AdventureDad

God Bless the people of New Orleans 

I just have to make a quick comment about the stuff going on in New Orleans.  There are far better places to read about this than on my blog but I still need to rant. I'm almost half-American and have always been proud to call myself that. I have spent half my life there and love so many things.  But I'm not so sure any more about being proud.  It's very obvious to me that the downturn of US has been confirmed.  It started long time ago but it's now showing.  And the the poor black people in New Orleans are some of the ones paying for it. 

The educational system in US is beyond pathetic.  Yes I know they have the very best schools in the world but that's only for a select few.  The average American has an education so poor it's almost unimaginable.  And it's starting to show. What, Europe?  Is that a large city in Florida? 

I lived in NYC for many years and was there during 9/11. It was a a traumatic time but the city came together in an amazing way.  I loved that city before then and my passion  did not decrease after 9/11. The help was there immediately because the town is full of money.  I always say that money rules the world and this is unfortunately a great example.  Apparently the government didn't think it was very important to help the poor people of New Orleans since it took four days before anything happened.  If the storm would have hit Dallas or Houston you can bet all the resources in the world would have been there in a day.

I honestly thought the Iraq war would workout great (yeah I know, very foolish) but it's very obvious that too much money and resources are spent there instead of where it's needed, in the US.  I'm not about to bash the extremely brave, courageous troops of the US military who do a great job around the world.  Or blame Bush for everything.  But the fact is that for every day US is still in Iraq they create unfavorable opinions of themselves around the world.  And I don't mean among terrorists.  I mean among normal rational educated human beings.  And money that possibly could go to education, health care, or alternative energy sources are disappearing.  That the US can't send help to people in their own country is not only a sign of racism, a majority of the people in Louisiana are poor and black, it has showed people that the country is weaker than anyone could have imagined.  WTF?  We have astronauts that can repair a space shuttle in space but we can't send buses to help the people in New Orleans?  We can build a stealth airplane that can't be seen or radar but we can't deliver water to the people in New Orleans for three days?  WTF?  Hospitals in New Orleans have no electricity or water for days and we do nothing? WTF?

A superpower that doesn't have enough oil or gas?  Can't produce enough electricity?  Where 50 million don't have health care? Where education is pathetic for many?  And this a superpower?  You must be joking.  To me it's a sign that the country is in worse trouble than it's been for many many years.  And soon the housing bust will come.  Yeah I know all you idiots out there say real estate prices will continue higher forever and ever.  And a little longer than that.  That's what you all said when I told you the same thing about NASDAQ in 1999 and 2000.  I was told I was idiot.  That might be true but look what happened after a couple of years.  Many people lost everything they had.  And more.  The collapse was obvious.  Nothing goes up forever.  The same with the housing market.  Houses just don't go up at this pace forever.  Be careful is my advice, the housing prices will decline more than in your worst nightmare.  If I could short the housing market I would do it immediately. 

What does this have to do with New Orleans?  The American economy depend a lot on high confidence among it's people.  Confidence is not high at the moment.  And it won't be for a long time.  No oil, no gas, no electricity, no health care or education for many, and government finances out of control.  It doesn't look good.  I believe we might have seen the "tipping point" and we are now heading downhill.  A slow frustrating downturn  that takes huge amounts of willpower, money, time, and determination to turn around.

I hope I'm wrong.  I never thought I would once again see the American people abandon some of it's own. But we just did.  The damage is done and the confidence is gone no matter how well the government responds from now on.  I know this a very negative rant but the worst thing is that I generally love US. You will see me with a pin of the US flag on my suit.  I have that country to thank for so many things and I will probably move back there in a while.  But they have to sharpen up.  If they can.

I'm sitting here on my privileged ass in Sweden, very far from New Orleans.  And I just feel like shit. God I feel sorry for all those people in New Orleans. 

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