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What the heck made New Orleans so valuable that the federal government spent billions there, but not in Iowa?

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because iowa isnt worth anything. iowa isnt a center of commerce or culture.

what is iowa famous for? the iowa caucuses? thats about it. honestly, the reason it wasnt covered is because no one cares about iowa, because frankly iowa sucks and if it were covered under megatons of water, no one would care. and no one did care.

quit crying, and go harvest your unnecessarily federally subsidized corn.

Obama hates white people

As someone who used to live in New Orleans and has lived in Louisiana all of my life, I COMPLETELY agree with this article. Everyone in New Orleans got exactly what they deserved...it's a welfare state where everyone expects the government to hand them whatever they want/need. I lived through Katrina and the city I live in opened it's doors (and the Cajundome) to evacuees and not only were we not thanked but we were openly mocked, ridiculed, and assaulted by these people. While working to provide them with food and water which was donated by local businesses I actually had people throw food back at me because they wanted 'hot' food (we had sandwiches and po'boys from local sandwich shops) and my girlfriend had her cellphone stolen when someone pushed her down and took her purse. I have less than no sympathy for those people and nothing but respect for the people of Iowa as well as every other Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi city which got hit by Katrina and Rita...many of which suffered as much or more damage than 'Chocolate City'.

[quote]quit crying, and go harvest your unnecessarily federally subsidized corn.[/quote]

Oh man that is a good point!

The reason you never saw this was because it happened to white people, and no one cares what happens to them. As long as there are enough of you working to get government money to everyone else, they can flood every white city out there. You aren't allowed to be proud of your race, and you aren't allowed to claim persecution or racism. Just shut up and take it.

I'm from Cedar Rapids, Iowa from where those pictures were taken. The reaction was more or less "awww sh*t" then, instead of complaining, people helped. The federal government did help and was treading carefully not to get bad press. They all but threw water bottles at everyone. It is just uninteresting to watch people fix things that are ruined.

patriot_sam: you are an idiot. I should say that human beings are human beings and not caring about someone because of their geographic location is a form of psychosis. I will unnecessarily mention (as this shouldn't affect the value of people) that this city and the surrounding area is the birthplace of Quaker Oats, Amana Appliances, Rockwell Collins ect ect. The flood also stop the production of several ethanol plants. Iowa also had more gold metals in the Beijing Olympics then Canada. If brand names and how 'famous' something is, is what you put value in, you need to grow up.

Sam, no matter what, Americans were displaced in both places. The difference is Iowa is more conservative than NO and instead of whining about their situation and blaming the government, they stuck together and worked together to get back on their feet. While there may have been some looting, it wasn't wide spread like in NO. They weren't looking to rely on the government to help them out of the mess that nature brought on them and they didn't blame the government for the crisis.

Katrina and the subsequent flood of New Orleans was the single biggest natural disaster in the history of the US. It was the only time in our nation's history that an entire city was put out of commission for that amount of time. You are comparing apples and oranges here. Yes, both situations include flooding, but totally different types. Both situations had very different variables. New Orleans is a giant port city, as well. Part of the problem was that many people were too poor to own vehicles, if you could even manage to get to a gas station that wasn't out of gas or pay for the gasoline in the first place. You have to realize that New Orleans has numerous hurricanes and other natural disasters come through and you can't leave every time there is one, no one would ever get anything done. It is too expensive not only in hard cash but in earnings lost to leave constantly. I think you have some serious misunderstandings of what happened there, and I would postulate that if you did understand the differences between the two situations you would never have written an article so dripping in condescension.

I went down to New Orleans with the National Guard after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. That in itself was a hugely illegal. Other states sent in troops to Louisiana completely violating it's sovereignty. We were also told to violate the second amendment and disarm anyone, no matter the circumstances.

I ended up in St. Bernard Parish. There were some great people there but I was astonished by the lack of personal responsibility. It isn't about who's flood was worse it is all about who is willing to get up and get to work. Mississippi was hit just as hard but they didn't bitch and whine about it. They got to work and took care of it. Guess who has a thriving city back up and running again?

