NOTE: I meant to post this yesterday. Funny how life gets in the way, huh?

So, it’s been a year since one of the most devastating natural disasters to every hit American soil. Of course I’m speaking of Hurricane Katrina, the Category 3 storm that hit the Gulf Coast August 29, 2005. Particularly hard hit was New Orleans, LA and the coastal communities of southern Mississippi. We all remember the tragic stories of rape and violence in the Superdome in the aftermath of the Storm. We’ve all seen the footage of survivors stranded on rooftops and on highway overpasses. This disaster was a chilling reminder of just how powerful nature’s fury can truly be.

We’re on the cusp of another important anniversary of a disaster. It was disaster of such unimaginable proportion that the event doesn’t even need a name. Just the mere mention of the date sends chills down our spines. Of course, I’m speaking of September 11^th, 2001. Over 3,000 of our neighbors, friends, and families lost their lives in the most vicious display of pure evil in recent history.

What did Katrina teach us? Well, it taught us that we need to more completely prepare ourselves as a country for another national disaster. It taught us that gas can, in fact, go above $3.00. It taught us that we can help out our neighbor...even when that neighbor is hundreds of miles away.

Katrina taught us something else...how hopelessly dependent on the government Americans can be. It was disheartening to see thousands of people left in squalor – Third World countries have conditions better than New Orleans in those following days – waiting for the government to come and rescue them. Those left behind were obviously the minorities and the poor. And, unfortunately, they were waiting for the government to do what they’ve done for them for the past 60 years – bail them out of situations in which the people should’ve taken action. I don’t mean to sound harsh. I feel compassion for those who were stranded in the Superdome and on the highways and on the tops of houses. But warnings were given for DAYS prior to Katrina hitting the coast. The majority of the Big Easy got out. Why didn’t these poor souls? Part of the reason, I suppose, was that the Entitlement society that our social programs have created was waiting for another entitlement – rescue from danger.

The government does have a responsibility to take care of its people and protect them from harm, within reason. We can’t expect our government to lead us away from the flames. If you walk in front of a train, it’s YOUR responsibility to get out of the way, not the government’s responsibility. America has gotten away from personal responsibility for actions. It’s high time that we get back and start taking responsibility for our own lives. Please don’t leave that in the hands of a government that can’t even realize that you need to live on less than you make.

Don’t agree? Well, you’ve still got that right...

God Bless,
Doug

"Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering." – St. Augustine