Feedback | 17 September 2005

Comments on The grim lessons of Katrina by Walter Ellis

What a ridiculous negative article. We get hit by a level 5 hurricane. What do you know? There’s death and destruction. Mr Ellis notes the fact that there is a black underclass in New Orleans, which has been there for 200 years, and in other major American cities as well, which have been there for 150 years. If this is a measure of our inherent racialism what does he say about the growing black middle and upper class, the phenomenon of the browning of American society, the tremendous influx of Hispanics and Asians, all attracted by the relative political and economic and social freedom which exists in this country more than any other major country in the world, including his beloved Europe.

Our economy has taken more hits than a side show shooting gallery but it keeps chugging along with, yes, 5% unemployment which Mr Ellis seems to make out to be something negative. Our poor are not poor because of lack of opportunity, but because of drug and alcohol abuse, destruction of social and family structure encouraged by generations of liberal welfarism, government public schools held back by teacher’s unions, and, yes, the special American culture of individualism and self-reliance which leaves behind those who for one reason or another are indolent or unmotivated.

America’s socioeconomic culture is one of great flux. Many of our poor rise up and many of our wealthy drop down. That’s the downside of economic freedom. That’s our system and that’s the way the majority of us like it. New Orleans and Louisiana have had notoriously corrupt governments for many years and it showed in their response to the hurricane. The eye of the hurricane, unlike that of the media, was not focused merely on New Orleans and Mr Ellis should look at the strength and aptitude, as well as the generosity, manifested by residents of neighboring states.