspaper crusaded on behalf of one family–a welfare mother who works part-time and has seven children:
Eight months ago, Michelle Mercadel, a part-time cashier, and her seven children — Netchelle, 17, Kiara, 15, Brittany, 14, Gerald Guy, 9, Brea, 6, Reginisha, 5, and Brian, 18 months — moved in with her mother.
HUD informed the family that it would have to move out because the apartment was overcrowded. Priscilla Mercadel, who initially had been processed as a one-member household by FEMA, also could not receive a larger housing allowance.
“What am I supposed to do — leave my daughter and my grandkids on the street?” said an emotional Priscilla Mercadel, 57, whose eyes were red from sobbing last week.
She and her daughter hastily packed their belongings two weeks ago and feared that a security guard would escort them off the property. She had been given a 72-hour eviction notice from the manager at Mira Vista Apartments. The women have been frantically looking for another apartment but haven’t found one large enough.
No one came last week. Nor this week. Mira Vista’s management and corporate offices in Dallas did not return phone calls to the Chronicle. After the Chronicle inquired about the Mercadels, Boyd said the county would increase their allowance.
What’s most interesting is not so much the story, but the reaction to the story. The piece has garnered more than 700 comments so far, with heated debate over the limits of compassion.
Here’s a sample:
BuDaT wrote:
Let ‘em move in with the Mayor, County Judge and Governor who invited them.
12/20/2007 1:34 AM CST
Recommend (104)Donald5 wrote:
Pretty much that is the way they lived in New Orleans. Houston is not willing to pay for that. It has been 2 years living for free. Idon’t see why we should continue to pay. They are unwilling to go to work and want us to keep paying. They need to go back to New Orleans and find another shack to live in. A while back I read an article that claimed that they were sqattors and did not pay there rent there. This is a different mental type of people, they need to go home. The hurricane is over and they need to go back to a place that accepts there type of living. Houston is not that place. If I do not go to work, I become homeless. Why should it be any different for them., after 2 years of free living.
12/20/2007 1:38 AM CST
Recommend (170)htx82 wrote:
I am very sorry that their homes were destroyed and it must have been devestating to go through but 2 years is certainly enough time to find a job and prepare for the time when they have to pay rent. If they are unable to work then they would qualify for disability and assistance. This is how it was in N.O. though, generations of families grew up on welfare and lived in the same projects for decades. Too many people who also lived through Katrina have got up off their feet and tried to make a new home for themselves so I don’t believe that there was no way for these people to do the same. As for the idea that they can’t find employment… I know of many places begging for workers!
12/20/2007 2:04 AM CST
Recommend (158)Charli wrote:
You can sure feel the “Christian” love and compassion in these comments. Five days from Christmas. So much for the Christmas spirit.The one woman mentioned in the story is working. As a part-time cashier. Maybe she could do better. Maybe that is all she could find. Very easy to criticize others until you walk in their shoes. Hopefully all of you will at some point. And hopefully all of you will be shown the same attitude you yourselves have shown others. Shame on all of you.
No one in this country should be hungry or be homeless. So many of you believe some deserve to go hungry or end up homeless. And so many of you believe that while claiming to be Christians. You are not Christians at all.
Christians should be like fishermen. Able to fish for themselves but also willing to share their catch with those who cannot fish for themselves and then teach them to fish for themselves in the hope that they will then be willing to share their catch as well with those who cannot fish for themselves just as they could not until someone taught them how to.
Some of these people could fish for themselves if someone bothered to give them a fishing pole. Instead they are just given the fish. You all would prefer they not be given either the fishing pole or the fish.
Jesus did not condemn people as you do. He reached out and helped those in need without reservation and without condition. He reached out because that is what we are supposed to do. Help each other. We are one. Even though some of you obviously would prefer that we not be. Jesus taught us to love. Some of you prefer to hate. What a dreadful thing to do at Christmas.
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. I do hope, again, that someone indeed does just that.
12/20/2007 2:19 AM CST
Recommend (49)Ratboy wrote:
2 years of free rent and we are just now cutting them off? US taxpayers must be the biggest suckers in history
12/20/2007 2:22 AM CST
Recommend (134)dgl wrote:
I keep wondering what do these people want or expect? Free rent/groceries for the rest of their lives? I wonder how many millions in rent, Lone Star cards, and police overtime to quell the crime rates have we spent so far?
12/20/2007 2:47 AM CST
Recommend (137)RightSide wrote:
Besides, God only helps those that help themselves.
12/20/2007 2:59 AM CST
Recommend (78)Fish this,fish that we all know the story.Now back to the real world.Why should the tax payers of Texas have to keep dealing with the burden of welfare mom’s with 7 KIDS.I’ll put good hard EARNED money that this person was on welfare in N.O.She had to be, no husband(really?),7 kids(no?!) and an education level that is/was on par of being STUPID enough to keep having kids with no real means of support.Momma used to always say “Stupid is as stupid does”.Go back to N.O. and be a burden,where you were a burden and will continue to be a burden,just not on my dime,in my state or in my city!!!!
12/20/2007 3:28 AM CST
See what others have said
Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.
Trackbacks
- Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: Bro tased at the New Orleans city council meeting
- RightWingGeek.com
- Wonkette
- A War In New Orleans? - Pursuing Holiness
- Michelle Malkin » Rent-a-riot in New Orleans
- Random Nuclear Strikes » Things you probably didn’t know
- The BRAD BLOG : GOP Christmapocracy...
