The people of Eastern Iowa are experiencing what may be the worst flooding in state history. You'd expect that in times of distress like these, people would rally to help each other. But not in the new America, the land where money is everything and emergency response requires a contract.Historic flooding is devastating eastern Iowa. Nine rivers are reportedly cresting above flood state. The city of Cedar Rapids is mostly submerged. Valuable crops and farmland are being destroyed. Meanwhile, more storms are forecasted, so the worst may be yet to come. In the midst of this calamity, a tiny incident demonstrates that Bush-era disaster capitalism, outsourcing of essential services and plain old greed have percolated thoroughly into our society and culture.
An observation by reporter Christopher Maag in a New York Times article about the situation in Cedar Rapids captures the new ethic that may replace the grand American tradition of neighbors coming to the rescue in times of trouble:
"Demenick Ankum drove to his house on 19th Avenue to save anything he could. By the time he finished packing, his car was underwater. He had to pay a neighbor, Louie Brundidge, $10 to rescue him from the house in Mr. Brundidge's red aluminum boat."
In today's America, if you're about to be submerged in a flood, and your neighbor has a boat, you better have your wallet with you if you expect to get rescued. Now I realize that the poor people of New Orleans who lost everything in Katrina, including their lives, never had a chance in the regime of Compassionate Conservatism.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 4)
1. How is this a reflection on Bush or the US in general? More than likely Louie is some sort of welfare cheat or all around chiseler who just happened to be boating around and looting his neighbor's possessions. People like Louie are an excellent case for the Second Amendment.
IRONBLUEEYES at 1:47PM on Jun 13th 2008
2. Your article is distasteful and inaccurate. You are worthy of considerable shame for writing it. There are tens of thousands of people in the Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas dropping everything to help their neighbors and improve the situation.
I am in utter shock at your choice of story line, not angry - just sad. You took a single quote, taken by someone completely unfamiliar with Cedar Rapids, Iowa, or likely any of the Upper Midwest – and extrapolated a connection to something you do know about – your distaste for a political official.
There is nothing real in your article. People are helping people deal with a river flowing without regard for its path – that is real. I’m sure the quote is too, but is so singular and insignificant compared to the entirely of the situation that it is laughable.
Luke Porisch at 1:50PM on Jun 13th 2008
3. Hell, this country has gone downhill so much in the last 7 years, I tend to blame bush for everything, especially when years and years of dereg has resulted in abuse of consumers by credit card companies and utilities, and I just love blaming herr bush for these things. But you are definitely opening up yourself to the typical cenk-abuse folks with this one!!!
America's Most Gangsta at 1:52PM on Jun 13th 2008
4. Can't wait to see the comments defending Cenk on this one.
bob at 2:13PM on Jun 13th 2008
5. Oops! Should have known. No video of The Beefy One. It's Dave again with another wide detour off into the land of lapsed logic.
bob at 2:27PM on Jun 13th 2008
6. And I thought stank's posts were desperate and idiotic... So we should assume that the Boy Scouts that bravely dealt with the tragic situation were fueled by the Obama message of Hope/Change/Yes-We-Can ???
BirdmanJones at 3:03PM on Jun 13th 2008
7. Hey, could "Louie" be Sean Penn? I really wonder if this ever happened.
IRONBLUEEYES at 3:08PM on Jun 13th 2008
8. Very funny story but scary.
Amanda at 3:34PM on Jun 13th 2008
9. 1. How is this a reflection on Bush or the US in general?
xxx
it's libertarianism in action. Supply side economics exemplified.
Since you first thought of 'welfare cheat', using your preferred brand of 'logic', that would make YOU a welfare cheat.
If republicanism isn't a mental disease, it missed a number of really good chances. I hope you have someone to count your change. Your mind should probably not be trusted with real world data, seeing how 'flexible' it is and how suggestible you must be, evidenced by your parroting republicanist 'it's all the librul's fault' drivel.
They should at least give you a cracker, unless you are one...
Clif Kuplen at 3:56PM on Jun 13th 2008
10. You can bring up Bush concerning the degradation of helping your neighbor, IF you blamed Clinton for oral sex. I know Rush did.
fred at 4:01PM on Jun 13th 2008
11. To paraphrase those that badmouthed Katrina victims, they should have known better to have lived there.
Dennis at 4:02PM on Jun 13th 2008
12. Normally I enjoy TTY, but this one's a reach to say the least. Blaming Bush for the actions of one morally corrupt Iowan is just silly. There are plenty of legitimate, fact-based reasons to bash the Bush crime family. This article is the type of crap you'd expect from Faux News. You guys can do better, and deserve all the criticism that's sure to follow.
Chris at 4:03PM on Jun 13th 2008
13. Isn't Iowa the state credited with giving the Obama campaign its initial jump start?
If we're going to draw spurious conclusions, let's not leave that tidbit out of the mix.
bob at 4:21PM on Jun 13th 2008
14. Either candidate can offer much to do about "change" as they want but they'll never overcome the malicious hatred from the obscene left as witnessed in this incoherent article.
Credibility in one's writing is based on a "factual bridge" of subject matter leading to a basis of "truth". Truth isn't achieved by citing one supposedly (in the writer's view) important or meaningful event to advent his cause in an event with hundreds of subplots.
Cenk's ongoing unsupported rubbish only gains ground by the half witted support of hatred & misunderstanding by his followers & his agenda.
The severity of the flooding in Cedar Rapids was only reported less than 48 hrs ago. What have you contributed so far Cenk? Instead of sitting on your fat ass writing unfounded lies why aren't you in Iowa stacking sandbags? My answer to that is you're simply a good liberal keeping us all abreast of conservative contempt for the middle class while hedging our stock options on the commodities market to benefit from this disaster...
Start a relief fund Cenk,, label it the "RED HEARTLAND" flood relief fund. See if your hatred can get you past that...
Bobby at 5:19PM on Jun 13th 2008
15. ok, you have one Louie and that is somehow a comparison for the "evil" Compassionate Conservative Capitalism, or whatever you want to call it, as a whole. Not buying you little anti-capitalism piece. If you don't like it say so. Using a disaster to get your points around is low.
But of course it's Bushs fault, he made the rain fall obviously.
libertarian88 at 5:27PM on Jun 13th 2008