NationStates Jolt Archive

The wife of former President George H.W. Bush made some rather offensive comments, recently.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001054719

In a segment at the top of the show on the surge of
evacuees to the Texas city, Barbara Bush said: "Almost
everyone I’ve talked to says we're going to move to
Houston."

Then she added: "What I’m hearing which is sort of
scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is
so overwhelmed by the hospitality.

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you
know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she
chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=15938967&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=so-many-of-the-people-here-were-underprivileged-anyway--so-this-is-working-very-well-for-them----name_page.html
"BUNGLING Barbara Bush yesterday claimed poverty-stricken refugees who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina are actually better off thanks to the devastating floods.

The 80-year-old former first lady piled more pressure on her under fire son George's administration by declaring that the victims are so happy in their makeshift camps they would rather stay than go back to their impoverished communities.

Her gaffe came after a visit with husband George Snr to the Astrodome stadium in Houston, Texas, where thousands of evacuees from New Orleans and other affected areas are being housed.

Barbara chuckled as she said: "So many of the people here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them.

"What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. Almost everyone I've talked to says: 'We're going to move to Houston'."

Many of the refugees are anxiously waiting for news of missing loved ones. Their homes have been destroyed and families shattered by the hurricane that hit southern America last week."
Barbara Bush is scared by the fact that the evacuees want to move to her state and says that the hurricane made them better off. Fucked up shit.

This just goes to show you how out of touch with reality that sheltered, wealthy aristocrats are.

unbelievable

What a dumb bitch.

You know what? In the long term they may be. Now the nation awakes to the potential destructiveness of natural disasters and the evacuees hopefully will have stronger houses to live in. Not to mention the spirit of community will revive.

It's a sad fact that we often need disasters to slap us awake, but it's true.

But she's talking rubbish, yes.

Oh my.... What the hell was she thinking? Has she gone senile?

If the 'hands off' government changes and starts protecting the less priviliged, then perhaps in the long run yes.

Let's hope George doesn't think the same way...it could be genetic ;)

They don't want to leave Texas because they have NOTHING TO GO BACK TO!!! :mad:

As for them being better off, thats just ignorant. It just shows how out of touch the Bush family is...

Barbara Bush is scared by the fact that the evacuees want to move to her state and says that the hurricane made them better off. Fucked up shit.

This just goes to show you how out of touch with reality that sheltered, wealthy aristocrats are.
"Let them eat cake."

"Let them eat cake."

Were you aware that that qoute was MISapplied to Marie Antionette? Further that it was origionally never attributed to that personage. In the origional Robspierre it was atributed to 'a certain lady at court'. Mob menatality spread the rumor to eventually claim that Antionette had said it....

The individuals of this disaster are most definitely not better off, but the poverty-stricken community as a whole has suddenly been brought out into the glaring light. Suddenly the people of the US see the third-world conditions that exist on their own soil. Maybe some of these problems will finally be addressed because of this.

The wife of former President George H.W. Bush made some rather offensive comments, recently.

Barbara Bush is scared by the fact that the evacuees want to move to her state and says that the hurricane made them better off. Fucked up shit.

This just goes to show you how out of touch with reality that sheltered, wealthy aristocrats are.

This is why the world was amazed when Bush was re-elected, he has no idea on how to run a country of that size and power. You americans call your land the land of the free, a democracy, a place where everyone is welcome - this empire where the rich few rule the many poor - you need a multiparty government (yes I know you have two, but I suggest more) you might at least be able to vote in some half-decent politician.

you need a multiparty government




/agreed

Fucking hell.

This is why the world was amazed when Bush was re-elected, he has no idea on how to run a country of that size and power.

Many just saw him as the lesser of two evils.

EDIT: But I think that's the point you were trying to make.

You know what? In the long term they may be. Now the nation awakes to the potential destructiveness of natural disasters and the evacuees hopefully will have stronger houses to live in.

AMERICA! WE HAVE A VERY SIMPLE MESSAGE FOR YOU!

BUILD. YOUR. HOUSES. OUT. OF. BRICKS. NOT WOOD.

