Scratching the surface (without an umbrella)
Each time I travel, I'm so excited about going away that I envision sunny days to match my disposition. Then, I get there, and it rains just like any other place, my own excitment be damned. Here I am wet.
Anyway...
Yesterday, over late lunch at Tres Amigos, new friend who's lived life in Montreal makes me hip to what I think of as the Canadian Contradiction. On the one hand, Canadians enjoy social welfare that we envy: universal access to health care and education, cheap prescription meds (which reminds me that I forgot to ask if anybody needed anything?) A huge investment by the country in its people. The main institution of the country says, "We'll take care of you." Of course, citizens are taxed up the St. Lawrence for it, but it works for them. Or does it?
The other complicating hand. As he folds a fajita, Jerry explains, Montreal has high abortion and divorce rates. Like 4 out of 5 couples get divorced, and it's common for women to have three and four government compensated abortions. True? Damn. All the while I've been thinking that Canadians had a great hook-up, but look at the close details--divorce and abortion. Of course folks have a right to separate and abort, but on a large scale the two are a deadly selfish combination.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, folks around the world, Montreal included, ask how? How could this happen in the United States, the hyperbolic nation? Like Canada's welfare system, we look so great on paper. Highest GDP, we can eat other country's national debt for breakfast. This tragedy, Katrina, like Diallo, like the dogs on the bridge in Selma, like the homeless man in Farrugut Square park, forces the world to look at our details. Yes, we have a free market economy open to anyone. Make a fortune here! What do we do with it? Horde wealth among a top percentage and leave the less wealthy to fend for themselves. Divest necessary social capital from strapped communities like Biloxi, Pascagula, and then blame them for not having the means to get out. (It "was a mistake on their part," says our Compassionate Conservative.)
(On a side note, I'm back in the internet cafe, and despite the no-smoking stickers everywhere, I swear there's cigarette smoke coming out of the vents, or there's a hobbit smoking a cigar behind my monitor. )
Not only could this disaster have been prevented through more responsible physical maintenance of the levees around the city, but also through a significant investment of skill and social capital among the residents. If we thought investing in communities of individuals was important as we lead our self-centered lives.
To support the relief effort:
Things to Do DC is sponsoring a fundraider at Lulu's tonight. Stockholm1976 is in the works for next Friday.
From Olsson's Bookstore:
This week, 400 families have started to arrive at the DC Armory from New Orleans. The DC government is asking that people don't make individual in-kind donations directly to the Armory. Instead, they ask that you either give money to the Red Cross or volunteer in person after signing up with the city's volunteer agency Serve DC.
There is however, a police station in SW accepting in-kind donations from individuals of bottled water and basic toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, etc...) to take to evacuees at the Armory. The delivery site is: First District Station, 415 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024, phone: 202-698-0515, fax: 202-727-4026. Deliveries accepted 24/7. More details later as we get more information.
Anyway...
Yesterday, over late lunch at Tres Amigos, new friend who's lived life in Montreal makes me hip to what I think of as the Canadian Contradiction. On the one hand, Canadians enjoy social welfare that we envy: universal access to health care and education, cheap prescription meds (which reminds me that I forgot to ask if anybody needed anything?) A huge investment by the country in its people. The main institution of the country says, "We'll take care of you." Of course, citizens are taxed up the St. Lawrence for it, but it works for them. Or does it?
The other complicating hand. As he folds a fajita, Jerry explains, Montreal has high abortion and divorce rates. Like 4 out of 5 couples get divorced, and it's common for women to have three and four government compensated abortions. True? Damn. All the while I've been thinking that Canadians had a great hook-up, but look at the close details--divorce and abortion. Of course folks have a right to separate and abort, but on a large scale the two are a deadly selfish combination.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, folks around the world, Montreal included, ask how? How could this happen in the United States, the hyperbolic nation? Like Canada's welfare system, we look so great on paper. Highest GDP, we can eat other country's national debt for breakfast. This tragedy, Katrina, like Diallo, like the dogs on the bridge in Selma, like the homeless man in Farrugut Square park, forces the world to look at our details. Yes, we have a free market economy open to anyone. Make a fortune here! What do we do with it? Horde wealth among a top percentage and leave the less wealthy to fend for themselves. Divest necessary social capital from strapped communities like Biloxi, Pascagula, and then blame them for not having the means to get out. (It "was a mistake on their part," says our Compassionate Conservative.)
(On a side note, I'm back in the internet cafe, and despite the no-smoking stickers everywhere, I swear there's cigarette smoke coming out of the vents, or there's a hobbit smoking a cigar behind my monitor. )
Not only could this disaster have been prevented through more responsible physical maintenance of the levees around the city, but also through a significant investment of skill and social capital among the residents. If we thought investing in communities of individuals was important as we lead our self-centered lives.
To support the relief effort:
Things to Do DC is sponsoring a fundraider at Lulu's tonight. Stockholm1976 is in the works for next Friday.
From Olsson's Bookstore:
This week, 400 families have started to arrive at the DC Armory from New Orleans. The DC government is asking that people don't make individual in-kind donations directly to the Armory. Instead, they ask that you either give money to the Red Cross or volunteer in person after signing up with the city's volunteer agency Serve DC.
There is however, a police station in SW accepting in-kind donations from individuals of bottled water and basic toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, etc...) to take to evacuees at the Armory. The delivery site is: First District Station, 415 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024, phone: 202-698-0515, fax: 202-727-4026. Deliveries accepted 24/7. More details later as we get more information.
posted by Rhonda Henderson at 12:59 PM
1 Comments:
Ms. Henderson:
Thanks for posting the links to relief organizations. There are so many ways to support the efforts of those sending help down to the Gulf Coast.
Also sad to see the country portrayed as a third world banana republic to the rest of the world because of lapses of governmental management over the years. Now maybe the administration might actually have to answer questions instead of just putting more spin on the issues.
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