Open Letter to Connecticut on the Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Open Letter to Connecticut on the Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

On the anniversary of Hurrican Katrina, Democratic Nominee for US Senate Ned Lamont, wrote an open letter to the people of Connecticut:
Letter to Connecticut citizens:

Today is the one year anniversary of the beginnings of the greatest natural disaster ever to hit this country - Hurricane Katrina.

That natural disaster was turned into a human tragedy as a result of systematic and preventable failures in our government.

When I watched Katrina's aftermath a year ago, I thought, that's not America. How can the greatest country on earth let that happen?

A single Mom in New Orleans is working a double shift and her kid is still growing up in poverty. That's not America.

Thousands trapped and drowning in their own homes because the government-built levees broke. That's not America.

Katrina destroyed more than 200,000 homes, and nearly 19,000 businesses. No one can put a price tag on the loss of life as a result of this enormous tragedy.

After Katrina, leaders on both side of the aisle promised to move Heaven and Earth to rebuild New Orleans. They promised that the levees would never fail again, the homeless would return to homes they could call their own, the schools and roads would be rebuilt, and steps would be taken to improve our federal response so that it would never again fail to protect us. Most important, promises were made to never leave any child, senior citizens or disadvantaged citizen behind ever again. President Bush declared that he would lead "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen."

Today, FEMA is still broken, and in fact spent $900 million on mobile homes that can't be used because of government bureaucracy Hundreds of thousands of New Orleans families have yet to return. No-bid contracts, fraud and abuse has led to $2 billion in taxpayers dollars to disappear.

National guard troops are still far from home and those here are under-equipped because essential gear is broken or left behind in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, how many levees are there around the country still waiting to be repaired before the next hurricane hits?

We could afford to spend $250 million on a "bridge to nowhere" in Congress, and we can't afford to find housing for the hundreds of thousands of the Katrina families?? We can spend $250 million a day in Iraq as a result of a failed policy and we couldn't afford to fix the levees to Category 5 so that we can save lives by preventing another Katrina tragedy?Five years after 9-11, our leaders in Washington still have not implemented the bipartisan recommendations to strengthen our emergency response systems to keep our communities safe from natural disasters and terrorist attacks alike.

A year after Katrina, government officials - from the White House down to our ground level agencies - have yet to be held responsible for failing to perform their most basic duty - protecting citizens.

That's not America, and that's not what our leaders in Washington promised us one year ago today.

We can do better than this.

I'm sometimes criticized for not being a career politician. True, I have never been on the public payroll. In 1984 I founded a business that created a valuable service, allowing colleges and communities to build the cable system they want rather than buying one off the shelf. Since then we have built a customer base, provided good wages and benefits to our workers. We compete and survive by being effective and responsible.

President Bush gives those that have failed us a Medal of Honor; in my world we say: You're Fired.

I am in this race because I couldn't sit back and watch our government continue to fail its people. The American values of equal opportunity and education for all need to be combined with efficiency, effectiveness, and responsibility, and if these traits are not found in our elected representatives who have years of government tenure, we need to bring them in from the outside.

To protect our citizens, I am committed to implementing the 9-11 recommendations so that we're as safe as we should be. I believe FEMA should be returned to an independent, cabinet level agency, as it was under the Clinton Administration where it performed effectively and admirably. We need to have our National Guard Forces and other resources returned to protecting Americans. We deserve a thorough investigation, including subpoenaing the White House if necessary, to obtain documents and information that were withheld to ensure the necessary steps are taken to prevent future failures. Finally, I will never rubberstamp a nominee of any Administration. Nominees must have the qualifications and skills to do their jobs.

Only by changing the way we do business in Washington will we ever are able to rebuild a government as good as its people. It's not a question of left and right, but right and wrong, and it's time for our government to start doing right. We need competent leadership in Washington, not more rubberstamping of failed policies that put the American people at risk.

Our government let us down leading up to and post Katrina, but our citizens and our volunteers with their passion and their energy will not let us forget.

Right here in Connecticut, you responded.

You gave food, water and clothing for more than 41 truckloads of supplies sent to help the people of New Orleans heal and recover. Our state government - including both Governor Rill and Mayor Destefano - provided shelter for 800 evacuees.

The people of Connecticut opened their homes, their pocketbooks and their hearts not only to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, but to restore the American spirit.

Now that's America.

That's the America that has inspired people around the world for generations. This government may be letting us down, but our people are standing tall and strong.

On the one year anniversary of Katrina, I want to thank you for reminding us all of what America is and should be - a land of strength, resolve and common good.

First we rebuild New Orleans, and then we rebuild America.

~Ned Lamont

http://nedlamont.com/news/1311/open-letter-to-connecticut-on-the-anniversary-of-hurricane-katrina