One Year Out, One Man's Opinion

This is merely commentary. You'll find no news in this post, so don't go looking for any. I've spent the past few days (but especially today) watching specials on the anniversary of Katrina, the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. I've read countless articles about how difficult life still is in New Orleans, and on the Gulf Coast. We don't need (nor do we necessarily desire) another point of view on this subject, but I'm a writer and this is my website so you're going to get my two cents.

I've lived in Louisiana all my life. I've traveled to the Big Easy countless times. My in-laws (and I mean all of them) live in Baton Rouge. While I still have not had the opportunity to visit New Orleans since the storm, I do keep abreast of the state political scene. In the aftermath of Katrina I was actually hopeful. The devastation, and loss of life were horrific, but I saw, I believed, a silver lining in the funnel cloud. Louisiana, a state historically known for it's political corruption, and unscrupulous dealings was being given a chance at a new identity. The entire nation was watching us, hoping for our rebirth, praying for it. Thus far, we have failed to deliver.

Could the national government have done more in the immediate aftermath to help dislocated citizens, and aid rescue efforts? Almost definitely. But this is our state. Our people. And we, Louisiana as a whole, failed our fellow citizens. We failed them by electing incompetent, and unprepared leaders. We failed them by allowing those same leaders to play politics and pork instead of serving our state, and meeting it's needs. We failed them by allowing those leaders to lose focus in the many special sessions held to address the myriad issues raised by Katrina. We failed them by allowing federal funds (and without a doubt charity funds) to be misappropriated, misspent and just plain misplaced. Then we failed our fellow citizens by re-electing one of those leaders.

Mid-term elections are almost here, and across the state (as across the country) incumbents will likely win and challengers will likely lose, but we should not make our choices blindly. We should hold our elected officials, from Congress to the State House to the City Council, accountable for their actions or (even more so) their inaction. If your conscience tells you that you representative did his best for Louisiana then by all means vote for him (or her) again. But I beg you to help ensure that Louisiana puts it's best foot forward, leaving the excesses and eccentricities of the past behind us. Let us fulfill the promise that I saw in the moments after the storm. We could be a comeback story.

America is rooting for us. We have their sympathy, their compassion, and in many cases their dollars. The upcoming football season could be very important as New Orleans and Louisiana show the world that we have not been defeated. The Saints (and to a lesser degree the Hornets) could be our ambassadors to the nation. Proving that despite the naysayers, Louisiana is back in business.

I have lived in Louisiana my entire life, I'd like to be able to say the same thing in another twenty years. For those of us that want to make Louisiana our home, we need to ensure it's a home we are proud of. One year later, that's what I'll be thinking about as I head to the polls.