Okay, I understand this is not totally valid with the restrictions of locally available materials and so on, but if you live somewhere that's going to get bitch-slapped by God every single year, like Tornado Alley, or anywhere along the Gulf coast with a reasonable chance of at least a small hurricane per annum, then for Christ's sake (unless you really enjoy DIY) build your houses out of something with a chance of surviving at least minor disasters!

AMERICA! WE HAVE A VERY SIMPLE MESSAGE FOR YOU!

BUILD. YOUR. HOUSES. OUT. OF. BRICKS. NOT WOOD.

Okay, I understand this is not totally valid with the restrictions of locally available materials and so on, but if you live somewhere that's going to get bitch-slapped by God every single year, like Tornado Alley, or anywhere along the Gulf coast with a reasonable chance of at least a small hurricane per annum, then for Christ's sake (unless you really enjoy DIY) build your houses out of something with a chance of surviving at least minor disasters!


Youve been watching too much TV.

You could build a house out of titanium if you wanted to, it wouldnt matter.
A Category 5 hurricane is a real mother.
Even if your roof doesnt get blown off, youre still gonna have water damage.

The problem wasnt what the homes and buildings were made from, its that they were located BELOW SEA LEVEL!
The problem was that the levee system was only designed to survive a cat-3 hurricane.

Youve been watching too much TV.

You could build a house out of titanium if you wanted to, it wouldnt matter.
A Category 5 hurricane is a real mother.
Even if your roof doesnt get blown off, youre still gonna have water damage.

The problem wasnt what the homes and buildings were made from, its that they were located BELOW SEA LEVEL!
The problem was that the levee system was only designed to survive a cat-3 hurricane.

That's why I'm not just talking about Katrina. I knew the first response I would get would be this. Nothing's going to survive a devastating tornado or a hurricane the size of Katrina, and the flood is a different matter entirely, of course. But they're rarer, much rarer, than the small occurrences, and in the meantime it may be a more worthwhile investment - especially elsewhere in the country where the danger is not flooding but the winds themselves.

That's why I'm not just talking about Katrina. I knew the first response I would get would be this. Nothing's going to survive a devastating tornado or a hurricane the size of Katrina, and the flood is a different matter entirely, of course. But they're rarer, much rarer, than the small occurrences, and in the meantime it may be a more worthwhile investment - especially elsewhere in the country where the danger is not flooding but the winds themselves.


Even a brick home will not save you in a tornado.
Roofs are made of wood. Brick is usually too heavy.
Roofs collapse, or get torn off in tornados too.

In fact, tornados are often worse than hurricanes, becuase the damage they cuase is much more localized.

Wow. And I was hoping Shrub was just a recessive gene.

Even a brick home will not save you in a tornado.
Roofs are made of wood. Brick is usually too heavy.
Roofs collapse, or get torn off in tornados too.

In fact, tornados are often worse than hurricanes, becuase the damage they cuase is much more localized.

Fine, you lose your roof. Your house is still standing at the end of it. You have somewhere to sleep while the contractor puts your roof back on. You have walls. You have a roof in the form of your first floor; you can sleep in the ground floor rooms. In the event of a minor hurricane, however, your house is much better off than a wooden one, because it's heavy enough to take that kind of punishment.

Basically, all I'm saying is if you're going to live somewhere God obviously doesn't want you to live then at least maximise your chances of pretection from Him.

Well, Barb Bush is right! I mean, those silly brown people made the stupid choice to be born poor and black, so it's a good thing a hurricane came along to show them the error of their ways. Now that they've lost everything they own, along with a few of their loved ones, I'm sure they will choose to stop being poor and black. They're better off, really, without their city and their homes, and with the MSM blaming them for being hit by a storm and focusing on how they're all rapists and looters. Man, sometimes I wish I could trade places with them!

[/bitter sarcasm]

At least now we all know where Bush Jr. got his bigotry and utter lack of empathy for other human beings. It's kind of empowering, isn't it ladies? I mean, you have the power to make your children into racist, classist jerks who giggle happily when the poor brown people suffer! Isn't motherhood wonderous?

Okay, so I guess I should move that /sarcasm tag...

Even a brick home will not save you in a tornado.
Roofs are made of wood. Brick is usually too heavy.
Roofs collapse, or get torn off in tornados too.

