Message from John Edwards Asking to Sign the Petition

http://www.democratsenators.org/dia/organizations/dscc/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=25&t=plain.dwt

TAKE ACTION

Tell congressional Republicans to get serious about fixing the Gulf now.

Click here to sign the petition.

With the anniversary of Katrina approaching, I'm reminded of the pictures of thousands of vulnerable people stranded in the New Orleans Superdome. If it feels to me like it just happened yesterday, imagine what it feels like to the people who actually lived through the hurricane's devastation.

It's a pretty safe bet that George Bush and his Republican allies in Congress don't spend much time thinking about it. They are too busy grandstanding about flag burning and passing even more tax cuts for the most fortunate Americans. The concerns of people displaced because of Katrina and people trying to rebuild their lives in New Orleans have apparently been forgotten.

In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan demonized poor people as lazy and undeserving with the term "welfare queens." Today, the G.O.P. is using the same mean-spirited and polarizing tactics. Just weeks ago, U.S. Representative John Culberson, a Houston Republican, said he wanted "deadbeat" Katrina evacuees out of his city.

What Rep. Culberson doesn't understand is that families can't just return to New Orleans neighborhoods where -- to this day -- they face deserted streets, destroyed homes and few signs of reconstruction. With callous attitudes like theirs, it's little wonder that so much remains to be done.

In many parts of New Orleans, it's as though the hurricane did hit just yesterday. Half the former residents have not made it home and vast stretches of the city are still deserted and full of debris. The National Guard had to be redeployed to make sure the streets remain safe. More than three-quarters of the schools remain closed. Nursing homes are scarce.

I'm particularly concerned about health care, and whether New Orleans' most vulnerable residents are getting the care they need. Only half of the city's pre-Katrina hospital beds are usable. Before the hurricane, there were 90 health clinics -- where many low-income folks get their health care -- and now there are fewer than 20.

Enough is enough. Before August 29, 2006 - Katrina's anniversary - Congress must act to restore New Orleans and give Katrina survivors a real shot at rebuilding their homes and lives.

Tell Congressional Republicans to Get Serious About Fixing the Gulf Now

There is so much that remains to be done. The population of New Orleans is less than half of what it was, and 25 percent of adults displaced by Katrina are still unemployed. Why not put them to work rebuilding their own city?

The tragedy is an opportunity to build the Gulf Coast a "built to last" infrastructure for the 21st Century. That means modern mass transit, like light-rail, that will help connect people to jobs. That means energy-efficient businesses and homes. That means bringing high-speed broadband to fuel jobs and innovation in the region.

We need to act before it's too late. Hurricane season is two months old and the Gulf Coast is still vulnerable to devastation from another storm. Experts expect the region to get four to six major hurricanes this year.

Yet, just last month, the Bush administration struck specific project recommendations out of an Army Corps of Engineers report regarding plans to protect New Orleans from future devastation. At this rate, it will be at least another year before the levee system is where it needs to be. Progress, once again, is hobbled by inattentive leaders that don't believe government should even try to solve big problems.

Sweeping these concerns under the rug is not an option. Congress needs to finally address the urgent needs in the Gulf Coast. A year is far too long to wait - we need to make this happen before Congress adjourns for summer recess and before another storm hits.

Sign the Petition Today to Demand a Comprehensive Plan for the Gulf

Tragedies like Katrina rarely have a silver lining. But this disaster brought out the best in us. Good neighbors all over the country opened their hearts, their homes and their wallets to help people they'd never met. We cared then, and we still care about them now. Now there is one more thing for us to do.

Thank you for speaking out and doing your part to keep our leaders accountable.

Your friend,
John Edwards

:kick: & R!

thanks Crewleader for bringing this here, and to John Edwards for bringing it up.

:thumbsup:


dp

:dem:

K & R

...is easy to understand when you realize that to many of these Republican politicians, poor people are invisible. They don't vote, they don't make campaign contributions, they don't have a lobbyist. So they don't count.

They want to evict the poor people who were displaced by Katrina. Instead, it's time to evict these immoral Republican politicians from office.