Katrina Thoughts

Of course I'm horrified at the devastation caused by Katrina. I just cannot picture walking away with only the clothes on my back and the money in my pocket. Will their bank accounts and credit cards be OK? What about the banks that were destroyed?

I like stuff as much as the next guy but -- except for a computer to be able to pay bills online with Quicken -- I could lose all my things and start again as long as my accumulated "wealth" wasn't harmed.

What would I miss most? Hmmm....I guess I would replace my computer first. A notebook this time, so I could carry it when I was escaping a hurricane :-)

Incidentally, please note: "The McCormick Tribune Foundation Hurricane Katrina Relief Campaign has been established as an effort between McCormick Tribune Foundation and many of its Communities Program Partners to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The McCormick Tribune Foundation will match the first $1,000,000 contributed to the campaign at 50 cents on the dollar. All administrative costs will be paid by the foundation so that all funds can be distributed directly to disaster relief organizations that provide short and long-term aid to those affected by Hurricane Katrina." Click on that sentence to make a donation.

And now some thoughts as to the government's responsibility to rebuild. When parts of the Jersey shore were wiped out by a hurricane some years ago, I felt somewhat resentful that my tax dollars were going to rebuild homes of people -- rich people, mostly -- who built their houses in dangerous areas and did not (or possibly could not get) suitable insurance. Let's face it...if you try to insure something and an insurance company refuses to insure you, doesn't that ring a bell?

So I think someone should take a long hard look at the places that were wiped out and perhaps provide some seed money so that these folks can get started further inland (perhaps in Kansas?) but not to permit them to rebuild right on top of the ruins. Sure, Katrina was a once in 250 years event, but if you want to build a house (or buy a house) where that has happened, you're rolling the dice. Don't come to me for a handout if you roll snake eyes!

And then there are the poor, who really didn't choose to live where they live(d). And when they lose everything, it may not look like much to us middle-classers, but it's even worse for them if my experience with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen has taught me anything. But the problem of the poor is not limited to victims of this storm. And there's no "easy" answer like, "We'll give them money to rebuild". Too philosophical for me this morning.