Comments for Katrina documentary 'The Big Uneasy' premieres Aug. 30 at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 3 out of 3 comments http://www.theind.com Sat, 18 May 2013 13:07:03 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/6755-katrina-documentary-the-big-uneasy-premieres-aug-30#comment-9756 Uh, wait a minute. First of all, NO people in a major american city should have to evacuate for a natural disaster. This was a man-made disaster, don't forget that. The levee system around New Orleans was federalized, so they are responsible. They were not. Metro New Orleans could re-take control of the levee systems, but then, the country has a financial and commercial stake in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding communities being secure, so as I see it, they have a fiscal responsibility not to ask the locals to pay for everything....isn't that part of the argument we're making when we demand offshore oil royalties to help take care of our coastal wetlands loss, infrastructure needs, and public health and education? (We demand royalties from offshore drilling because other inland states get a share of royalties from federal lands and waters within their borders, but Louisiana gets nothing generated off our coast.) Furthermore, it is completely wrong-headed to castigate the residents of New Orleans, many of which live without cars. If private contract bus services, non-present rail-based mass transit, and expensive airflights were not available, never mind fuel expenses, lodging, etc., then the public should demand that public orchestrated evacuation plans be in place to ensure EVERY member of our society has a way to evacuate (if that were even a logical assumption in the first place.) Playing to our stereotypes by throwing out the welfare-queen and the drug-dealer storyline is B.S. and unacceptable. A letter to the editor published shortly after Katrina in this very same paper LONG ago pointed out that all the statistics speak against the fallacious assumption that New Orleanians and particularly, those of the 9th Ward, were bums unwilling to take care of themselves. The letter compared the 9th ward and Vermilion Parish, similar in population, but wholly dissimilar in demographic data, average income, education and health and wellness statistics, out of wedlock and teenage births. Vermilion Parish was NOT on the winning side of the equation. So please, get wise before you people go slamming the bums. - Unempirical Observer Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:58:30 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/6755-katrina-documentary-the-big-uneasy-premieres-aug-30#comment-9600 "People didn't have to die." Had the residents of New Orleans heeded the evacuation warning and left, loss of life would have been minimal. The population of New Orleans is a cultural hodgepodge comprised of people who don't know anything but reliance on the government for everything, i.e., food, housing, cell phones, etc. What happened to the day when people worked for what they had, or did without because they couldn't afford it. Now, everyone looks to the government for these items. Be responsible for yourself and don't rely on the government for everything. Katrina is a prime example that you can't control Mother Nature and you can't protect people from themselves. It is easy to blame others, but look in the mirror to see who is really at fault. - Tired of the Blame Game Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:32:00 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/6755-katrina-documentary-the-big-uneasy-premieres-aug-30#comment-9550 "government's negligence and culpability in the disaster" Does anyone believe the government could have changed the outcome? The fault lies not in our government but in ourselves plus mother nature. - Mr. Ed Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:24:07 +0100