In the aftermath of Cyclone Larry, parts of Australia are down and out. Still, Prime Minister John Howard turned down President Bush’s offer of help:
The president rang to express his concern about Cyclone Larry in north Queensland and to inquire about the extent of the damage.
[He] said that if there was any assistance we needed, the United States would be willing to provide it.
Of course we are able, ourselves, to look after this.
Though Aussies are more Down Under than down home, they know that Bush's offer is some outside help they don’t need So, if Bush wants to help, he should do something about the FEMA trailers sitting in muck rather than merely offer lip service:
Obviously, there’s some times when government bureaucracies haven’t responded the way we wanted them to. And like citizens, I don’t like that at all. I mean, I think, for example, of the trailers sitting down in Arkansas. Like many citizens, they're wondering why they're down there. How come we got 11,000? So I’ve asked Chertoff to find out, what are you going to do with them? The taxpayers aren’t interested in 11,000 trailers just sitting there; do something with them.
Yes, how come? A New York Times' survey found:
Nearly seven months after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans and forced out hundreds of thousands of residents, most evacuees say they have not found a permanent place to live, have depleted their savings and consider their life worse than before the hurricane.
And how come bodies are still being found in New Orleans? As the Los Angeles Times reported:
The discovery of two bodies in the wreckage of a neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Katrina seven months ago has served as an unsettling omen to families still searching for missing relatives.
Eight bodies have been found since March 1, and with about 1,400 people still unaccounted for, Louisiana state officials said they could not rule out the possibility of finding others (emphasis added).
And, oh yeah, nearly 1,500 are still missing (and here). Someone should tell Bush that charity begins at home.