Louisiana really is the vagina of the United States. Its swampy, smelly, and happens to be the main entrance to the US heartland. Katrina and Rita were just a couple of douches that needed to happen to clean the shit out.

New Orleans has been run by Democrats for the past 70 years. If Democrat policies really worked, there would have been nobody too poor to own a car, buy gas or take a week off work because of a storm.

Instead we have a city that had almost 70% of the population subsisting on government supplied money, massive poverty and very low community involvement. Lets not forget that the local and state government (almost exclusively Democrats) made no effort to effect a timely evacuation, did not use the resources available (buses) because the union drivers were not available and did not REQUEST FEMA assistance for 4 days. FEMA by law cannot respond to a crisis without a request from the local government.

And by "different types" of flooding, the were both wet, ruined homes, businesses and displaced thousands. The difference is that the people of Iowa did not have a gimme mentality. They are the salt of the earth, get down to business and fix the problem sort of people. People in New Orleans had effectively been trained to be dependent, wait for someone else to take care of them. In other words, the perfect Democrat voter.

"Katrina and the subsequent flood of New Orleans was the single biggest natural disaster in the history of the US. It was the only time in our nation's history that an entire city was put out of commission for that amount of time."

Never heard of the Galveston Hurricane? Or the San Francisco earthquake/fire? Or even the Chicago fire? Katrina wasn't even close.

Katrina exposed the folly that is New Orleans. If taxpayers actually had any control over the use of their funds, then they would say to avoid wasting any money in rebuilding the flood zone. It would be better and cheaper to build above the water level, say, across the river anywhere, to avoid the inevitable future problem.
The structure of American politics won't let that happen. Money gets thrown at problems that make it on the news, so your sound bites and video bites create a whirlwind of activity and then the wasting begins. Toss in a dose of those Dam Engineers and you have the makings of some catastrophic problems brewing. The only question is when there will be another flood.
Poor Iowa doesn't have the sizzle of New Orleans - no chefs, jazz or colorful past - as it is only a heartland state where people value education and hard work, and don't require handouts every time someone sneezes. There is a pathetic reverse snobbery at work as witnessed by the media-hungry 'stars' grabbing for airtime to keep their mugs in view.

Suzy, you pointed out all the differences between the two disasters, EXCEPT the whole point of the comparison....that is-what was the response (or lack thereof) of the people. Not to mention the idiotic racist rantings of that clown N.O. calls a mayor. To many, the scariest words in the English language are "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." Clearly, N.O. disagrees. You also failed to explain the looting. In fact, local "law enforcement" saw fit to deprive law abiding citizens of their right to protect themselves and their property by confiscating their legally owned firearms. N.O. needs to look within before they start pointing fingers. Maybe next time....

What happened in New Orleans is yet another example of how liberals love to paint poor people as victims who need to be rescued by the government. When are they going to realize that personal responsibility and self-sufficiency is the path to a better quality of life.

States like New Orleans are perfect for the elite.

The elite democract politicians who live to exploit the poverty of the people for their own political gain.

The elite journalists who now have a glamorous story to tell about the "injustices of the system".

"Survival of the fittest" people....Stop b*tchin' and start pitchin' in!

If the people of Iowa were deadbeat entitlement babies who were able to cry 'racism', you could bet Obama would have showed up with a speech. Shame on you folks in flyover country for being self-sufficient! It's obvious your a bunch of anti-government bible thumping gun hugger's - probably possible terrorists as well.

HOWEVER, there is hope! Yes there is... In another 5 years you will be considered a minority and can claim minority status. Get ready to belly up to the trough of government money that's going to come your way!

If it floods in Iowa again, I hope Obama remembers where he got his start. If it weren't for the Iowa caucuses, BO would be Senator Obama right now!