- f671cfd3ef8ba7f6c693
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Categories: Uncategorized
Confederate Yankee
» Think Progress Covers Up Child Abuse in Palin Nomination SmearGateway Pundit
» SARAH PALIN TAKES THE STAGE IN DAYTON!!Confederate Yankee
» It's Palin!Marginal Revolution
» Sarah Palin
Time for New Orleaner’s to suck it up!
So 2 years of free rent and they didn’t save a penny for housing? Ridiculous, but that’s what entitlement breeds.
I prefer to be a firebuilder. Like we say in the team room, “Build a man a fire, warm him for a night. Set a man on fire, warm him for life.”
That Charli person is an idiot (run-on sentences about fish). Dependence on government to get them through every single day of life, is what got them in their predicament in the first place.
Send them back to Nagin and his “chocolate city“.
Cradle to grave these people expect to be taken care of.
It’s been two years. I’m sorry for what happened, but in that entire time none of these people considered getting jobs - even minimum wage jobs - and putting money away?
No. They wanted to latch on to the public teet and live off *our* tax dollars.
I bet if our apartment building burned to the ground right now, in two WEEKS time we’d be living someplace else, paying rent, and working to rebuild our lives. You know…being INDEPENDENT.
two years free rent; and they didn’t think about how they were going to exist beyond this? yes, exactly entitlements do not cause an individual to strive beyond getting the next check or freebie. when will the government ever learn? or maybe they do want them to be in this dependent state forever?
i sure hope that by march, when the freebies are slated to end, they have still about 3 or so months to save up something. but, it is true they should go back to New Orleans, as that is where they came from.
“Build a man a fire, warm him for a night. Set a man on fire, warm him for life.”
LOL!
Not only have these people been given fish and a fishing pole, they have been given a fishing boat as well. If they still can’t fend for themselves after two years they unwilling to make the effort on their own. Time to force the issue or they will still be living off handouts 10 years from now.
Its not that people have no compassion…its that the people we helped have not shown any thanks for it…its always more, more ,more. Anyone can wear out their welcome, and the Katrina Evacuees have.
It should be Thank You for helping me see how far I have come.
The ones that could/would get back on thier feet have already done that. The others need to go back ar at least stop asking for handouts.
eq01,
You forgot to mention that you signed a lease and they would want you to continue to pay rent on your burned down apartment as well.
You are right though. I have a friend next to me here in the office. Lost everything in the storm. I am not in LA, he is in S.FL. earning a living for his family.
I don’t think you have to do that if you’re renting. If you have a mortgage, sure, but not if you’re renting.
…and if things are that bad that you’ll be living on the streets, declare bankruptcy and stop paying the mortgage. Sure it sucks to have terrible credit, but it’s a hell of a lot better than living on the streets.
Somewhere between the first kid and the seventh kid a lesson should have been learned. I hope we don’t pay still more welfare money for every new kid, no matter how many there are….do we?
I have a strong feeling the good people of Houston have no issue with the transplants that have taken advantage of the generosity to get new jobs and start new lives, paying rents and becoming part of the Houston economy. I really don’t know anyone that would accept excuses after two years.
I am so stealing that.
I work two jobs, both standard office jobs that don’t require any special skills. It’s not fun, but my house payment gets made, the bills all get paid, and I have enough left over to enjoy one good movie night every month.
If someone gave me two years rent free I could save enough to BUY a house(not as nice as the one I’m buying now, but nice enough) so I have zero sympathy for anyone who lives completely off the public dime for that long with nothing to show for it.
It’s about time that the government’ teat goes dry…forever!
I guess I will have to use the “/sarc” thingy more often or risk being called a troll again.
Did they really think they were going to live for free forever?
This is welfare mentality.
This is one of the Chronicles 12 days before Christmas sob stories.It didnt fly with the locals.We’re tired of the freeloading.The murder rate shot to the moon these last 2 years.The crime rate is off the charts.DLTDKHYONWO
Please note that the 7th child was conceived and birthed DURING her “stay” here. Patience is not infinite.
Couple this with out illegal criminal population and get a good feel on where we’re coming from.
Welcome to my local paper. El Chronico.
Troll! trolling troll troll, troll troll troll. Sorry, just had to get that off my chest.
Self reliance and the occasion hand-up if needed from family, friends and neighbors have gone a long way to build this country into the greatest and most generous nation on Earth. Sitting on your butt expecting a hand-out only leaves people lazy and non-productive a large failing of the social programs from the LBJ legacy of the so called “war on poverty.” We now have generations of welfare recipients many who are single mother’s with larger families from several absent fathers dooming their off spring to a continuing cycle of poverty. I never mind giving any legal citizen in this country a hand-up, but I have had enough of giving hand-outs. It is past time for these people to stand up and build their lives to become self sufficient like the rest of us through hard work and personal discipline.
For heaven sake it’s been TWO YEARS! When was this ever supposed to be permanent?? Take note that the “you owe me” mentality is alive & well. It just won’t go away. (Sharpton will be there soon to save the day.)
We also need to pay close attention because there is an element of this with the illegals getting public assistance. They will soon learn that there’s no reason to do the “jobs that Americans won’t do”. Just cry to a liberal then sit back and suck the blood from people who work for a living.
ROFL taylork.
I know:
DLTBHYOTWD - thanks!
A concerned man writes,
She’s conceived her 7th child while sponging off the govm’t and her mom, working a part-time job.
Me thinks she should have “kept her shoes on”, if you know what I mean.
