[Rhodes22-list] Katrina Update

[Brad Haslett]

Dave,

Caught me walking out the door.  Don't underestimate the value and
contributions of the volunteers.  Maybe the Ladies Aid Society can't re-roof
houses but the Mennonites sure did!  Professional construction workers?
Hello, we're here!  As Ed said, the infrastructure wasn't built in a day,
and it wouldn't do any good to repeat the same failures that Camille
wrought.  We came here to make a buck and no one is more impatient with the
progress than us.  But we're also in this for the long haul and we're
realists.  Things are starting to happen.  MS just passed "smart codes" so
maybe we won't have to repeat this process next hurricane season.  Patience
is a virtue!

The bumper sticker reads "Together We Rebuild".  It is a rehash from
Camille.  I'll send you one.

Bill, no one is more surprised about the economy than me.  I didn't
speculate in real estate (at least not in this country) and invested
conservatively the last five years.  Unfortunately, I left a lot of money on
the table.  You can't legislate away the business cycle and I doubt this one
has that much horsepower left, but I could be wrong.  You're the real estate
guru.  Are you loading up on property at current prices?

Brad


On 2/4/07, DCLewis1 at aol.com <DCLewis1 at aol.com> wrote:
>
>
> Brad,
>
> So disabuse my sense of unreality regarding the gulf coast.  I say  they
> need
> help.  I say building bridges, roads, and infrastructure takes  heavy
> equipment, heavy equipment  operators, welders, I beams, thousands
> of  yards of
> concrete.  I say the need is for competent professional  construction
> workers and
> supplies.  You say "send me some  volunteers".  Whose serious?  Volunteers
> from the Ladies Aid Society  from our local Baptist church are going to
> weld the
> I beams, move the earth, lay  the concrete?  I don't think so.  Who
> perceives
> a problem that  requires manpower and resources.  I think it's me.
>
> Or maybe what you are not quite plainly stating is that there really is no
> problem in the gulf region.  That the remaining damage is modest
> and  something
> a few volunteers can handle?
>
> There are very definite limits as to what well meaning volunteers can do,
> unless they happen to have specific expertise.  My experience is
> the  greatest
> good thing to come from volunteering is that the volunteers feel
> good  about
> themselves.  You want to rebuild?  Get competent professional  people and
> equipment(i.e. spend $),  they will do the job better, faster,  and to
> code.  There'
> s a time and place for volunteering but my  understanding is that to a
> large
> extent the gulf rebuild is not that time  or place - I understand that
> conflicts with your ideology.
>
> As to bellyaching about getting people to work on the rebuild, I
> think  the
> unemployment rate in Michigan and Ohio is 6 to 8%.  Try  recruiting.
>
> I promise you, one qualified heavy equipment operator will move more earth
> or trash in a day than you and I as volunteers will move in a month.   If
> your
> serious about the gulf coast rebuild, you'll get off this
> volunteer  shtick.
>
> Which brings us to how to pay for all the professional help, equipment,
> and
> supplies that are needed.  The money has been authorized and approved,
> it's
> sitting in some account as a line item, the debit has already been marked
> against the budget, all that remains for some bureaucrat to say
> professional
> companies can incur costs.  Why hasn't that bureaucrat given the
> go  ahead?  And
> it all comes back to Jr.
>
> It's not fair to zing Jr for every little thing that doesn't get done by
> federal agencies, but this shortfall is truly big, we're talking 2 states
> of the
> union.  You've seen the bumper sticker "United We Stand", we'll there
> ought
> to be one that says "United We Rebuild", rebuilding should reasonably be a
> national priority.  The rebuild should be a major focus for this, or any,
> Administration.  Jr and/or his designated rep should be completely on
> top  of and
> leading the rebuild effort - but of course we know that's not the  case.
>
> Bottom line: Stop asking for volunteers, the problem is much larger than a
> gaggle of volunteers with no specific expertise can handle, hire
> professional
> help and get on with it.
>
> Dave
>
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