thanes05

Some times you have a choice in living where you want to, and other times you do not. My father, who was in the United States Air Force, got stationed at Keesler Air Force Base 10 years ago. So, my family had no choice of where we ended up. Also, the coast of MS is not overbuilt. However, you would probably not know this considering the fact you have probably never been here. When an insurance company tells you insurance is not needed, due to the fact that you are not in a flood zone, what would do? Would you take the flood insurance, which cost over 500 a month, or would pass on it? They are telling you it is a pointless venture. You tell me what you would do. Also, the average income in MS is around 25,000. So, flood insurance would cost you around 6,000 dollars a year. If your making only 25,000 dollars, is it worth it to pay for flood insurance when your not in a flood zone? You tell me what you would do. And, I would also like to hear why other portions of our country are against the idea of providing assistance to areas hit by Katrina.

I'm not trying to write a term paper here. We are all here on a message board, and I doubt that any of us are checking our replies for grammatical errors. The Gulf Coast of MS is hit by a hurricane once every 8 years, not 3. Most of those hurricanes have been at a category 2 or less, which does little or no damage. Do you realize how much wind power and how much storm surge it takes to actually cuase devastating damage? Based on your post, I would say you do not. It takes a hurricane 3 or higher to cause extensive damage, which means a lot. However, a hurricane 3 actually effects only a small portion of the area hit. Hurricanes like Katrina are rare. In fact, there have been only 3 devastating hurricanes to hit the atlantic portion of the United States in the last 36 years. So, the chances of your area being hit by a hurricane as strong as Katrina are very small. What were the odds that 2 out of the 3 worst hurricanes hit MS? None of us are asking you to buy us a house. We are asking for assistance to get us back on our feet. And if you think 5,000 dollars is enough to get someone back on their feet you are crazy. And it also says you are not caring, and you have no heart. My family will do fine. Yes, we will end up in some type of debt, but we will still make out much better than a lot of other people on the coast. Those are the people I am worried about. The average income in Mississippi is only 25,000. How are people who are living on that much money supposed to recover? How are they supposed to get back to the lifestyle they once had. They need AMERICA's assistance, not yours alone. But, again, you will probably not understand any of this.

You need to understand that we our working extremely hard. We're talking at least 8 hours a day. However, to do the work you have to have certain resources, and to get those resources you have to have money. Nothing is free, not even in a crisis situation, such as Hurricane Katrina. We're not asking people to come down here and do the work for us. If that was that was what you were thinking you were largely mistaken. We are working for ourselves. People are reconstructing their own houses. Certain businesses are charging 11,000 dollars for certain jobs, which can be done in a day. And you know what? My father and I did the job on our own. So, do not think we want outsiders to do our work. The Gulf Coast just needs money, in order to complete the jobs. As for your comments on religion, please do not degrade any form of Christianity. Now, I do not actually follow the type of Chrisitianity you were describing. I, myself, am Methodist, which is the largest denomination in the United States. Do not think I am trying to say one is better than another, because I am not. My Mom's side of the family is Catholic, and it is a following I largely respect.

I'm not really going to bother with replying to this post, but I would like you to take a look at a post I did earlier, which involves the Bible. There are a a lot of good points in it and I would really like you to take a look at it. As for the Bills, I am a huge fan. I am originally from Buffalo for crying out loud! I've been through a number of ups and downs when cheering for that team. However, this board is for politically based discussions. So, let's stick to the political topics.

I"m not even going to give a direct response to that one.

First off, you would not be doing this single handley. This is something our country would do together. So, do not think it is up to your family, and only your family to help the people on the Gulf Coast. Second, I can afford this area. I am teacher. My fiance' is a teacher. I am not asking for assistance for myself. I am asking for assistance for the GULF COAST. CAN YOU NOT GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD. I have some friends who have not received any type of aid, due to the amount of money they make, which is middle class pay. It is people like this who need some type of aid. The majority of the coast cannot afford to pay 25% of their monthly income for flood insurance. The coast is something our country needs. Have you ever heard of Ingals Ship Yard? If you havent, it is a place where a large portion of our military's ships are built. Do you not think our country needs this? The Gulf coast is also used as a major port. Do you not think this something our country needs? And I know I've already said this, but a good portion of our nations oil is refined down here. There are a number of things the Gulf Coast does for our country, but there is really no reason to continue with it. Now, since the Gulf Coast is so important, aren't people a major part of it. I mean, people are obviously needed for all of this to operate right? However, they are not payed that well. So, you need to be a bit more thankful for what they do. Your life would not be as comfortable if it wasn't for all of this or all of these people. You people need to be willing to support all those who have lost just about everything they have. They have done a lot for you, by providing you with a number of supplies, ships, etc... Just keep all of this in mind. Also, keep this in mind: Leviticus 25:35 " 'If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you."