Did 10,000 people die during this flood in Iowa you retard? There's the answer to your ignorant questions... PRICK

alright "patriot sam".. so what if someone had said.. who cares about new orleans? its just the center of drunkeness and crime (it was one of the most dangerous cities in the country) and government dependence (do you really think new orleans was a shrinking city for no reason?). "no one cares about Iowa".. do you think anyone would care about new orleans if there wasn't mardi gras, bourbon street etc.? just because the people of Iowa take enough personal responsibility about their homes and property that they are willing to risk their well being about it doesnt mean that the only reason they do it is because "no one cares about Iowa".. it's because they actually take real pride in what is theirs and are willing to fight for it. As a person not from Louisiana or Iowa, I respect the efforts put forward by Iowans that shows personal responsibility as opposed to reliance on government much more than the savageness shown by New Orleans citizens.. that being said.. i think that the things put forward by Iowa (crops and other agriculture) much outweigh the things put forth by New Orleans (alcohol, bars, etc.). efforts by Iowans>efforts by new orleans.

I see several people have responded to my response. Let me address you each.

"Never heard of the Galveston Hurricane? Or the San Francisco earthquake/fire? Or even the Chicago fire? Katrina wasn't even close."

Yes, James, thank you. I most certainly have. While the Galveston Hurricane is considered the biggest natural disaster as far as death toll, Katrina was by far the most expensive. Not to mention the political and racial tensions that were already at an all time high in the area. I suppose that our definitions differ as far as the word "worst". And just so you know, the earthquakes you speak of and the fires are not considered on the same scale as Katrina at all. To ignore that Katrina also destroyed much of the rest of the gulf coast, therefore tying up resources and making the process to rebuild much more difficult, not to MENTION Rita hitting right after... you clearly just do not understand the situation that the south was in, especially with the largest port city completely destroyed.

"Suzy, you pointed out all the differences between the two disasters, EXCEPT the whole point of the comparison....that is-what was the response (or lack thereof) of the people."

Dollar Dave- I am confused as to what you wanted the citizens of New Orleans to DO, exactly, with 80% of the city underwater. Why didn't they use buckets to bail the water out, right?!! Jesus. And I especially love how you expect the people to rebuild after they were bussed out of the city because there was no where suitable for them to live. Perhaps they should have used telekinesis? To ignore that Katrina also destroyed much of the rest of the gulf coast, therefore tying up resources and making the process to rebuild much more difficult, not to MENTION Rita hitting right after... you clearly just do not understand the situation that the south was in, especially with the largest port city decimated.

"...Not to mention the idiotic racist rantings of that clown N.O. calls a mayor."

I cannot say that I liked the man, but the views he has simply mirror the huge racial tensions that we have in the deep south. It isn't simple, it isn't easy, and we are trying to work through and manage to live along side each other. Things like Katrina and Rita always exacerbate the issues between rich and poor, which in the south are still hugely influenced by your race. You need to take a step back and perhaps realize that you don't deal with race on the daily basis that we do.

"...To many, the scariest words in the English language are "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." Clearly, N.O. disagrees."

What government are you talking about? Federal? Certainly not state, as that is who you expected to take care of the situation. Alright, what do you do when an entire state's government has been put into a situation that their forces cannot handle? That was the ENTIRE problem of Katrina and Rita. This is where all the political issues came into play. Where were the lines of sovereignty? Hopefully your state will not ever be put into the same situation.

"You also failed to explain the looting."

Let me try to explain to you who was left in New Orleans after the storm. Those who were TOO POOR or too messed up on drugs to be able to leave. Looting explained. It would happen in any big city, and has before. Please stop trying to insinuate that we are all just degenerates.

"In fact, local "law enforcement" saw fit to deprive law abiding citizens of their right to protect themselves and their property by confiscating their legally owned firearms."

Because people were SHOOTING AT THEM and at their helicopters and at each other, and they COULDN'T TELL WHO.

"...N.O. needs to look within before they start pointing fingers. Maybe next time...."

We aren't perfect, Dave, but we are a huge part of the country. Many of your goods come from our ports. The entire state of Louisiana relies on the revenue from New Orleans. Perhaps you should stop being so judgmental when you obviously have misunderstood many aspects of the situation... not unlike many of you replying to this post. Maybe you all should look within.