Wow, that Charli person sure has some interesting comments. I didn’t read any kind of proposed solution in his post. Plus, his ramblings about fish seemed to prove that these people should be forced off their duffs and made to work for their bacon like everyone else, not that we should continue to spoon feed them. I wonder what he proposes we do when those seven kids each have seven of their own living on welfare? I bet if he tried he could find out where the family lives and just hand over his money directly.
Unfortunatly, the Dims have these folks trained properly. They “feel their pain”. If they actually did get self-sufficient, responsible and successful, they’d jump over to the Republican party.
The Dims need to keep these folks down for as long as possible — it’s one of their key voting blocs.
The Dims pretend to always “be doing something” for the poor and needy folks.
This is as bad as a drug addiction.
#25 - Ha!
I believe Charli is a she and a long time blogger.
I know several people who lived in downtown Manhattan who lost everything when the towers fell. It did not take them two years (rent free!) to recover.
When I got out of the navy I had a seabag full of clothes and my final paycheck. It did not take me two years to build a life.
If someone could explain to me how their situation would be different in, say, six months I might advocate letting them ride a little longer. The plain fact is that if they haven’t recovered in two years it’s because they just don’t intend to recover.
We settled this cradle-to-grave welfare question back in the 90’s. I for one see no need to re-examine it.
I’d comment too but EL Chronico banned me a long time ago from posting there.
I’m sure that we could collect enough donations from the commenters here to provided airfare for this family to move in with John Edwards. He has plenty of room at his place….
Hey, I just came across this about Kanye West:
Seems GW’s not the only one who “doesn’t care about black people”, huh?
Granted we all have compassion but, the same old story we keep hearing has limited our patience.
The woman has 7 children she probably collected welfare in NO which is ok because she worked but 7 children? If you can’t afford them don’t have them it’s a vicious circle like collecting welfare.
Again, how long is the US Taxpayer suppose to support them?
They turned the Convention Center and Superdome into a ghetto in 3 days. What does that tell us? Funny because the people from the fires in LA didn’t do that so where’s the problem.
I’m sorry NO was the biggest welfare city of poor for generations who can’t take care of themselves if they could they would left NO when the hurricane struck. And then they sat there and waited for the government to take care of them once again.
They deserve to be thrown out! 2 years and same mentality.
This is a great example of victim mentality. Everybody has the same opportunities in this country and some choose to still believe the government owe’s them something. 2 years is long enough to get yourself back together, those job’s American’s won’t do, I think it’s time some do them. I don’t mind giving someone a hand up that’s really in need of help but some just want to take advantage of the system.(remember the creit card fraud)
And what about her three older kids, age 17, 15, and 14? Are they contributing anything by maybe working after school? Just a thought.
My dad, now aged 83, still tells me how he used to herd cows for 50 cents a week and take the money home to his mother “back in the day”.
Maybe she should have moved here, enrolled in school, and received some birth control pills.
Two Words for them to learn: Tyson Foods!
Now Go take the jobs the illegals are doing.
I have witnessed the Katrinoids at an apartment complex behind my office building. The crime in the neiborhood is out of control. We had to hire 2 full time security guards to prevent our cars from being broken into and our people harassed daily. The bank in our building has be robbed 3 times in two years.
Two years is too long. I think we could raise enough money to get one-way plane fare for all our remaining guests.
McDonald’s is always hiring.
Sleazebags have a real knack for taking a good deed and turning it into sh!t.
“Charli” needs to go back and read both her Old and New Testaments. King Solomon’s Psalms has a word or two about not working and not eating. So many Lite Christians think Jesus had nothing whatsoever to say about personal
responsibility. God the Father and Jesus the Son are both big on personal responsibility. It is a convoluted Liberal mind that doesn’t see that.
Seven kids. I have 6 brothers and sisters. We did without, even felt deprived. I think one reason I never had kids was I didn’t think I could provide for them.
I remember asking for tuition assistance
@Canada College (SF Peninsula back in 1979/1980. The woman actually said to me if I `had a couple of kids, I could get financail aid.’ I told her I was not going to have a child just to get financial aid for school.
You can be sure people talk to each other and learn to game the system. Mom’s tell daughters who tell their daughters and the cycle continues. Why don’t you want better for your children?
“I have the right” and “I’m entitled” is the new social mentality in this country, built on self-respect and self-esteem, where people, broke and no place to live, built successful lives for themselves and children. Rather than continue that successful society that has outperformed the world, people want the always failed socialism with little liberty and rights. Once, many years ago, I too, was homeless and slept a few nights in Lafayette Park. I got off of my butt and looked for a way out. I remember getting my first disability check from D.C.. I sent it back, because I had a new job and money in the bank, plus a place to live. No sympathy here for them. I’m first in line when it comes to charity (remembering when) but my giving is limited. I will give “a fish” but will also teach “fishing” (my requirement to get the fish).
Two years, huh? That’s way too long for weepy Anderson Cooper to have a prime time job based upon his politically correct perceptions (next to useless) of the Katrina aftermath.
But back on topic and to explain ragging on Cooper: Anderson was ferried around New Orleans by local people with boats. Their opinions of the Stadium refugees grated on Cooper to the point that he spent five on air minutes dancing around the fact that their opinions consisted largely of ‘dumb’ and the n-word. He was pained that people who made their way in New Orleans as independent river workers would be so critical — and couldn’t comprehend that their independence meant seeing and calling things by terse language. Cooper then went on to suggest that there wasn’t any difference between his river-savy help and the stadium people. And by that, one gathers that Cooper is just another liberal bigot that labels people by their race.
His ferry captains didn’t end up in Houston, for sure.