In fact, tornados are often worse than hurricanes, becuase the damage they cuase is much more localized.

THat is BS. While a tornado may rip off a few dozen roofs, it generally doesn't inundate the damage with water. As a survivor of Charley, I can tell you that a tornado is a BABY compared to a Cat4. Winds of 150mph PLUS water spread out over miles is WAY WORSE than just the wind of a tornado going down a narrow path. Even Hurricane Charley had an eye 8 miles across. NO tornado gets that big.

ANd I am the jerk who voted YES. Now, let me qualify why I said yes. Right now, the victims are in a really bad situation and things suck and are extremely inconvenient. But from what I've seen here after Charley, the poor people who were living in 30 year old rotten trailers are being given 18 months free rent and a free brand new trailer that they can keep. One girl I know had only been renting a place for a week, didn't have a pot to piss in, and FEMA came in and gave her $10,000. People were wrecking belongings that werent damaged in the storm, just so FEMA would give them more money.

Some of those poor people have been working the system for a long time. They know how to put their hand out when there are freebies. So, yes, a good portion of them will end up better off than they were to begin with. I've watched it happen first hand.

What a dumb bitch.Seconded. She must be learning dumb tactics from George. Seriously, I can't believe anyone would say something so unbelievably stupid and cruel, never mind the First Lady of the USA!

I think all GW Bush's problems are explained - his inherited genetics.

Fine, you lose your roof. Your house is still standing at the end of it. You have somewhere to sleep while the contractor puts your roof back on. You have walls. You have a roof in the form of your first floor; you can sleep in the ground floor rooms.

Wait a minute .... you assume every American has the finances to build a two or more story brick home?

Wow ... what rock have you been living under?

Wait a minute .... you assume every American has the finances to build a two or more story brick home?

Wow ... what rock have you been living under?

The same one every Bushevik lives under. The one on the banks of De Nile.

Wait a minute .... you assume every American has the finances to build a two or more story brick home?

Wow ... what rock have you been living under?

No, but over here the poor are housed by the state in what is known as council housing. I'm sure the state governments of the richest country in the world by orders of magnitude could afford something similar to help the poor.

No, but over here the poor are housed by the state in what is known as council housing. I'm sure the state governments of the richest country in the world by orders of magnitude could afford something similar to help the poor.

It's not a case of ability, I'm afraid. This disaster won't change a thing, except for the fact that there are now even more people without homes.

How'd you mean, "it's not a case of ability"? I'm sorry, I don't understand.

No, but over here the poor are housed by the state in what is known as council housing. I'm sure the state governments of the richest country in the world by orders of magnitude could afford something similar to help the poor.

Oh that just made me laugh out loud! America ... helping or caring about the poor ... that's just rich. Oh man. *whew* I almost spilled my coffee.

How'd you mean, "it's not a case of ability"? I'm sorry, I don't understand.

America can afford a program of council housing or whatever fancy name they'd likely tag onto it over there, but they won't.

Oh that just made me laugh out loud! America ... helping or caring about the poor ... that's just rich. Oh man. *whew* I almost spilled my coffee.

Okay, sarcasm aside... seriously? I mean, no offence to any patriotic Americans, but... no, seriously? Is it really that bad that state governments would prefer people to be homeless than spend anything on them?

Edit: OMG! I'M SOMETIMES DEADLY! WOOHOO!

How'd you mean, "it's not a case of ability"? I'm sorry, I don't understand.

You have to understand that everything in America - everything from the Space Shuttle to public housing - is contracted and built by the lowest bidder. Money isn't the issue. The people with it want to cling to every penny as if it's their last, regardless of the size of their bank accounts.

Combine that with a government that will spend enough money on a single US Army tank to build 100 low cost homes (of the brick variety) and you get the American experience. Hooha.

Jesus motherloving Christ. I... I assumed that poor people over there were at least already living in council houses or something similar, even if it was just squalid tower-block 60s council flats. Whoa. This has seriously fucked with my perceptions of... of a country the administration and beauracracy of which seems to be capable of things I never thought any civilised country could do.

