Same as it Ever was

Can't stand Bush, so I didn't watch his effort to save his presidency from the crapper. I did read that even though he gave his speech to the nation in the French Quarter last night, no American citizens were in attendance, and the press were kept at bay, so he didn't take any questions. You'd think Rove would at least have rounded up a crowd of loyal, God-fearing Republicans to give the impression that Dubya has our support (like they did during the '04 campaign and the propaganda tour for the effort to kill Social Security). The truth is the guy everyone thinks they could share a beer with doesn't really like or care about us, as we might displease him with annoying questions and the like...that's why his crew keeps him in a bubble all the time.

While I'm glad to see that Federal money is going to help with the reconstruction (to the tune of $200 billion+), where is all of the money coming from (and where is the call for our common sacrifice to help out our brothers and sisters)? Yeah, Dubya's pulling out the charge card, again (this, on top of the $200 billion we've spent in Afghanistan and Iraq AND in addition to all the tax cuts for the rich and welfare checks for big business). I bet most Americans would be willing to pay a bit more in taxes to help out the Gulf states...(and don't you think it's time that the rich, who have done so very well under the Bush administration, step up to the plate to pay a bit more in taxes to help thousands of people who have lost everything?)

The other disturbing fact is that much of the reconstruction effort is going to cloak Bush Inc.'s sleazy agenda to bust union and minimum wages, crush environmental safeguards, eliminate affirmative-action programs, weaken the public school system, and reward GOP business cronies (read: Halliburton and their subsidiaries).

From the Wall Street Journal, Sept. 15, 2005: "Congressional Republicans, backed by the White House, say they are using relief measures for the hurricane-ravaged Gulf coast to achieve a broad range of conservative economic and social policies, both in the storm zone and beyond ... In the past week, the Bush administration has suspended some union-friendly rules that require federal contractors pay prevailing wages, moved to ease tariffs on Canadian lumber, and allowed more foreign sugar imports to calm rising sugar prices. Just yesterday, it waived some affirmative-action rules for employers with federal contracts in the Gulf region. Now, Republicans are working on legislation that would limit victims' right to sue, offer vouchers for displaced school children, lift some environment restrictions on new refineries and create tax-advantaged enterprise zones to maximize private-sector participation in recovery and reconstruction ... 'The desire to bring conservative, free-market ideas to the Gulf Coast is white hot,' says Rep. Mike Pence, the Indiana Republican who leads the Republican Study Group, an influential caucus of conservative House members."

I understand that the GOP truly does believe in some of these policies, but how exactly does paying a sub-standard wage help people that have lost everything in Katrina's wake? Wouldn't it be nice to pay them a bit extra for all the things they are going to need?

Oh, and did I mention that the Katrina Reconstruction Czar is not a Colin Powell type (or even the dark lord Cheney), but none other than Karl Rove (egads!):

From the New York Times: "Republicans said Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff and Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, was in charge of the reconstruction effort, which reaches across many agencies of government and includes the direct involvement of Alphonso R. Jackson, secretary of housing and urban development."

Hey, why have someone with actual experience be in charge of rebuilding New Orleans, Gulfport, etc. when you can have Rove making sure that GOP business buddies are handsomely rewarded. (Kind of undercuts the message that Dubya really cares about black people, doesn't it...I mean Rove is the guy who came up with the outrageous rumors during the 2000 election that John McCain had fathered an illegitimate child with a black prostitute, when he and his wife had, in fact, adopted a child from Bangladesh -- sent Dubya to speak at the racist Bob Jones "University" to secure the white supremacist vote, etc.)