Hurricane Katrina
I must admit I watch with amazement and almost a kind of shock as the situation in New Orleans and the neighbouring areas gets increasingly worse from hour to hour. It’s incredible that something like this can actually happen in a so-called rich country in the western world. I have never been a big fan of the USA, and even less so after they’ve chosen Mr Bush to lead the country not only once but twice now. There are so many things wrong with that country I wouldn’t know where to start, but that things were so fucked up as this, who would have thought?
I would like to know that if a hurricane like this was to strike for instance Stavanger (Norwegian city on the south-west coast, 5th biggest city in Norway with aprox 100 000 inhabitants) next week, and the government new it was coming they would have done more. First of all they would have done more to get the people out of there before the hurricane, but also, they would be doing a lot more after the disaster had happened. Some of you might argue that well Norway’s 5th biggest city with it’s 100 000 thousands inhabitants is small compared to New Orleans and the 1 million people who were affected there – well, then you’ll have to remember that we’re a small country, with only 4 million people total – so here Stavanger actually is a quite big city.
This morning I heard a speech by Mr Bush on TV where he said that of course the government was going to give some aid in this situation, but that it was also even more so important that companies and private persons give their aid in this. I’d say HELL NO! This is a responsibility of the state; to take care of their citizens in their outmost time of need! In Norway today I’m sure that if something like this happened, the government and parliament would have done Everything to help, they certainly wouldn’t expect private companies or persons to solve the problem and help the desperate people – I might be a bit naïve, but yes I do think so. I’m not so sure if this will be the case if Norway in this year’s election once more vote for a government from the right. If the Conservative and Progress party get to rule this country in the coming years, we will eventually end up being a USA in miniature – where every person is on his own, and shouldn’t really expect any aid from the government at all! This really is frustrating, most people can see all that is wrong with the USA, and they still want that? I just don’t get it!
Back to New Orleans. I said I’m in shock about how badly this situation is handled, and I’m watching from thousands of miles away, I can only imagine what a shock it must be for those who are in the middle of this – realizing that “the best country in the world” is so messed up it can’t even help its’ own citizens in a time of crisis as this is!
I would like to know that if a hurricane like this was to strike for instance Stavanger (Norwegian city on the south-west coast, 5th biggest city in Norway with aprox 100 000 inhabitants) next week, and the government new it was coming they would have done more. First of all they would have done more to get the people out of there before the hurricane, but also, they would be doing a lot more after the disaster had happened. Some of you might argue that well Norway’s 5th biggest city with it’s 100 000 thousands inhabitants is small compared to New Orleans and the 1 million people who were affected there – well, then you’ll have to remember that we’re a small country, with only 4 million people total – so here Stavanger actually is a quite big city.
This morning I heard a speech by Mr Bush on TV where he said that of course the government was going to give some aid in this situation, but that it was also even more so important that companies and private persons give their aid in this. I’d say HELL NO! This is a responsibility of the state; to take care of their citizens in their outmost time of need! In Norway today I’m sure that if something like this happened, the government and parliament would have done Everything to help, they certainly wouldn’t expect private companies or persons to solve the problem and help the desperate people – I might be a bit naïve, but yes I do think so. I’m not so sure if this will be the case if Norway in this year’s election once more vote for a government from the right. If the Conservative and Progress party get to rule this country in the coming years, we will eventually end up being a USA in miniature – where every person is on his own, and shouldn’t really expect any aid from the government at all! This really is frustrating, most people can see all that is wrong with the USA, and they still want that? I just don’t get it!
Back to New Orleans. I said I’m in shock about how badly this situation is handled, and I’m watching from thousands of miles away, I can only imagine what a shock it must be for those who are in the middle of this – realizing that “the best country in the world” is so messed up it can’t even help its’ own citizens in a time of crisis as this is!
posted by Lena M Bakke @ 1:00 PM
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