What makes it worse is that now... Jesus, this is serious... is that now all these people complaining about "The poor and unemployed sponging off welfare"... they're not even including a house in that... holy Jesus.

You have to understand that everything in America - everything from the Space Shuttle to public housing - is contracted and built by the lowest bidder. Money isn't the issue. The people with it want to cling to every penny as if it's their last, regardless of the size of their bank accounts.

Combine that with a government that will spend enough money on a single US Army tank to build 100 low cost homes (of the brick variety) and you get the American experience. Hooha.

Combine that with the general Bushevik attitude that everyone poor is a lazy welfare cheat who deserves to be poor and that just gives the government even less incentive to help the people in New Orleans.

Jesus motherloving Christ. I... I assumed that poor people over there were at least already living in council houses or something similar, even if it was just squalid tower-block 60s council flats. Whoa. This has seriously fucked with my perceptions of... of a country the administration and beauracracy of which seems to be capable of things I never thought any civilised country could do.

What makes it worse is that now... Jesus, this is serious... is that now all these people complaining about "The poor and unemployed sponging off welfare"... they're not even including a house in that... holy Jesus.

Yes, well .... a certain faction of Americans seem to think a person can still "bootstrap" their way to success when, in fact, that idea died out in the 1980s. A few decades back, a family of five could live on a single income and use that to afford a house, a new car every 3-4 years, send all three kids to college, and still save for retirement.

Nowdays, even if both parents work two jobs, chances are that same family of five will be living in some crappy apartment and driving the same beater for 8-10 years and those kids will never go to college unless they get government grants. Provided that ever happens at all since their parents are constantly having to be at work to provide food, clothing, and shelter, the kids grow up without much parental guidance. Plus, upon mandatory retirement, chances are the parents will live in squalor on a fixed income from a depleted social security program. (Don't get me started on how the US treats the elderly)

God bless America. *sigh*

EDIT: Just to give you an example. I am a salaried teacher. I have three children. My wife doesn't work right now as she is in college herself. 30 years ago, we'd be set! Now, we're scraping by ok, but we still have to take the Lone Star Card (Texas equivalent of Food Stamps) and medicaid (government health insurance) for the kids. I am poor. Whenever you see people bitching about those "sucking off the system" and "stealing my tax dollars for a handout", they're talking about me. I take some government handouts and do so willingly .... and I'm a teacher ... not jobless.

Yes, well .... a certain faction of Americans seem to think a person can still "bootstrap" their way to success when, in fact, that idea died out in the 1980s. A few decades back, a family of five could live on a single income and use that to afford a house, a new car every 3-4 years, send all three kids to college, and still save for retirement.

Nowdays, even if both parents work two jobs, chances are that same family of five will be living in some crappy apartment and driving the same beater for 8-10 years and those kids will never go to college unless they get government grants. Provided that ever happens at all since their parents are constantly having to be at work to provide food, clothing, and shelter, the kids grow up without much parental guidance. Plus, upon mandatory retirement, chances are the parents will live in squalor on a fixed income from a depleted social security program. (Don't get me started on how the US treats the elderly)

God bless America. *sigh*

Why? Why that change, from one income providing for everyone in the family to two being not enough? What has changed? What has become more expensive? And if it's taxes, why hasn't the money been used to, say, help the poor? Where's that tax money going?! Why isn't it going into increasing living standards?!

Edit: This may be asking for more detail than you can be bothered to provide. If so, apologies; say so and I'll try look it up instead ^^;;

Why? Why that change, from one income providing for everyone in the family to two being not enough? What has changed? What has become more expensive? And if it's taxes, why hasn't the money been used to, say, help the poor? Where's that tax money going?! Why isn't it going into increasing living standards?!

Oh you can blame a lot of things. I blame the fact that we deliberately devalued our dollar in the mid-1980s and couple it with the wealthy elite being the only people who can obtain power in this country.

We haven't had a poor President since Lincoln and you can look at the sea of faces in congress, the ones in congress with real power, and find the wealthy elite (such as Trent Lott, John Kerry, Tom Delay, etc). You find people who don't even realise - as you didn't - that not every American can afford to build a two story brick home. They may as well be foreigners, rather than Senators and Congressmen.