Some Katrina victims feel entitled to handouts as the government failed them. The welfare system raised them to not think for themselves but to put out their hand without giving back.
If Hillary has her way, with universal health care, universal pre-K, and universal whatever–per her Christmas ad–then expect the Katrina virus to spread throughout the country.
I see that I am not the only one to figure out that the 18 month old arrived post-Katrina. Hmmm. The government gives them free $2000 handouts to help shortly after the storm (many spent this on pretty flat screen TVs,strip clubs, jewelry, or booze), they are bussed to Houston, helped out by the masses there (and churches from all over providing clothes, etc), then given free housing for two years. And they still want more?
It is past time for this to end and Houston’s crime rate to return to whatever it was pre-2005 when they all arrived.
Well God bless her mom for taking her and her children into her home. Honestly, I agree that her older children certainly could be working. My nephew had his first job delivering newspapers when he was 12, and he’s worked ever since. Even when a truck hit him on his bike and broke his leg, my sis drove him and he kept earning income.
*sigh*
The problem is not with the capacity to earn an income and ease the pain; the problem is with appreciating whose responsibility it is to provide for your family.
My sympathy for this group goes only so far (surviving Hurricane Katrina and being displaced) and stop at(2 yrs on the teet of the government, no plans for the future and 7 kids).
What the government did for these people was above and beyond. As many people here have stated 6 months is ample time to get back on your feet, if getting back on your feet is what you want. Not so for this lady. The government is her support. No wonder she was surprised when it ended. Sink or swim. The choice is yours.
Dear Ms. Mercadel:
How many of the father’s of your 7 children are paying child support?
How many of the fathers have you identified to the government lawyers who collect child support from absent parents?
Did you attend the welfare to work courses offered by your local welfare department?
Did you attend the job training courses offered by your local welfare department?
Some people from New Orleans need to “suck it up”.
I have family in New Orleans and along the Mississippi coast. They ran for high ground when the storm was obvious (they’ve seen this before). They are all back and have rebuilt or are rebuilding at this time. No whinning. No sobbing about ‘fairness’. No “Gimme da money.”
The bad eggs in Houston (and elsewhere) are the direct results of decades of one-party rule in Lousiana. It is Plantation Politics. Those folks truly have no idea, after generations of dependency, how to fend for themselves. You’ll get a blank look when you bring up the idea of personal responsibility followed by “I got my rights,” meaning the right to pick my pocket.
At my age, as cruel as it sounds, I’d gladly leave them at the side of the road to starve. Enough is enough.
You’re particular version of what Christ did in life is different from what I read in the bible. Every single time that Christ did for others, it was with the following statement, Go now and sin no more. Being a sloth is being sinful. It is very much in being a christian to have limits to charity. Charity is to help people who are in their situation for no direct fault of their own.
Every penny of the money I gave for the victims of Catrena went to Mississippi, I refused to give to any charity who would not garantee that the money I provided would not go to the people of New Orleans.
People from New Orleans are not hapless victims, nor have they shown that they will not continue to sin. They voted in corrupt politicians for decades, they refused to work for decades, the partied as if public orgies are common and something they personally supported.
The simple fact that there are people living on tax payer money after 2 years shows that these people are not christians and likely will never be. If they want christian charity, they need to go to a house of god and show that that plan to live christian lives.
Hear Hear, #48! What is almost the saddest part about this, at least to me, is that this Mercadel family thought nothing of exposing their part in the folly of multi-generational depedence on Uncle Sam. And sadder still is that our society has become so conditioned to be brought along by our noses, “Yes, Yes, Here, Here, Take, Take, you poor Dear!”. It’s maddening! Our system is broken, to be sure, but not in the way that the Mercadel family thinks it is.
My wife and I used to visit New Orleans a lot like a couple of times a year or more. We watched over a 12 or 15 year period as the city kept getting worse and worse and crime just climbing up the charts and welfare cases stacking up like cord wood.
You will find that the ones that made it to Houston and assimilated into the community probably don’t really want to go back to New Orleans to the crime and hopelessness of that place again.
The loafers you have left are mostly dropouts and drug dealers and pimps and those who forever would sponge off the system.
This was supposed to stop a long time ago, but the courts forced it into being extended.
The lack of progress of getting the work done to rebuild New Orleans because of all the red tape, waiting for flood maps to be redrawn, levee work and just plain bad execution at the state and local level leaves it right now where there really is no place for them to go back to right now even if they wanted to.
Some of the worst places are just now finally starting to be bulldozed down because they were beyond economical repair but even that was thrashed through the court systems.
Whatever will replace them will have better electrical and plumbing systems than the falling apart old places they had.
There are many houses where nobody even knows who really owns them any more, since the owners died in the flooding and there is no one to claim ownership or worse multiple people fighting over it.
There is tons of money still sitting out there allocated for the rebuild, but really for the most part only the cleanup has been done and now the state and city need to make the hard decisions to plow whole areas to the ground and start all over again including new sewers, water piping and other services and give it a new start. Like any town the infrastructure was not in the best shape before the storm in any event due to under funding and neglect.
Do it over and do it right. Some have come back and fixed their places but not near enough to provide a tax base to cover services.
Fewer schools are needed right now until the city rebuilds etc.
But still it can not be argued against that you could think of almost any other city which would have taken this kind of hit would likely not be stuck as far behind as New Orleans still seems to be at this point.
OMG, 7th child was conceived after Katrina! Assuming they all have the same father (!) why isn’t he working and supporting these kids? Are we really supposed to feel sorry for this woman and the grandma? This is the best sob story they could come up with!