ALSO-

http://darkstarspoutsoff.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/06/tim-wise-new-orleans-vs-iowa.html

Enjoy, assholes.

Interesting that the only two posts that got really ugly were from Suzy and Chris. Why do Liberals become so vitriolic when faced with an opposing view?

Does anyone know that there was no wind damage to any home in N.O.? The flooding actually occurred hours after Katrina went by. Mississippi received the full force of Katrina and you don't hear much about them whining. N.O. got the most attention because most of the population is black, democrat and on the public dole.

I am not a liberal, thank you Billy Bob.

The Great One- What do you mean there was no wind damage to homes in New Orleans? Of course there was. It was a hurricane. There of COURSE was tons of wind damage. And once again, I have noted that the rest of the south was hit hard. I never denied that. But the levees broke after the hurricane and caused the flooding which created most of the problem for New Orleans. Why would you think there was no wind damage? Honestly? Have you not seen photos from afterward? Do you think flooding pulled all those trees, powerlines, and signs down, as well as broke all the windows and ripped off roofs? Where is your brain, exactly? Also, you obviously did not bother to read the link I posted, which shows that Iowa is on the 'public dole' as much as New Orleans was.

Great post! Where were the helicopters? The news media 24/7? The cries of this being a government plot against white people? This being George Bush's fault? How could this have happened? If a Democrat was in charge this never would have happened I'll bet! What lessons can we learn from this devestation (Global Warming blah...blah...blah...)! Instead, we ignored the whole thing. I think maybe the media hates white people! GASP! Tell me it ain't so! New Orleans just isn't that big a deal! Terrible city in a terrible state with terrible government run by terrible people with terrible politics!

"Did 10,000 people die during this flood in Iowa you retard? There's the answer to your ignorant questions... PRICK"

Uhm, Chris, I hate to tell you this but the official death toll in New Orleans is 1,836 dead, and 705 missing. But don't let a little thing like facts get in the way of your ignorance. It's all about feeling good, right?

There are very obvious differences, but not the ones you mentioned. Cedar Rapids has a population of 128,056. The metro area is 255,452. It's 90% white. So, you have a small, homogenous community that isn't below the federal poverty line facing a disaster that concerns 9 square miles of devastation. New Orleans had a population of over 400,000. The metro area included 1.2 million people. That's 1.2 million people trying to leave a city in a weekend. I was there. The city is a mix of ethnicities, mainly below the poverty line, many with no means of transportation, no way to leave. The devastation included about 85 square miles of devastation. There is little comparison. Thus, the entire emotionalized premise of this argument is ridiculous.

VSteMarie's comment deserves to be read twice:

"There are very obvious differences, but not the ones you mentioned. Cedar Rapids has a population of 128,056. The metro area is 255,452. It's 90% white. So, you have a small, homogenous community that isn't below the federal poverty line facing a disaster that concerns 9 square miles of devastation. New Orleans had a population of over 400,000. The metro area included 1.2 million people. That's 1.2 million people trying to leave a city in a weekend. I was there. The city is a mix of ethnicities, mainly below the poverty line, many with no means of transportation, no way to leave. The devastation included about 85 square miles of devastation. There is little comparison. Thus, the entire emotionalized premise of this argument is ridiculous."

As a resident of Iowa City I can tell you that there was no immediate danger as everyone had ample warning in evacuating their homes. Escaping the flood meant walking uphill. The flood in Iowa sucked, but New Orleans was a tragedy.

Good debate here though.

Ha ha ha Nice try.

IOWA FLOOD
Duration June 7 - around July 1
Damages At least 7 Billion
Fatalities 1 death

KATRINA
Fatalities 1,836 confirmed, 705 missing
Damage $90.9 billion

Big difference there Billy Bob.

And both floods but caused by very different situations.

That being said. It no way minimizes the damages incurred and hard work done by the folks in Iowa.