The tax money general goes to our military industrial complex. I believe - and I may be mistaken - that the military is the US's largest slice of the pie. Just you watch as we become the Russia of the 60s and 70s. Massive bloated military, but the people stand in lines to get a ticket to stand in another line for shoes.

We'll get there.

Like I said, so much for your equality and democracy! What you have there is an empire, despotic, cruel and harsh to both enemies and "lower-class" citzens. Your leaders give themselves airs and believe that they can police and govern the world, they look outside they're own borders towards the rest of us, and think poor bastards. They don't seem to realise the world is doing the same towards them. I think the apt phrase for this moment would be before you search for the speck in your brother's eye, look for the boulderin your own.

In a sense, Barbara Bush is right. After the disaster that was FEMA's and local authorities' response to Katrina, the evacuees may indeed be better off. The way she said it was impolitic, but I think her point is a valid one.

Louisiana should be ashamed of the way its state leaders and Mayor Ray Nagin handled Katrina. President Bush should be ashamed of the way FEMA handled Katrina.

President Bush should be Extradited.

Like I said, so much for your equality and democracy! What you have there is an empire, despotic, cruel and harsh to both enemies and "lower-class" citzens.

I know.

Hey! Isn't the UN and the global community supposed to come to the aid of people under such regimes? Come on, ya'll! I would love to see powder blue helmets surrounding the White House.

I know.

Hey! Isn't the UN and the global community supposed to come to the aid of people under such regimes? Come on, ya'll! I would love to see powder blue helmets surrounding the White House.

Can't. America bought a majority share in the UN some time ago :D.

That would be fantastic! Czech and Romanian guards around the Pentagon, and the Bush family in the Hague! But unfortunately the UN as yet is not powerful enough.

Is it true that Saudi Arabian Businessmen own up to 7% of USA business?

You find people who don't even realise - as you didn't - that not every American can afford to build a two story brick home. They may as well be foreigners, rather than Senators and Congressmen.

I had no such delusions; merely a slightly different understanding of how the housing system works over there. I understand there are the poor, of course I do, and just how poor. I've seen it here, I've seen it in quite a few places in Europe, I've seen it in Beijing and Xining and Gonghe (Qinghai Province). I'm not a stranger to the idea of people being too poor to afford a decent home or a home at all. But at least, I assumed, in a Western country, in the Western country with more money than a good few of the others put together, the poor would be housed or be assisted in getting housing by the state. How fucking wrong I was. Apologies for my ignorance, but, erm, I guess I'm trying to point out it's ignorance of the way the system works, not blatant ignorance of the concept of poverty.

Also: The more I know about America, the more I hate it.

You'd think Mrs. Bush might have learned from her son's propensity to stick his foot in his mouth.

This is not Bush bashing. It is merely pointing out the entire family's lack of PR savvy. IF her point is valid, it's still one you only think, not say.

Also: The more I know about America, the more I hate it.

You and me both. Fortunately, however, I am in a position to try to change it. I won't succeed, but nobody can ever say I didn't try.

You and me both. Fortunately, however, I am in a position to try to change it. I won't succeed, but nobody can ever say I didn't try.

Keruvalia? *hug*

You and me both. Fortunately, however, I am in a position to try to change it. I won't succeed, but nobody can ever say I didn't try.

Now thats why we don'tget any where - won't succeed - bloody well better succeed! Our parents and grandparents and all those behind us did these things, we are the new generation! We have to succeed, otherwise, why try?

Is it true that Saudi Arabian Businessmen own up to 7% of USA business?

I don't honestly know. I've heard such statistics, but have not put forth the effort to verify it. It's one of the least of my concerns at the moment.

I'm sure now that you've stated it, some neocon will pop in the thread and make an attempt to verbally slap you around and show you the error of yours (and my) way of thinking.

Want to know what's really funny? All those welfare recipients and the ones who are supposedly "sucking off the system" ... you know ... the ones every neocons hate? If you look at the election statistics from the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections, they're the ones who elected Bush. All those poor white trash, anti-gay, pro-gun, Jesus loving, ******-hating, backwoods moron briarhoppers put this guy in office. You'd think he'd do more for them.

