Rep Al Green: Extend Free Housing for Evacuees til 2008

Not really sure why everyone is upset. Most of these people were getting govt assistance before Katrina and after the FEMA money runs out they'll still be getting govt assistance just from a different department. They should have moved this problem to HUD a long time ago. FEMA is not set up to provide anything other than temporary help in emergency situations.

 

More than one moderator has stated that using people's actual name is frowned upon. I find it quite cowardly of SamFisher to have to resort to that tactic, particularly in light of the moderators stating a preference to not do so.

So Sam, consider yourself warned. Either provide us with your full name for all to see, or refrain from using FD's name. Additionally, I suggest you go back and edit your post in this thread to remove his name.

 

Spend 6 months "getting used to a new city?" What does that mean? Regardless of why they moved here it doesn't take 6 moths to get used to a new city. Give me a break.

Secondly, it doesn't take a year to find a job or learn a new skill. It just doesn't. You might not be able to find a perfect job right away but you don't need a perfect job right away. You just need a job.

It's also very misleading of you to assume that you can't "get used to a new city" and "find a new job" at the same time. In fact, if you're doing those consecutively and not concurrently I might be able to see why you can't find a job. You're stupid.

These people have been living on the government's dime for TWO YEARS. It's just absurd that they want to extend it even further. When does it end? When will you say enough is enough? Never?

 

that was just a worst case example.. thats why I used UPTO

so for you its either poor people are lazy or stupid so they don't deserve any help from the government.. while you're at it, do you want to get rid of all forms of welfare?

 

Well, if poor people were smart or industrious, would they still be poor? No, they'd figure out a way to acquire wealth.

 

people building houses are industrious and smart but are they wealthy? what do you suggest them to do to acquire weath?

btw, iraq war costs $200M a day.. and these housing extensions will cost $400M total..

 

OK I know that you don't understand but we're not talking about the Iraq war in here. It may be shocking to you but I'm willing to bet that there are people who can be opposed to both.

Bringing up another issue is disingenuous. If you insist on bringing up a completely different issue, don't expect to be taken seriously.

 

You know it's not worth arguing with you because you constantly change the subject.

I never said all poor people are lazy are stupid. I said people who spend 6 months "getting used to a new city" and then a year "finding a job" are stupid.

I never said eliminate all forms of welfare but, of course, that doesn't matter to you.

 

OK, till the end of the year, but that's it.

See maybe a dead line will work. "Get your act together by this date because the after that, you're on your own".

If the government hadn't messed the whole thing up, and if insurance companies weren't screwing people over with "no it was water and not wind that destroyed your house" I might not even be for this extention.

 

okay they lose everything they have, have upto 6 months to get used to new city and find a job.. and the other 1 year and a half work 30 hours a week @ minimum wage or $600 a month.. does that put them back on track?

 

are you complaining because you're worried about your tax dollars or are you worried more about giving extra help to the poor?

if you are worried about your tax dollars, then I'm just trying to point out that only a small fraction of your tax dollars go to the extension..

 

Aah nothing like a little social Darwinism to spice up a debate.

I can see Halfbreed and FD's point but I think helping cover Katrina refugees, and yes these are refugees, is a better alternative than just kicking them out. OldManBernie made the point regarding increased crime and putting a lot of people out on the street will not only increase crime but exacerbate a lot of other problems.

While we might like to believe in the pick yourself up with your own bootstraps that's far more difficult than it seems especially when you've lost everything. Katrina refugees are in many respects no different than refugees who've fled any other disaster or war. Many of them were poor to begin with and now they've lost what little they had before and on top of that have been relocated to someplace new where they have few connections and are now forced to compete with locals and others in the job market. I doubt any of us would be able to handle that.

One more thought on this issue. A lot of this could've been avoided if things had been handled better from the begining. If in the aftermath more housing and infrastructure had been provided so people could start coming back to NOLA and the Gulf Coast and a focus on local reconstructon businesses instead of outside groups then many of these problems could've been avoided.

It still amazes me that people in Thailand and Sri Lanka have done a much better job of recovering from the devestation of the tsunami whereas we Americans are still fumbling Katrina recover.

 

It doesn't amaze me at all. It's just more proof that the current Administration is the most inept in American history.

 

Why haven't we cut these chumps off yet? The evacuees have had more than a year and a half to get back on their feet. They have had every sort of federal handout imaginable.

It's stuff like this that keeps me on the moderate side, rather than on the left. There are millions of hard working people in this country busting their asses, some working up to 3 jobs, just to pay their bills. Meanwhile the lazy evacuees continue to feed off the government. Whatever happened to hard work?

 

i know evacuees working more than one job, as well. i'm not sure if they're still receiving assistance or not. but i know one lady who works 2 jobs, never sees her 4 kids because of it, and lives in an apartment with her sister (who lived here originally) and her 3 kids. it took her a while to find the jobs she had. she can't afford a car, so she walks to her jobs. and then back home. no matter the weather. some would says she's earning a living...i don't know if i could call it a living. but i was born on 3rd base, so what do i know?

 

i for one have no problems paying a bit more in taxes to help these people.

i have a heart.

 

im not a racist, i have a black friend.

im not an anti-semite, i have a jewish friend.

im not an evil heartless b*stard, i volunteer!!!