Every body here is a man with integrity, I respect your decision to send the check back. I am legaly blind, have half a joint missing in by back due to back surgey and have had shoulder surgery after a serious accident (don’t laugh) showing my kid’s how not fall down a hill behind my house (apparently after one to many margarita’s) I’m in pain daily and have family and friend’s tell me I should go on Social Security Disability all the time. I won’t go on SSI because I don’t feel as if I am disabled their are people out there that have worse medical problem’s than I and I refuse to let any of this beat me. I am now in the process of starting my art career something I’ve alway’s loved to do. My wife and I can take care of my family just fine. My taxes went up $200.00 and my kid’s heard me on a rant about it and that we were not going to be able to afford to get them much for Christmas. Each one of my kid’s came to me and told me they did’nt want any present’s for Christmas and don’t worry about making a big dinner that it was like you’ve alway’s said Dad Christmas is not about present’s, dinner’s or parties it’s to spend time with the people you love being thankful that we have each other and it’s really about celebrating our saviour’s birth. What a bunch of great kid’s I guess I really did teach them something. My point is when you think you’ve got it bad their is alway’s someone worse off than you, be thankful for what you have and help those who want to help themselves.
It’s Christmas 1 day a year! Let-em stay till the 26th, give-em buss fare to Mayor Ray “Fagins” ranch and the pension he offered them over and over!
As a side note, I rent my place in Ft. Walton Beach to Katrina evacuees, well, you guessed it, they trashed the place to the tune of $8,000 worth of damages. No forwarding address. Lesson learned.
One positive….Bobby Jindal!
Blind Mule, if we were at a bar right now all the drinks would be on me. You’re a great guy.
I posted this over at the el Chronico (I’m a relocated native Houstonian and read it daily).
Don’t know if anyone’s mentioned this yet, but . . .
The article’s headline is:
“Housing changes begin to unravel Katrina victims’ lives.”
Uh, no. Their lives were unraveled BEFORE Katrina hit.
Katrina just made it more apparent.
It is not the housing changes that unraveled these people’s lives, but the dysfunctions (substance abuse, single motherhood, mental illness, fatalism, inability/unwillingness to help themselves, etc) that did it. It is not our fault for providing “inadequate” aid . . .
If I’m not mistaken they have extended the rent subsidies several times now. Every time they come up to expire, everyone cries foul and they are extended.
After 2 yrs, yes, they should be independent. I have a friend who’s family left before the hurricane hit and decided not to go back and they are working and paying rent and moving on.
As for the crime rate going up, a lot of them moved into an area that was bad to begin with, and they have been killing each other a lot the past 2 yrs.
I say times up, move on or move out.
Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number, what does it mean?
A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.
C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.
Washington , D.C .. HELLO!!! … Are all your calculators broken??
How much has already been spent on this disaster?
Thanks, John I appreciate that but I could’nt drink any margarita’s me and tokillya get crazy and fall down hill’s, but me and rum get along pretty good. It just erks me when people have an I’m a victim mentality. I alway’s tell those kind of people, “pick your self up by your boot strap’s and get back on the horse, life’s not as bad as you think it is. Now bequiet and quit whining.” Some people don’t react to well to that statement and it may sound alittle cold but some come back and tell me that I was right.
A little Tough Love is all they need
Three words: GET A JOB.
Seems to me $80 billion was the initial amount sent to Katrina “victims”.
Damn, $80 billion sure don’t last like it used to.
As much as I sympathize with the opinions expressed, and as much as I regret having to blame George Bush, there really is a problem here other than the obvious. Many of these people, and I admit to not having the numbers, cannot get work because they are priced out of the labor market. It’s that simple. Recall when Bush said he was going to temporarily void the fair labor, or whatever they are called, laws so the re-building of New Orleans could bring in many people who did not have full construction skills, or who could not get into a union, but could still do useful work to rebuild the city? Of course most don’t. No more than anyone remembers that the Unions put up a stink and as usual George backed down at once.
If they were illegals, they might well be able to find work — but since they are American citizens, too bad.
Seriously, the government mandated overpricing of labor is a significant component in this. The best thing that could happen to the poor in this country, and especially New Orleans and Houston, is to repeal those stupid wage&labor laws. Of course, it will never happen. But if it did some of them, particularly the young, might be able to find work and thus begin to pull themselves out of this mess.
Read the works of Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams if you have questions.
Right on #63
Things you forgot to factor into your calculation:
Rebuilding practically every fire house in a five parish (AKA county) region
Ditto rebuilding every police station
Ditto replacing every emergency vehicle
Ditto rebuilding every school
Ditto replacing every public transportation vehicle
Ditto rebuilding every government office facility
Ditto rebuilding the court system
These are just a few of the things the funds have and will go towards.
Sure there are a FEW “katrina refugees” that have taken advantage of the situation both before and after the storm, but the majority of the people got either nothing or $4000 from FEMA.
You should actually take a trip to New Orleans and then you might understand where the money is/has gone.
Am I sensitive to this topic, you bet I am. Anytime the subject of Katrina comes up on this blog, it’s along the lines of comment #1 - New Orleans suck it up.
I would ask meatpieandtatters #1 and all you other insensitive people, given this scenerio, what do you think people like this need to suck up?:
Let’s say you are in your mid 70’s, living in a paid off house, have a nice little fixed income. You’re taking care of yourself and have yourself covered with both flood insurance and homeowners insurance - carried that insurance with the same company for over 40 years. So along come Hurricane Katrina and you have 16 feet of water in your house. It and all your belongings are ruined, you’re left with the clothes on your back, but you and your family are all safe and you’re thankful for that. Virtually the same situation with all your family, friends and everyone you know.
