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erpowers

(9,350 posts)
Fri Aug 31, 2012, 07:20 PM Aug 2012

Hurricane Isaac: A Repudiation of Republican Talking Points

For years we have heard a number of talking points about government from Republicans. Ronald Reagan said, government is not the solution, it is the problem. Rush Limbaugh claimed everyone should make their own levies. Other Republicans have said government cannot do anything right. Hurricane Isaac and its aftermath proved those statements wrong.

Before the hurricane hit the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts most people worried if the upgraded New Orleans levies would withstand the storm. It seemed that very few, if any, worried about what would happen to the cities near New Orleans.

During the hurricane a different story arose. While New Orleans was spared major flooding it was the areas around New Orleans that had, this time, flooded. It was then pointed out that these areas were not a part of the federal levy system. That meant that those cities had not received levies built by the federal government, but had used their own money to build their own levies.

So, even though it may not change the debate, one city with federally built levies not flooding and other cities without federally built levies flooding disproved a number of Republican talking points. Government could be a part of the solution and is not the problem. Everyone building their own levies would most likely result in just about everyone's house flooding. Finally, government can and does get things right.

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