On some days, I want to leave New Orleans and the South and, on others, I want to flee the United States altogether. What would you want to do when the president vetoes a health insurance program for children touted by a majority of Americans, our elected representatives do not overturn his decision and instead spend inordinate amounts of time obsessing over the gays and illegals?
It’s America for Americans, but we kill our own in a foreign land at the expense of the same people we purport to free. The Bushes talk of the noble war in Iraq and take money away from Americans – children who suffered the trauma of Katrina and the Flood – who need it the most. Struggling Louisiana’s almost-next-governor, Bobby Jindal, is a no-show at Capitol Hill to override Bush’s SCHIP veto in order to please his Republican voter base. Don’t vote for this man, Louisiana, and especially not because he looks (like a black businessman) or sounds (like a white redneck) a certain way. Remember what happened when you voted for Bush? “A bunch of hillbillies somewhere voting for him because he had a ranch and like to BBQ. Now it’s mainly their kids who are stuck overseas. Be responsible about what you are doing in that booth.”
Damnit, America, why do I berate you when even a majority of New Orleanians cannot break a nasty habit and insist on voting for suspicious Cynthia Williard-Lewis or tired Jackie Clarkson for City Council? If you think that’s bad, neither of these ladies has a relative celebrating her in puff pieces or is selling her votes for chicken. Yet, as a friend constantly says about New Orleans, “The rest of the nation is no different from us. They just have their paperwork in order.” Yup, that’s you we’re talking about.
Wow. Great post. Great quote from your friend. I plan to use it, and will duly attribute it to “Maitri’s friend.”
If I didn’t live here, I’d leave the U.S. Forever.
Could happen one day.
Hi
it is funny, but if you took away the name of the country and specific governmental ‘f*** ups” it could by any concerned citizen, anywhere cribbing about their government…..:)
you know the tam saying — veetuku veetu, vashapadi pachai… (the same stuff in every household.)
AMEN!!!
Was rather the point I was going to make too. As f’ed up as things seem here, they are just as f’ed up if not more so in other places. Just in their own particular ways.
Nevertheless, I, too, have often wondered if I will end up expatriating one day. Maybe to a tropical island nation with a crazy but harmless monarch.
I must say that New Brunswick, Canada, is rather nice. Still some Acadian influences up there, too.
It’s just a fact of life that people here will occasionally look elsewhere for greener pastures (hell, for less WATER) and more competent leaders.
Digby has a post
http://commonsense.ourfuture.org/follow_leaders
about how the meanness toward others might be getting worse. I assume you all read Digby, but if you don’t check this one out.
Digby’s at http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/
In SF when on of the supervisor’s allegedly took bribe money and apparently lived in another district he wouldn’t leave. The Mayor finally ousted him. Of course the mayor has had his own problem, but they are “good” problems like sexual type things, not the bad problem like money corruption things.
The lack of real debate on real questions is killing everything. People on every side feel free to poison any discussion by sound bite.