You get your FEMA $4000 and you use it to pay your hotel bill while you were evacuated. You have insurance right, so you’re covered, you’ll be able to rebuild your house or buy another - wrong. So your insurance company says “it was water damage so your homeowners policy won’t cover any of the damage, but here’s $2000 for the pre water wind damage to your roof”. You get your flood insurance proceeds six months after the hurricane because the people you thought you were in good hands with misfiled the paperwork. When you finally get the money, there is limited amount of people to do the work and if you want to buy a new house, undamaged house prices have jumped 25%.
This week I stood on the slab of what was the house I grew up in. In the 60’s and 70’s it was a neighborhood filled with kids. Up until 2005, it was mostly still occupied by the now retirees that raised their families there. The neighborhood is now a vast wasteland of torn down or decaying houses. Not one of those retirees have returned. The fortunate ones have bought houses elsewhere. Many have gone from living on their own to living in retirement home, and a surprising number of died. This is not an isolated example, but the reality of tens of thousands of retirees that are never mentioned or thought of as “Katrina victims”. Oh another point, so if you are one of the lucky ones and buy another house in an unflooded area, you’re nice insurance company informs you that even though you have been a loyal customer for 40 years, because you are in a new house you are considered a new policy holder so you homeowners insurance goes up 500%. That puts a nice little dent into your fixed income.
And I love the often said comment - they chose to live in a flood zone/bowl/below sea level/whatever. These people have lived there lives there - raised families, owned businesses, been here for generations. When were they supposed to move? And if they were told to move en mass, who was going to compensate them?
So I get back to my question meatpieandtatters, what do you want these people to suck up?
At risk of being called a troll, what I saw this week standing on the slab of what was my family home probably looked alot like some neighborhoods in Iraq. I just don’t understand why many on this site have no problem with their tax dollars going to rebuild Iraq, but feel like the people of New Orleans, your fellow American citizens should just SUCK IT UP.
#69 les
wahhhh!!!!! wahhhhh!!!!
why don’t you go to houston and help raise her 8th child. One should be on the way. Just follow the signs to the nearest lazy fat ass.
beenthere, I can tell you have a good heart.
But most of the people, two years post storm with their hands out, cannot accept the concept of working and pulling their own weight. What they do understand is if they get jobs their government payments stop.
As many have said, the problem in New Orleans is generational and the product of local government—it is a cycle that, so far, cannot be broken it is so out of control. You would have to live there to experience this.
What has made the problem significantly worse are drug addictions and alcohol. Many fathers are absent and grandmothers raise the children the best that they can.Some make it and, sadly, many don’t.
If welfare would stop paying the mothers to have babies it would be a start. If Democraps would stop creating more welfare programs it would also be a start. Perhaps the new New Orleans, if Nagin does not trash it, will be a different place, but I won’t hold my breath.
If I were the Governor of Texas; I would send the bill to the Governor of Louisiana. They should bus any of these welfare for life types back to New Orleans and drop them off at Nagins office. I struggle for everything I get and I pay and my bills; I get no support nor do I expect to.
As far as the momma of 7; I doubt that any of the children have the same daddy, she created her own demise. I fill no guilt over booting her out; to answer any Liberal response, move the children into foster homes. They would better off without her.
Chuck #51
I’m with you 100%. These people are worthless. To sit on your rear end for two years, make no plans, and probably continue to breed, does nothing to justify any further assistance. These are probably the same individuals we saw on television, stealing shoes, while proclaiming they were engaged in “survival”. What a crock. How many children were born during these distressed times?
A comment about the 18 month old - doing the math (18+9=27, Aug. 25, 2005 to Dec. 20, 2007 = 28 months). Yeah, a month after evacuating to Houston, and you’re getting busy with someone? Don’t get much sympathy from me…
And for “wage and labor laws” - that might be something in place in NO and/or the affect Gulf Coast areas, but there is NOTHING preventing these people from finding gainful employment in the State of Texas. Two years in Houston and all you have is a part-time job, and there are other members of the household fully capable of earning a paycheck? Cry me a river…
Yes, I agree with Lindsey 71.
My heart is still broken by what we saw in the region.
I served for a period of weeks in a relief project after Hurricane Katrina. By the time we got there, the only work being done was by the church groups whose members volunteered, myself among them. The difference between the attitudes of those in Bay St. Louis, MS and those in N.O., LA, was staggering. The govm’t of N.O. would not let us in to help and serve the needs of its residents. Nope. That was the Fed’s job. Nagin, Inc. and his croneys were too busy focusing on how to get Mardi Gras up and running to be able to focus on the immediate emotional and spiritual needs, not to mention the physical needs, of his constituents. He and his family had moved out to some high-falutin’ high ground. By contrast, in Bay St. Louis, everyone was gracious, the local govm’t welcomed us, we set up meal tents, food & clothing distribution centers, created a central community area where we could meet the people and hear their stories, cry with them, pray with them, feed & care for them. Only one person out of the hundreds I met in BSL bothered to complain about FEMA. The rest were thankful for the service of those who cared enough to come.
Nagin, Inc. robbed the people of N.O. by keeping us out. It was tragic, and we are seeing them reap what their govm’t sowed.
Etienne - how sensitive of you. Happy Holidays you ???
