Four Years Ago...

To:

Mayor of Houston, TX
Mayor of Dallas, TX
Mayor of Baton Rouge, LA
Mayor of Lafayette, LA
Mayor of Shreveport, LA
Mayor of Jackson, MS
Mayor of Atlanta, GA
Mayor of Little Rock, AR
Mayor of St. Louis, MO

Warm greetings!

We are writing to inform you that your cities will soon experience a population boom. This is good news, of course, which should boost your city's prominence! Many of your cities will grow by thousands, perhaps tens of thousands within just a few short weeks.

However growth, especially sudden growth, brings certain challenges. You will likely have to stretch municipal resources to accommodate your new citizens. Police, fire, ambulance, and public hospital service are likely to need extra funding.

It is highly likely that gang activity, and drug trafficking will increase as a natural outcome of growth.

You will likely need to make further accommodations in your public housing availability, and in your remedial school programs. Your schools are likely to experience a drop in their overall academic achievement scores, as the new students become accustom to your systems (and hopefully do not burn down your gymnasiums).

This is a very positive thing for your community, as these new residents will not be a burden on your job market. The great majority are either unable, or unwilling to work. So your current resident employed work-force has nothing at all to worry about in competing to retain their jobs.

This will not likely be a short-term proposition. Many, if not most, will take up permanent residence in your fair city. And judging by past experience, this community is likely to grow at the rate of one baby per year per family unit. So, expect continued "growth" within your municipality for years (perhaps decades) to come.

"Growth" is what every Mayor longs for. Congratulations!

Best Regards,

FEMA Field Office
Louisiana Superdome
New Orleans, LA

Tomorrow marks the fourth anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Dozens of towns were wiped out all across south MS. As we all know, New Orleans missed the brunt of the storm. The next morning the sun came out in New Orleans, and all seemed well.

Then Dick Cheney (not satisfied with so little damage) loaded up a barge full of explosives and destroyed two levees...flooding 80% of the city. And the world watched as "all hell" literally broke out. Well, "all hell" intensified anyway, as New Orleans was a pretty "hellish" place pre-Katrina.

In the weeks to come, loving, kind, decent citizens of cities all across the US opened their hearts, homes, churches, and wallets to aid the evacuees of New Orleans. Here in the Shreveport area, I witnessed true "charity" in action. The Mrs. In-law took in two families to her home that she just vaguely knew through a distant relative. (They were fine and grateful people that still communicate with her) Hundreds of volunteers worked tirelessly to help accommodate the many thousands of displaced New Orleanians.

Unfortunately, much of what I saw angered me. The lack of gratitude (by most, not all), the problems that arose in our school systems, the constant "this ain't good enough" yammering by these folks, etc. It was enough to harden your heart toward ever reaching out to help.

As a resident of Louisiana, I wish to apologize to Houston, and Dallas, and dozens of other cities across this great land. I'm sorry that you are having to deal with the mess that 40-plus years of fostering the welfare mentality in New Orleans has made. We are now into our third generation of leeches.

I do not blame Bush for the disaster that Katrina became. I do not blame FEMA, nor former Governor Blanco either. I blame Lyndon Johnson, and every legislator that has ever voted for increasing welfare...section 8 housing...food stamps, et al! They have sentenced millions to a life of dependence.

And they're depending on me...And they're depending on you, too!