Now thats why we don'tget any where - won't succeed - bloody well better succeed! Our parents and grandparents and all those behind us did these things, we are the new generation! We have to succeed, otherwise, why try?

Well ... like I said ... I *am* a teacher. I have many little neocons's children in my charge for 6-8 hours, five days a week, who I am more than happy to poison with my liberal hippie thinking.

It may take just one more generation.

But, as is always the case with each generation, it won't matter because our children will always do better than us, thanks to learning from our mistakes - well, some of them. Poison their minds good and proper!

Agah! We are getting a lot of evacuees in the Florida panhandle, and it is SO upseting to here them brag in class about how they get free stuff from our restraunts/hotels/etc just by whining a little. Some of the local students here are getting the evacuees to con them a free lunch and such... really makes me not want to go scrub their dishes at the Christian Retreat next weekend :mad:

Woah! I always thought there was a small possibility I was wrong for calling George W. Bush Jr. a 'Son of a Bitch'.............. but I wasn't :p

I don't honestly know. I've heard such statistics, but have not put forth the effort to verify it. It's one of the least of my concerns at the moment.

I'm sure now that you've stated it, some neocon will pop in the thread and make an attempt to verbally slap you around and show you the error of yours (and my) way of thinking.

Nope just this Anarchist supporting your claim (I think the only Neocon that would do what you suggest is a very ignorant one).

This article discusses Saudi's involvement.
Very interesting (http://www.newamerica.net/index.cfm?pg=article&DocID=1860)
This is an extract.
"But the U.S.-Saudi relationship goes beyond oil. Saudi Arabian businessmen and members of the al-Saud family hold about $1 trillion on deposit in U.S. banks and another $1 trillion in the stock market, according to former CIA analyst Robert Baer. While bankers say a small Saudi capital exodus occurred after Sept. 11, it subsided over the past two years. If the money were withdrawn at once, Baer warns, it would have dire consequences on our economy. Saudi Arabia also has been one of the largest foreign buyers of U.S Treasury bills, which, in effect, helps finance our deficits."



And this was a question answered by Aljazeera.com
Also interesting (http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/article_full_story.asp?service_id=9485)

AMERICA! WE HAVE A VERY SIMPLE MESSAGE FOR YOU!

BUILD. YOUR. HOUSES. OUT. OF. BRICKS. NOT WOOD.

Okay, I understand this is not totally valid with the restrictions of locally available materials and so on, but if you live somewhere that's going to get bitch-slapped by God every single year, like Tornado Alley, or anywhere along the Gulf coast with a reasonable chance of at least a small hurricane per annum, then for Christ's sake (unless you really enjoy DIY) build your houses out of something with a chance of surviving at least minor disasters!
Youve been watching too much TV.

You could build a house out of titanium if you wanted to, it wouldnt matter.
A Category 5 hurricane is a real mother.
Even if your roof doesnt get blown off, youre still gonna have water damage.

The problem wasnt what the homes and buildings were made from, its that they were located BELOW SEA LEVEL!
The problem was that the levee system was only designed to survive a cat-3 hurricane.
Even a brick home will not save you in a tornado.
Roofs are made of wood. Brick is usually too heavy.
Roofs collapse, or get torn off in tornados too.

In fact, tornados are often worse than hurricanes, becuase the damage they cuase is much more localized.
Not true. A guy designed a hurricane-proof house in Florida, out of stone.

http://www.domeofahome.com/

It cost several million... When hurricane Katrina hit, their house was on the beach where it first hit, but they were inside, relaxing. When it was over, they came outside... All the homes around them were destroyed, for several blocks. But theirs was still standing.

The reason it can withstand hurricanes is because:
#1. It's made out of stone, instead of wood.
#2. It's on fairly high stilts, to avoid flood damage.
#3. It's a round dome, so that the wind force just blows around it instead of at it, like with a rectangular frame.

In the future, if they started building smaller dome-shaped homes out of stone, hurricanes wouldn't be as much of a problem. Of course... yeah... There aren't many quarries, for whatever reason, so brick and stone is expensive. And building dome-shaped homes is also expensive, because most construction workers have no experience doing it.

