Here's how to NOT win Hearts and Minds:

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1616665.ece

"I could not help but think how much the great amount of money spent on the misguided war in Iraq could help the poor, suffering people in our own country."

This is the root of the liberals' disdain for the military: they see it as a drain on their God given right to other people's money.

Related news, Katrina refugees threaten violence if Houston cuts off free housing. 1 in 5 homicides in Houston have a Katria refugee as victim or suspect.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-guns18sep18,1,3000070.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Don't EVEN get me started on the good versus the bad in regards to DOD expenditures. As someone with 30 years experience with a corporation that was actively involved in the weapons development process I could pick and choose examples to justify either a pro or anti military position.

My overall opinion is what I refer to as the Will Rogers philosophy: develop and maintain the most powerful army, navy and air force in the world, then do everything within reason to keep them at home.

As far as New Orleans goes, it appears more and more that the local powers that be are determined to ignore the tenets of common sense planning and rebuild whatever and wherever in the hell they please at federal expense.

And the beat goes on .....

Yes...and if we took all the money squandered on Katrina victims and spent it on the homeless...but if we took all the money squandered on the homeless and spent it on crime victims...but if we took all the money squandered on crime victims and spent it on schools...but if we took all the money squandered on schools and spent it on drug treatment...but if we took all the money squandered drug treatment and spent it on border security...
I'm always amused at how laymen seem to know how best to spend other people's money without a clue of how the process works.

All this letter reminds me of, is that they could be spening money wiser and making it go further in NO, if the people who lived/live there would figure out that rent/mortgages cost more for brand new homes then for the shack they had been dwelling in. They apparently expect to be paying (or being suplimented for) the same amount of money they were spending before. The problem is that they had been living in homes that were paid for, some of these new homes cost a lot more to build considering supply and labor cost as well as guidlines that the home has to be built to certain specs. Then you think about the subsidizing that the poor get to help pay their living costs. Its ming blowing.

Could someone please show me where I can find information specifically refering to where all the NO money has gone. I don't mean government aid. From what I understand of the tourist trade in NO they should of had a good base of money from tourism. Where has it all gone? On government aid for the poor maybe? I would like to know what NO is doing to help itself? All of you I am sure have seen the interviews of people who are permenatly relocated now.

In the end, the only people I felt sorry for were the babies (with parents who put them in peril) and the elderly who suffered in the hospitals and the animals who didnt ask for any of it.