Hurricane Relief

I think it is entirely appropriate that the Republicans have scaled back their convention and are focusing on raising money for Hurricane Gustav relief. After all, the Republicans are the ones with all that extra money to donate and then write off on their taxes. And the Republicans are also the ones who don't like "government" to take care of the citizens in need. So let them foot the bill for Gustav -- after they've taken care of everybody still living in Katrina trailers.

It is very obvious that the Gulf coast has a long way to go before it is able to survive the increasing hurricane activity that comes with climate change. With rising sea levels on the horizon and decreasing wetlands lost to out of control human commerce and development, our government lucked out today. The hurricane's path and velocity were not of a level to breach the levees and for that we give a nod to luck and to some repairs made by the Army Corps of Engineers who say they will be finished with all the levee repairs by 2011. According to this August 23, 2008 AP report, the levee repairs and reconstruction post-Katrina have been fraught with all kinds of problems:

In a yearlong review of levee work here, The Associated Press has tracked a pattern of public misperception, political jockeying and legal fighting, along with economic and engineering miscalculations since Katrina, that threaten to make New Orleans the scene of another devastating flood.

They dodged it this time -- but in the long term, a lot more thought, environmental engineering, and money need to go into solving the problems of living on the Gulf Coast. Somehow I doubt the Republicans will give enough to make a difference. You can help out via Barack Obama's web site -- just click here.