No, but over here the poor are housed by the state in what is known as council housing. I'm sure the state governments of the richest country in the world by orders of magnitude could afford something similar to help the poor.
We have what's called "subsidized housing."

It's somewhat limited because it's controlled by state and local governments, and it isn't free, just cheap. And you have to qualify. The cheapest you can get, I think, is like $300-$500 a month. ($160 GBP - $270 GBP)

I see a lot of people bashing the U.S. here, for having little social welfare, and I agree. Out of the 30 OECD countries (mostly first-world countries), the U.S. comes in 27th for least social welfare. The only OECD countries with less social welfare than us are Ireland, Mexico, and Korea.

Britain comes in 13th for the amount of social welfare. (The top three countries are Denmark, Sweden, and France.)

Of course, our American politicians justify our lack of social welfare by the idea that globalism will eventually make social welfare counter-productive and that a stronger economy will eventually raise wages. Thus far, we haven't really seen that trend, though I do agree that social welfare that's too high can lead to economic collapse... Because it's basically pure Socialism which, as we know from the Soviet Union, cannot work.

The term for this is "out of touch".

For politicians, that's pretty fatal.

The term for this is "out of touch".

For politicians, that's pretty fatal.

Unless the vast majority of voters are just as out of touch, if not more so as with the case of the Busheviks.

Jesus motherloving Christ. I... I assumed that poor people over there were at least already living in council houses or something similar, even if it was just squalid tower-block 60s council flats. Whoa. This has seriously fucked with my perceptions of... of a country the administration and beauracracy of which seems to be capable of things I never thought any civilised country could do.

What makes it worse is that now... Jesus, this is serious... is that now all these people complaining about "The poor and unemployed sponging off welfare"... they're not even including a house in that... holy Jesus.
So, I was on the subway once and overheard a conversation between 3 college types -- two Americans and one Somali (I know because he mentioned it and just for the record, that's a guy from SOMALIA). The Somali guy was telling the Americans about a trip he and other Somali students took for a course that, somehow, ended up with them in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Americans expressed shock: "Tulsa!! Agh!!" And the Somali said, "Yeah, my god, I'll never go there again," and went on to describe the horrible conditions, terrible poverty, lack of roads, lack of real houses, etc, etc. One of the Americans asked if people in Somalia didn't think America had rural regions, and the SOMALI guy said:

"Oh, yes, we know, but we had no idea it was THAT BAD."

Just a little perspective. :)

AMERICA! WE HAVE A VERY SIMPLE MESSAGE FOR YOU!

BUILD. YOUR. HOUSES. OUT. OF. BRICKS. NOT WOOD.

Okay, I understand this is not totally valid with the restrictions of locally available materials and so on, but if you live somewhere that's going to get bitch-slapped by God every single year, like Tornado Alley, or anywhere along the Gulf coast with a reasonable chance of at least a small hurricane per annum, then for Christ's sake (unless you really enjoy DIY) build your houses out of something with a chance of surviving at least minor disasters!

Never lived in Earth Quake country have you?

Never lived in Earth Quake country have you?


Or volcano country for that matter! Go Mount Saint Helens!

I read an article on Snopes about some other comment Bungling Barbara made about the tsunami IIRC. The woman needs to just keep her comments to herself. She hasn't been living in the real world for a very long time.

Or volcano country for that matter! Go Mount Saint Helens!

I read an article on Snopes about some other comment Bungling Barbara made about the tsunami IIRC. The woman needs to just keep her comments to herself. She hasn't been living in the real world for a very long time.

And writing an autobiography for your pet dog is well-adjusted? :D

Seriously, maybe this is where Shrub gets his Indifference and Foot in the Mouth genes from.

AMERICA! WE HAVE A VERY SIMPLE MESSAGE FOR YOU!

BUILD. YOUR. HOUSES. OUT. OF. BRICKS. NOT WOOD.

Okay, I understand this is not totally valid with the restrictions of locally available materials and so on, but if you live somewhere that's going to get bitch-slapped by God every single year, like Tornado Alley, or anywhere along the Gulf coast with a reasonable chance of at least a small hurricane per annum, then for Christ's sake (unless you really enjoy DIY) build your houses out of something with a chance of surviving at least minor disasters!


