Your federal government has failed the hurricane victims and the people of America. Let this not be a time of absolute hope for the left on the political spectrum that the complete dissolution of the power of the right will be the natural result. The institutions of government have failed. This is much larger than partisan concerns. This is a failure of a political system and the people of America will hold individual politicians responsible, regardless of party affiliation. And so they should.
We’ve watched as Senator Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) has spread her polllyanna-like attitude this week across the television screens of America – praising the federeal government regardless of the fact that absolutely nothing had been done for the victims. She may be just one of many Democrats who will most likely never be re-elected due to her lack of candor and honesty. She represents the part of the Democratic party that panders to those in power to the point where even she, in the face of the most excruciating domestic disaster, could not bring herself to take off her political hat and act like an ordinary, compassionate and disturbed human being. There was no humanity in her stance.
The people of America, especially those on the left, must now ruthlessly evaluate each politician elected to speak and act on their behalf. Who supported all of the pork that was handed out in the last budget? Who supported the millions to be spent on a useless bridge in Alaska – millions that could now be spent on rebuilding the gulf coast had it not been diverted to useless projects? Who supported the tax cuts for the rich? Who will dare support more the next time around? Who supported the bankruptcy bill that will force hurricane victims to use their aid money to repay their credit card debts rather than to rebuild their lives? Who panders to the big corporations – corporations with billions of dollars in profits who have been noticably absent this past week? Who continues to support massive spending on Iraq knowing that millions of dollars are unaccounted for? Who allowed a 30% poverty rate in New Orleans to become socially acceptable? Who refused to fund the Army Corp of Engineers the funds they requested to shore up the levee system in New Orleans years ago?
Who failed?
Now is the time to answer that question and now is the time to be brutally honest – regardless of your party affiliation. Your system has failed. Members from both parties are responsible. You owe it to your country to demand accountability, but don’t let Bush’s failures this week blind you to the fact that some of those you support on the left have failed as well. Just as New Orleans and the rest of the ravaged gulf coast will slowly be reborn over the coming years, your government institutions that have crumbled must also be reconstructed and they must be rebuilt to withstand every possible hurdle. Some changes must be immediate. Others will take time.
Now is the time to speak more forcefully and honestly than you ever have before. Now is the time to rally every possible resource to ensure massive change. Now is the time to believe that you deserve life and liberty in the USA and that your elected officials and civil servants understand that you will not rest until they serve you. They are your servants. They are your face to America and the world. They have failed you. America has failed.