I recently visited New Orleans and was curious to learn more about the flooding after seeing the city several years later. I'm not going to jump into the political debates, but I will say that everyone is right to an extent in their opinions. It was my first time visiting New Orleans and it is a smelly, drug hazed little town. There are plenty of shady characters hanging out on Bourbon and Canal Street into the wee hours. The ports looked abandoned, though I actually think people were working them. Along with that it is a city of culture. Its beauty is that you can go there and be whoever you want, and no one gives a damn. Everyone there has a style and they are all accepted. I think that the people are at fault for not doing more to help themselves and I think the government could have done more initially. They should have given the locals FEMA trailers in the area and put them back to work rebuilding their own city. I have family from Georgia that made a good deal of money over the last three years working to rebuild New Orleans. Why didn't the people who we're from New Orleans go back to work to rebuild THEIR city? It's because you have a bunch of lazy ass folks who got free room and board in other cities and they sure as hell weren�t going to work when Uncle Sam was paying the bills. That�s just the way it is. Other disasters have been worse than Hurricane Katrina, but the mentality of other towns was different. They wanted to help themselves and had the mental capacity to do something about it. I think you are ignorant if you think this is black and white. Both the people and the government were at fault. (If you pay taxes you should expect the government to pull through for you to a certain extent. You rely on the fire department to come to your house if your home is on fire don�t you?) But if you expect the fire department to rebuild your house after the fire is out, well, then you get a situation like the flooding in N.O. Then there is also the insurance issue that you could discuss for a while. Since the damage want technically a man made disaster and not hurricane damage a lot of people could not get insurance money hence why so many of the homes are still abandoned.

I disagree with the comment above. The national Puritan myth is that laziness is responsible for misfortune. In the real world, that idea does not hold up very well. "Why didn't people return to rebuild their city?" Who says we didn't? Many stayed in other states, not because we recieved freebies, but because our jobs relocated to other cities. In the beginning there were problems like no food, electricity, communications, etc. I'm not talking about a week without a phone. I'm talking about a month without a phone and no one to call because you don't know where everyone is...Most importantly, rebuilding materials on the scale we needed them didn't exist. Millions were rushing to buy the same materials. And all nearby outlets for hundreds of miles were vacant. Still, many of us eventually returned. The supposition is that we didn't do anything for ourselves. That's false. Also, this is the biggest disaster in U.S. history. The statement that other disasters have been worse, but the towns handled it better is untrue. New Orleanians are U.S. taxpayers. Our city is far, far older than most American cities. Oh, forget it. I'm tired of trying to teach what you should've learned in fifth grade. Still, I love the line that the port didn't look busy. Conduct a little research on that. I'm not sure you understand basic geography. Regardless of what things look like to a tourist, commerce depends on what we do here. While the tone of this message looks sharp, it isn't. I'm astonished more than anything.

Terry - Sorry to disappoint you, but many in New Orleans DID return to rebuild their own city. I was there; I was one who DID return, the very first day that the National Guard recinded their "shoot on site" order for my neighborhood. But we, the ones who returned and worked hard and went into debt to pay for everything that wasn't covered by insurance, then worked to help our neighbors rebuild - WE don't sell newspapers. And ask the folks in Cedar Rapids about some of the first "outsiders" who came to help them. Ask about a group called "Beacon of Hope", and about the people from the Lakeview Civic Improvement Association. These people came from the Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans to offer assistance. But none of that made good press; none of it allowed for Bush-bashing or New Orleans-bashing, the two most popular press sport after Katrina. We - the New Orleanians who went back and worked hard - are the "forgotten ones." Everyone knows about the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. Ever hear of Lakeview? It was the second most damaged neighborhood after the "Lower Ninth", the site of the "sandbag drops" on TV for days after the storm. Why don't you hear about them? Because they behaved like Iowans - went back and fixed it themselves.

How can someone be "TOO POOR" to leave on a bus? We all saw the pictures of rows of FLOODED busses filled with NOBODY.

The real reason is the people who didn't leave were either too STUPID/LAZY to leave, almost as STUPID/LAZY as "Suzie" is for making excuse after excuse for them.

NEWS FLASH: It costs $0.00 (read: ZERO) dollars to get on a FREE BUS AND DRIVE OUT OF NEW ORLEANS.