Comparing the Sahara Desert to the Gulf Coast is something I'm not even going to try and argue with. It is that stupid to actually put those two together. Do any of you realize the importance of the Gulf Coast? Have any of you heard of something called oil? Do not even try to say we're rolling dice by living down here. Do not even try to say we lost. This community will be rebuilt. This community will stand once again. Enough said.

ok, well lets do the math. the average household income in mississippi is around`25 thousand. Lets just say that the household is bringing home 2000 a month. ok flood insurance in areas that our govenment deems safe is over 500 a month. so you tell me can you afford to send a quater of your income on flood insurance when our government is deeming these areas safe. do you have flood insurace? do you have earthquake insurace? could you afford either if is was a quartere of your salary. the fact is everyone on the coast would love to have flood insurance but it is simply not feasable for that to happen. the choice to have flood insurance is not a a choice at all the rich can afford it and the working class, which by the way drives this county by building your suv or bmw, cannot afford the insurace. the choice is not a choice at all, it is simply something we pray doesnt come into play but unfortunatly it has. during nine eleven do you know the area that suffered the most. initially obviously the north and im not downplaying that, but the south is where most of the troops that now occupy the middle east came from. our nation asked the south and the national guardsmen here to respond and we didnt B word. we grabbed our guns and began to fight for our country. we didnt say that terrorism is a northern problem even though there has never been any threat in the south we simply said that terrorism is a national problem that we were happy to fight for. now your saying that natural disasters are a southern or coastling problem it is not it is a problem facing this nation and i believe that every american should dig deep and help the problem not sit here and B word about money. trust me we would rather give up money than our brothers sister husbands wives ancd childeren!

Do you honestly think I only care about myself? That is one of the most idotic things I have heard you say yet. It is not my house I want rebuilt, it is the Gulf Coast that I want rebuilt. When the Federal Government says there is no need for insurance, what would you do? Think about it. With the previous record of storm surge being around 23 feet, 75% of the coast had nothing to worry about. That is why no one even thought about getting insurance. Katrina's storm surge was up around 30 feet! But, this is all probably a bit to complicated for you to understand. This is America. Americans help fellow Americans. That is what I cannot stand about people in the North. The majority of the people are selfish and unwillingly to support the idea of raising taxes. Do you remember when Florida got hit by 4 hurricanes last year? Do you know a large amount of the people hit down there have yet to receive aid from our Government. It has been over a year! So, do not even think about calling me selfish. I care about the people down here, as do most of the people in the South. Learn to think about others, not yourself. If anyone is being selfish, it is you.

I tried living in Buffalo again this past winter, and it was something I just could not do. I will not go into detail, but I did feel the living conditions were very tough, the cost of living was tremendous, and the taxes were out of this world. Now, I will visit Buffalo every summer, but I will never live there again. I"m not trying to put the place down, it does have it's advantages. I think it just depends on the type of person you are. Buffalo is for some people, but for others it is just not possible.

Yes, there has been a great a deal aid provided by other states, and that is something we are all very thankful for. However, people from all of those states have been complaining about it too. Actually, a great amount of people from those states have been complaing. Firemen, and power worker's are not complaining because of one thing, and that is money. Now, the common citizen from states not hit are bickering. Bickering about how their money is being wasted. In my opinion, these people, who are complaining, are selfish, pathetic losers. If some type of disaster occurred in the North, I gurantee the South would do as much as possible to assist the areas affected. They would not be upset with how much aid the Federal Government is providing.

Do you think a category 4 does not do that much damage? Are you nuts?! The wind damage is horrific. When Katrina hit, the winds were around 150 miles per hour. The wind itself did a ton of damage. Roof were literally blown off of people's houses! Then there is the flooding. When a storm that large approaches, it brings A LOT of sea water with it. It literally pushes in water. Areas that were considered unfloodable flooded. The reason they were considered unfloodable is because when Hurricane Camille hit, it hit MS Gulf Coast back in 69, it set a record for storm surge, which was around 23 feet. When Katrina hit, the storm surge got around 30 feet! It was unheard of. Not our city, not our state, not our National Government, and not our National Hurricane Center thought this could ever happen. This is why so people were not insured. This is why Insurance company's, such as All State, State Farm, and Nation Wide, charge 500 a month for people who are not in a "flood zone." If you are in a flood zone, you have a to pay a far smaller amount of money per month for insurance. How is a middle class family to respond to all of this? And do not start talking about how it is their choice to live down there. Honestly, my opinion of you is that you do not care about other people. All you care about is yourself, and only yourself. At a time like this you should be willing to help out as much as you can. I"m going to say this, and it is something I thought I would never say. There are a higher percentage of people in the South who are caring, and willing to help one another. Now, there are people like that in the North, but a far smaller amount. And do not say I would not know this because I live in the South. I spent half of my life living in Tonawanda, New York, which is right by Buffalo. A lot of people there can be grumpy, and unsupportive. It just makes me so mad to hear people complain about people wanting or receiving aid, due to Hurricane Katrina.

The test begins with an "R." Now, I am not sure if it is for Seniors only, but from what I have heard the results are from Western New York. There is a plus side to this. Many people have been complaining that the test is just to hard for high schoolers. Not every child is meant to go to college, which means a lot of them will have trouble passing this test. A big factor for NY doing so well in school is all due to one thing and that is money. NY spends a large amount of cash on their childrens education. When resources are made available to the community, teachers, and students, things can and will go well. Once you start teaching in NY, you have to have your Master's Degree with in 3 years! That is requirement most states do not have. Ofcourse, the pay teacher's receive in NY also help's attract high quality educators. If it was not for the cold weather, taxes, cost of living, and a number of other things, I would probably move back to NY. However, there is one thing keeping me down here on the coast, and that is the coast it self. The environment is outstanding, the winters are mild, and there is a large amount of entertainment. Yes, I do miss a lot of Bills games, but the way they're playing right now I really do not care.

Thanks for what?

Yeah, only 5,000 bucks. When a middle class home is destroyed, what is 5,000 supposed to do? If you think that money helps you are crazy. If your home was desstroyed you would expect a lot more too.