I was just thinking, Chuck, about all of the other Katrina survivors, but NO’s, when
I came to your comment. Isn’t it strange that all of the rest pulled themselves up
by their bootstraps and got on about the business of rebuilding and living. What
we are seeing with the 9th Ward Katrina people is what has been going on for
generations (set in motion by LBJ) in NO. There is a group of “slave” dem voters,
kept down and dependent on the government that can be counted on time and again
to vote dems into office. Now, they are in TX and Texans have always been known to
stand on their own feet. Is it any wonder they are getting tired of them. I have read
about so many who have gone to work here, even if it is cleaning houses, but there are more that have not even tried to get a job. It’s spend every penny of
your welfare money and when one kid reaches 18 have another one in order to
stay on the dole.
I have a dear friend that works for HUD and trust me, you don’t want to get her
started about this situation!
les, you ask:
If you *google* “donations to Hurricane Katrina”, you’ll find over 130,000 websites that talk about the “how to”, the “what was raised”, etc. Hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. These people don’t need compensation; they need a hand up out of their circumstance. Where you would just send them money, I guess, others would invite them to a better life. Right now, they are arguing about tearing down public housing in N.O. The poor don’t want it torn down, even though it’s being torn down to build new. People become so comfortable in their tragedy that recovery from it scares them to death. You’re not helping.
Les-
You may not be a troll, but you sound like one. I work for a short term relief agency and we are finally closing out the Katrina rescue mission as of Dec 31st, 2007.
It has been two years, and we are still having Katrina evacuees coming in and asking for money for new kids school uniforms (our public schools require it) and we have finally started saying no more frequently.
Its not that I (and others on this blog) are being cruel, its just that some of us have faced the same situations (or worse) and were not waiting for the gov’t to bail us out.
10 years ago I was burned out of my apartment, and nearly lost everything. Between the American Red Cross (I love those people!), and my local church I was back up in less than 3 weeks. My military uniforms were cleaned, my Doc was flexible with my work schedule, college profs gave me a break on my exams/homework, and the apartment complex put me in another apartment. While it wasn’t the same as before-it was definately better than living on the streets in Glen Burnie, MD, and I didn’t take the generosity of so many people for granted. Quite the opposite, I started helping others more frequently because I had seen pain and suffering first hand and saw the essence of leadership demonstrated by various people ranging from my doc, college profs and the elders of my church.
Leadership where service to others is what makes a person great, and not demanding to be served. It was these principles that made me not only a better E-5, but a better servant to others in their time of need.
If people believe that the comments about NO are harsh, consider this: Why aren’t there complaints about Pasacula, MS (They took the brunt of Katrina), people in Oklahoma who are still without power after a major snow storm, and recently the evacuees from California who were burned out of their homes. Its simply because the people living there didn’t wait for the gov’t to help-they helped themselves and each other. They saw a need, and they moved quickly to solve it. BTW-one my former counter-terrorism squad team member’s lost everything just prior to his overseas deployment in MS, we called him, found out he came north to Illinois and we all pitched in to help his family. His family was very appreciative of the help and didn’t treat us the same way I see some NO Katrina evacuees treating others today.
My pity for NO’s Katrina victims ended along time ago, and I won’t even get started with what I think about Mayor Richard Nagin and the soon to be ex-governor Kathleen Blanco. I eagerly look forward to the unlawful confiscation of personal firearms lawsuit cases against Nagin, and his cronies. Nagin’s racist comments have been commented frequently by MM (and others) and if there is ever a person that the DOJ should consider investigating for violating a person’s civil rights-Nagin is near the top of the list.
GSP
I think the issue here is when is enough, enough? How long do you think the taxpayers and the charities need to support these people? Forever?
If we do that, they have NO incentive to go back to work or GET A LIFE.
Freeloading forever doesn’t solve problems, it creates more problems.
Please, please, please do not send them back to Louisiana!!!
Puhleeze!!!
How many of these parasites does Charli have living with her? I’d sure enjoy knowing that.
After 2 years, the rent should certainly be cut drastically for most; some may still need assistance - the blind, the lame, the disable veterans.
BTW, did that guy who wouldn’t leave his hotel ever get evicted?
This is the future.
I for one didn’t have a problem with my tax dollars going to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I didn’t have any problem with my tax dollars being sent to Indonesia after the tsunami hit and I don’t have a problem with my tax dollars being sent to Iraq. I do have a problem with people who have been given ample opportunities to turn their lives around and the choose to revert to the way things were.
Conversely, the Iraqis are partaking in the rebuilding of their country. They have pride. I think this is what is missing from people who have the entitlement mentality. They don’t have any pride. If they did, they wouldn’t look you square in the eye and tell you that after two years of being given rental assistance that they have no place to go. A proud person would simply have done more for themselves and their children.
Shame on this woman for not taking care of the children she chose to have and shame on you for trying to make everyone out to be cold and callous persons.
The Chronicle is one of those “enlightened” newspapers that always seems to know what’s best for us. It’s not only the NO welfare bum sob stories. Add to that the pro illegal alien stories that run regularly and the current crusade to persecute Joe Horn (the Pasadena man who shot two illegals who burglarized his neighbor’s home).
With traditional “news” sources like this, is it any wonder so many folks turn to the net to get some balance?
Les,
This country has generously provided massive aid to Katrina victims, both public and private, for over two years. How much more and how much longer do you think would be appropriate? You are free to continue helping anyway you can or desire. Please show your compasion through direct action, not with other peoples money.
I have precious little sympathy for the mother of the litter of 7 kids mentioned in the article. For some of the 7 kids (not the oldest 3, but the other 4), I have some. I’ll explain.