Ever gotten slapped in the face by a wind-thrown brick? They're like 5-pound bullets. If your house gets hit by a tornado it's gone, period. Better to keep the debris from causing more damage.

The best approach, used on the Carolina coast and likely to be used in New Orleans (if it gets rebuilt) is house stilts. You prop your house on 10-20 foot stilts and a storm surge won't wash it away.

If the 'hands off' government changes and starts protecting the less priviliged, then perhaps in the long run yes.

Let's hope George doesn't think the same way...it could be genetic ;)

she might actually be right, even though I see it's stunned the politically correct sensibilities of some in here.

as for a move toward socialism, i sure as hell hope not. people need to support themselves if they are physically and mentally able... otherwise they're a drain on the productivity of others and our overall economic strength. we've got to stop treating people like children incapable of taking out the trash... and start expecting things of them... treating them like adults. Defeatism is no way to pick somebody up. "Here, you're helpless... here's $10 from John Doe."

vs.

"Here, man, this place down the street is hiring... why don't you check them out."

(i'm not talking about those affected by the hurricane... they clearly need and deserve our help now)

Ever gotten slapped in the face by a wind-thrown brick? They're like 5-pound bullets. If your house gets hit by a tornado it's gone, period. Better to keep the debris from causing more damage.

The best approach, used on the Carolina coast and likely to be used in New Orleans (if it gets rebuilt) is house stilts. You prop your house on 10-20 foot stilts and a storm surge won't wash it away.

tornados are bad-asses all right... a grade-school friend of mine had a grandpa who was ripped out of his house by a tornado (well, the house was destroyed too)... tornados don't cover as much land as hurricanes do, but the parts they hit are generally more devastated. (when you compare a strong tornado to a strong hurricane and weak vs. weak, etc.)

she might actually be right


Are you going to elaborate?

I'm bush like. Lady Bush would not say such a thing, she gave birth to the most morally correct man alive, a man God himself chose to be president. So all "laberals" who think that speaking means something go and fight in Iraq and get my "earl", shit, I mean go help all those poor oppressed people, with oppression. So if some "laberals" out there think Lady Bush is a bad person than they can just go hug a tree, because Jesus loves me thats how I got elected.

Are you going to elaborate?

in the long run... many of these people may end up in far better circumstances than what they suffered in Nawlins.

They don't want to leave Texas because they have NOTHING TO GO BACK TO!!! :mad:

As for them being better off, thats just ignorant. It just shows how out of touch the Bush family is...


Obviously youve never lived in a fucking ghetto before. Sometimes people get stuck in a certain place, the hurricane gives them a kick in the pants and a government hand out to restart somewhere else, those that will take advantage of this situation WILL be better off and so will New Olreans...

N.O is going to get a big fat government paid checked to rebuild the city, blighted areas of the city have been handly destoryed by the hurricane, and the people are gone so cant fight the destruction of their shantytowns. It was like one huge urban renewal program Katrina style...

And hell yes they will tear down the Lousiana Superdome, they would be stupid not to, think about it....it will be paid for by the federal government to build a new one..the city and team gets off scott free from having to pay the average price of 1 billion per statium now that most cities have to deal with..

In any case, this is an opportunity for the people to change their lives out of the bad places they were in before the storm, and this a unheard of opportunity for a semi major city to have free reign over rebuilding...Cities tend to grow stupidly and become a tangled mess of various buildings..this is a chance for N.O to become a semi planned out city instead of random chaos that is most major cities in the world.


You people are really dumb you know that right? you let your pre-existing hatreds blind any logical thoughts you may have in your tiny pea sized heads.

I'm bush like. Lady Bush would not say such a thing, she gave birth to the most morally correct man alive, a man God himself chose to be president. So all "laberals" who think that speaking means something go and fight in Iraq and get my "earl", shit, I mean go help all those poor oppressed people, with oppression. So if some "laberals" out there think Lady Bush is a bad person than they can just go hug a tree, because Jesus loves me thats how I got elected.


"laberals" That's great! Hee hee, I needed a good laugh.