This will make you want to scream:
I am stunned by an interview I conducted with New Orleans Detective Lawrence Dupree. He told me they were trying to rescue people with a helicopter and the people were so poor they were afraid it would cost too much to get a ride and they had no money for a “ticket.” Dupree was shaken telling us the story. He just couldn’t believe these people were afraid they’d be charged for a rescue.
Under-educated, uninformed, chronically abused by a corrupt local government and police force, and ignored by everyone else- those are the people whose bodies we are largely going to be dragging out of houses once the flood waters recede.
Bob
Even more stunned when the bill comes in.
Jill
It’s pretty clear that we no longer have any moral authority to say ANYTHING to ANYONE ANYWHERE in the world about how they treat their people. Look at how we treat ours.
gcauthon
It’s not under-educated and certainly not uninformed. It’s called cynicism. Look it up. When you’re that poor, you have to pay for a lot of things that average-income individuals don’t have to. I’m always telling people, it’s very expensive being poor. If you’ve never lived like that then obviously you’re going to have no idea what I’m talking about.
db
I am not sure about NO’s emergency services, but I am sure this charging for emergencies is becoming more common place across the country. My mother was in a horrible accident (not her fault) several years ago in Los Angeles – she was charged approximately $500 for a firetruck to show up and apply gauze to her head. It would have been more had she not refused to be transported by ambulance; instead she hopped onto a bus and took herself in. Yes, she even had health insurance; but keep in mind, most insurance companies do not pay for such emergency services.
capelza
db, I never thought of that…it did cost a friend of mine 7000.00 to be medivaced by copter, which insurance would not cover. And, yeah, if I was in any way able to refuse an ambulance I would because I know how much they cost just to turn the key in the ignition.
Maybe it is that in part. Combined with some unique S.LA lack of education and corruption.
jobiuspublius
Add to this that what a horror story some of our prisons are, little Abu Ghraibs.
Shygetz
In America, the business of health care is business. I agree that it is disgusting, and it is not surprising that it has turned many people (myself included) into hardcore cynics.
wilson
“chronically abused by a corrupt local government and police force”
Not sure you have this proven. Poverty is not something we can ordinarily cure by reforming the police and local goverment. It is an economic, not a legal problem, normally.
Interesting question is how to get them or their children educated, well-employed, and moved into the middle class.
Step one is probably find some way of getting the defense budget back down to say $200 billion a year, to free up resources.
I also like the idea of a civilian conservation corps or WPA for the region.
Unfortunately Bush does not like the either/or approach – let’s see him opt for both a huge defense effort and a jobs program. LBJ all over again?
Stormy70
Some good may come out of this, because communities all over the country are going to give displaced people a hand up. Children have already started attending school in Texas. Usually, the pupil has two other pupils who go everywhere with them, so they can adjust more easily. Hopefully, out of this tragedy will be some good. One family just relocated to Virginia, where their were 3 houses made available to house them.
Mr Furious
Barbara Bush and Darrell, no doubt, think death is working out rather well for them
SeesThroughIt
Seriously, what is this bitch’s problem?
Boronx
I’m always telling people, it’s very expensive being poor. If you’ve never lived like that then obviously you’re going to have no idea what I’m talking about.
A-fucking-men. And it goes in reverse: a few years ago when my had a real high paying job at the most prestigious place in town. Movie theaters, restaurants, cruiselines, warehouse stores, were just falling all over themselves to give us a break.
And if you’re not insured in these parts, an ambulance ride will cost you a few hundred bucks.
Steve
gcauthon – “I’m always telling people, it’s very expensive being poor. If you’ve never lived like that then obviously you’re going to have no idea what I’m talking about.”
Exactly. Anybody who has looked into the fees charged by check cashing services ought to be well aware of that.
John is partly right, that poverty has a lot to do with ignorance. And there does appear to be a good deal of corruption within Louisiana, but that corruption is pretty much the norm all through out the south(former Confederate states). Corruption makes people poor. It’s hard to see at first, but in the long run it’s just bad for business. That’s why the modern day Republican party needs to die.
texas dem
If you ever have to be MedEvac-ed from a National Forest by ‘copter, you WILL get the bill. Even if it was a genuine, life or death emergency.
shark
It’s not under-educated and certainly not uninformed. It’s called cynicism. Look it up. When you’re that poor, you have to pay for a lot of things that average-income individuals don’t have to. I’m always telling people, it’s very expensive being poor. If you’ve never lived like that then obviously you’re going to have no idea what I’m talking about.
What a load of crap. We’ve been poor and know people even poorer than us….and yet, we all know that OUR MILITARY OR POLICE AND FIREMEN do not charge.
It’s expensive to be poor…..well it’s more expensive being ignorant
shark
It’s not under-educated and certainly not uninformed. It’s called cynicism. Look it up. When you’re that poor, you have to pay for a lot of things that average-income individuals don’t have to. I’m always telling people, it’s very expensive being poor. If you’ve never lived like that then obviously you’re going to have no idea what I’m talking about.
What a load of crap. We’ve been poor and know people even poorer than us….and yet, we all know that OUR MILITARY OR POLICE AND FIREMEN do not charge.
It’s expensive to be poor…..well it’s more expensive being ignorant
Narvy
This is posted on another thread:
Well, there certainly are consequences.
But apparently none due to being a moron.
.
db
Then you must be in serious debt, sharky.
Not all places will charge to respond. An increasing number of places will charge for responding to false alarms (setting a bad precedent in my opinion). An even larger number of places WILL charge for transportation, even in emergencies.
So let’s call these people ignorant simply because they know emergency transportation is charged to the user? Was this a case of emergency transportation? Yes, it was; and you call them ignorant for drawing such a conclusion?
Joe
“Under-educated” and “uninformed” huh?
Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, these people ARE educated – educated in their own EXPERIENCES?
These people are the forgotten members of our American family. They know that. They feel that. Its no surprise that they find it difficult to believe that help is coming to them for free.
goonie bird
Now if this involved SEAN PENN they would have rolled out the red carpet for this nit-wit
Don
I guess everyone here has and has always had health insurance. The uninsured get bills for ambulance rides, I think expecting to be billed for the chopper is just sound reasoning.