FEMA Versus Wal-Mart

Thomas Sowell starts out in his column as follows:

Whatever later investigation may turn up about the mistakes of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in New Orleans, it is unlikely to show the shrill charges of "racism" to be anything other than reckless political rhetoric.

When things don't go 'our way', we often play the blame game. This certainly has been true in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. President Bush and the government has been blamed for not responding sooner. But, as Sowell says, law prevents the government stepping in first without the permisson or request of the local or state government. And, Bush asked, but the governor of New Orleans refused.

It would undoubtedly be a better world if we all loved our neighbors as we love ourselves and acted accordingly.

As Sowell said in his article, not everyone responds the same in a given situation. Some sit and wait for others to help. Others jump right in, lending assistance from the moment of the disaster. Those helping the victims are to be commended for their hard work and dedication to getting those who suffered the disaster of Hurricane Katrina to safe places. Some families are already out of the shelters and into their own places, getting jobs, and children are going to school. There will always be those that will place blame on others that isn't warranted, and most of the time, it's political.

But, Wal-Mart, as well as other businesses, stepped up to the plate and began to bring in supplies. In fact, Wal-Mart rushed in supplies, generators, and water when it was only a tropical depression. Federal Express rushed in 100 tons of supplies to the stricken areas. State Farm Insurance immediately sent in several thousand agents to help expedite the disaster cases.

|Technorati tags|FEMA, Government