WWL-TV Editorial: Recovery held hostage

The following is a WWL-TV Editorial:

Should billions of federal dollars for hurricane recovery be dependent on Iraq War policy decisions? The answer is no. But in the ways of Congress, the two are being unconscionably linked.

Lawmakers who want the war in Iraq to end in September 2008 are essentially offering bribes to lawmakers opposed to setting a timetable.

The bill to fund the war in Iraq and set a deadline for withdrawal has been loaded with billions of dollars for other projects....including 2.9 billion to fund hurricane recovery on the Gulf Coast and New Orleans levee repairs.

There is also money for drought relief in the West and peanut storage in Georgia.

This type of bargaining is business as usual for Congress...it doesn't matter which party is in control. But this should change. If the war in Iraq is the issue, vote on that. Do not hold the critical recovery of our area hostage to a foreign policy debate. That is heinous.

------------------

If you would like to respond to this editorial, please write to us at:
WWL-TV
1024 North Rampart Street
New Orleans, LA 70116

Haste makes waste

I spend a ton of time reading over the coarse of the day and I am trying to string together all of the things I find interesting... as seen on the right. You will find excerpts about technology, music, politics, New Orleans, Weather (Hurricanes), environmental movements, green urbanism, and random points of interest.

One article I would like to mention in particular is the New York Times story, "The year without toilet paper." I was totally intrigued by this article as I recently found myself standing in a grocery store in awe of how much waste comes from everything that we purchase and how little of it we recycle. I remember the old days of milk jugs being refilled. I wonder what happened to that mentality and why doesn't it bother more people? I guess if we are going to be a huge trash producing society, why not do something good with it? Or why not make clean energy from trash?

I guess my hope is that people will start paying more attention to the world around them and start doing more to improve it. Besides, haste make waste!

Shop NOLA

All fashion ventures involving Jac Currie
Jaguar Jaguar
Kick it Fashions
Defend New Orleans
Just Another Rich Kid
Telfar
Other fashion
Dirty Coast
FunRockn
Kunflama
metro three
New Orleans Photography
Chris George
New Orleans artists
We are Contstance
Graphic Designers
Deep Fried Ads
Plane Studios (previously New Emit)

Health problems due to FEMA trailers

This is totally true. My eyes still burn when I go into my parents FEMA trailer.

greener grass in europe?

Due to Katrina, the Bush administration, growing idiocracy in America, and a mentality that favors homogeneous society, I had been thinking about life in Europe. In Europe, people care about the environment, you have at least a month of vacation if not more, medicine is a right for everyone, the government supports you if you become unemployed, architecture is amazing, and life seems easier.

I called an American friend now living in Luxembourg and he has been living in Europe for 3 years now to test this theory. What I found was that there are advantages to either side and both places have their disadvantages. In Europe, the system is built around individuals picking a career by college and doing that for your life. Careers can be predetermined by social class somewhat. While there are many perks, there is also a great deal of snobbery in Europe which I never realized. It was an interesting insight in to life in another place and it made me realize, maybe I just need to find what I want here in the states.

Updatin'

I have been posting to updates of articles I am following on my delicious... http://del.icio.us/openconscious

My life in Texas keeps stumbling forward. I definitely miss New Orleans a good bit but, I am hopeful for life in Austin. My worry about this city is one that all cities in America are facing... becoming homogeneous.

I am getting married April 7th to the girl I suffered through the hurricane with... the girl that I love. Feeling excited and scared at the same time which seems to be normal course for the final month stretch. I had no idea it would feel this way but I am excited to have the wedding accomplished.

My scooter is my other love at the moment. I have a Vespa ET4 and I bought it with 200 miles on it. It has over 900 miles on it now and I love it. Riding in Dallas was nothing short of life and death. People were SO RUDE and the city is not set up for people to ride scooters. Austin, has been a better fit for getting around via scooter. It's not perfect but it's not terrible either and there is a small community of scooter riders here. Riding around SXSW was really a trip because you could park anywhere you wanted and you could jet from show to show. I am looking forward to riding more this Spring and summer.

SXSW was a blast. My favorite bands were Under Byen, Mew, Peter, Bjorn, and John, I love you but I have chosen darkness, Oh No! Oh My!, and Fujiya and Miyagi. These were all great shows.