Fist things first, the youngest kid is 18 months. Do the math and you’ll find that means that she got herself knocked up during the storm. She has furthered her own disaster.
Secondly, if the 17, 15, and 14 year olds were truly helping, the 17 year old would be working the legal maximum as another cashier, and the 15 and 14 year olds would be babysitting at home and elsewhere. Between all the possible sources of income, they could surely make ends meet. The article didn’t mention such income, so I have to assume that only the mother is earning anything toward family life.
Boo freaking hoo. What is amazing is that, somehow, the school of hard knocks fails to teach these lessons.
To commenter #69: if Louisiana and especially NOLA officials weren’t so blasted corrupt, they would have been able to buy and/or build all of those things and plate them with gold with the money we have given them.
To commenter #74: I see that you beat me to the punch with the math. Good job!
I went to the Mississippi coast in the spring of 2006 to help rebuild, and I visited both Biloxi, MS and NOLA. Both have sections of desperately poor people financially. The differences in attitudes are amazing and quite telling, though. It’s no wonder that Mississippi has bettered itself from the disaster and NOLA continues to backslide.
I think that we need to remember that the “poor” in this country really have it better than the poor in other countries. Let me explain:
I was a teacher at a Houston elementary school where 90% of the kids were on free and reduced lunches. They were considered poor enough by the school district to not have to pay for their meals (breakfast and lunch). Yet, these kids wore designer clothes and shoes and bragged about how much they cost. They talked about their Playstation 2 and all the games they played on it and most had cable TV. They all had central heat and a/c.
So, how poor are they really? I know there are poor people who really and truly have nothing. But some of these supposed poor people are doing way better than the poor in 3rd world countries. And they continue to take handouts from the government and mismanage what money they do have so they can wear the latest fashion and buy the hottest video game.
This is welfare gone wrong. It just leads to irresponsibility and the inability to get your priorities right.
We need to stop giving so many handouts and get some of these people to step up and actually take care of themselves. And they need to stop thinking that somehow they are entitled to government funds.
Jenmom~
I also can’t help but wonder (being a new teacher who student taught at a low-SES school) how much of that money for expensive shoes, clothes and toys comes from unreported income from criminal activity? It’s not like you get a W-2 from dealing drugs or whatever… No “normal” job, you “look” poor to the government when applying for welfare…
Miss Ladybug - absolutely! One of the boys in my class had a dad in prison for drug dealing. He was one of the kids who always had the best shoes and even carried $100 on him! And we are talking a 4th grader here.
Les -
I’m sorry you lost your family home and neighborhood. I’m sure you personally are not the type of person that looked to the governemnt for your next handout. I am sure there were plenty of other homeowners in NO who are hard workers and good, solid people.
You asked -”And I love the often said comment - they chose to live in a flood zone/bowl/below sea level/whatever. These people have lived there lives there - raised families, owned businesses, been here for generations. When were they supposed to move?”
Since 1871, New Orleans has been hit or brushed by a hurricane every 3.78 years.
I, for one, would certainly look to at least move inland a ways before I reached retirement age. LONG before retirement age.
I have Migraine Headaches, and I have several friends who have the same. We talk about it and try to help eachother find the right doctors and right medications. The pain is unbearable many days and nights and sometimes for a week or more for one migraine. I think the government should just let us live off other peoples hard work.
I have another friend who has a permanant limp, it is hard for him to walk, and going up stairs is nearly impossible. I think we should protect him and just take money from hard working people so he can live without working. I think his life would be so much better.
I also know many divorced people, some with and some withouch children, but the horror of going through a divorce is just too much, and I think they need to be given tax dollars from some hard working person so they can cope with the pain of the loss.
Al Gore was robbed from being president by the supreme court. All those voters are having an enormously hard time coping with this. It has resulted in mass mental retardation along with depression, paranoia and other illnesses which is being called Bush Derangement Syndrome. These people I really feel sorry for and I think that they need more help than all the rest, I think the only solution to this problem is to buy them plane tickets to the particular Socialist Government ran country they prefer. Maybe Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia or Sudan would be willing to help these poor poor people and give them lifetime work free permits.
I was at the Astrodome that Thursday after the storm hit. That was the first day the evacuees were being bussed in and it sure got our attention that these folks needed help. By the next morning I had 30 (out of 100 that I knew would be able to respond) of our rodeo cook-off teams on notice, a few hundred pounds of meat donated and was ready to roll on getting them fed. Fortunately I also have contacts in the county g’ment and they (and the city and some very big churches) had it put together by noon that day. Everybody then said “deal with the people now, the details later.” It is way past later.
Les (#69), you have an interesting point. There are those who have been responsible and the combination of circumstances is keeping them from going back to a reasonably stable and not-unpleasant situation. They have my sympathy, and I hope that the organizations that can help them have the resources to do so. These people are trying.
However, for people like Mrs. (?) Mercadel, who appear to be nothing but baby factories who do nothing but suck off the teat of government, I say enough is enough. Unless she is disabled, she should be earning money to cover at least a significant percentage of her expenses.
To those that you have described, I say “what do you need so that you can return to being self-sufficient?” Maybe I can help. To the welfare queens and those who will not work, but instead rely on government to provide everything, I say “stop picking my pocket.”
(Now New Orleans itself was a mess, and the governments of NO and Louisiana did nothing to improve the situation. Those governments need serious overhauling.)
Astonerii,
Don’t believe all the bad you hear about Saudi Arabia. It is far freer and more open that you are generally led to believe in the states.
I know, because I live in Riyadh and had my eyes opened when I came over her.