Below is an e-mail being strewn around via my retarded friends and family. I've responded to about 5 of them...but I'm going to need some help here. My responses are in bold.

Things I have noticed while watching media coverage of the recent hurricanes.

1. Texas: Productive industrious state run by Republicans.
Louisiana: Government dependent welfare state run by Democrats.

The gross state product of Texas in 2004 was about $880 million

The gross state product of Louisiana in 2004 was about $152 million.

But population matters and directly affects GSP.

Texas population in 2004 - 23 million people.

Louisiana? 4.5 million people.

This has nothing to do with Republicans or Democrats.

2. Texas: Residents take responsibility to protect and evacuate themselves.
Louisiana: Residents wait for government to protect and evacuate them.

Let's see: You think the state and federal governments weren't in high gear to evacuate Texas after the Katrina disaster? Did you realize that about 150,000 people in New Orleans alone have no means of transportation?

If you research law, you'll fine that state and local government is directly responsible for taking charge of emergency plans - including evacuating people who can't evacuate themselves.

3. Texas: Local and state officials take responsibility for protecting their citizens and property.
Louisiana: Local and state officials blame federal government for not protecting their citizens and property.

The local government in Louisiana was terrible - they were in no ways prepared for this. One of the worst failures of state and local government in our history.

But where was the federal government? In law, they're supposed to take over when the state and local government can't handle response. Did they? Yes...but almost a week after the hurricane hit.

4. Texas: Command and control remains in place to preserve order.
Louisiana: Command and control collapses allowing lawlessness.

Doesn't look to me as if there was up to 20 feet of water, in some parts, in Texas to prevent officials from doing much.

Let's also not forget New Orleans has one of the highest crime rates in the entire nation. What do we expect? Where was the National Guard?

5. Texas: Law enforcement officers remain on duty to protect city.
Louisiana: Law enforcement officers desert their posts to protect themselves.

If Texas officers saw just a quarter of what was going on in the New Orleans area, then this argument may have some play, but it doesn't.

6. Texas: Local police watch for looting.
Louisiana: Local police participate in looting.

7. Texas: Law and order remains in control, 8 looters tried it, 8 looters arrested.
Louisiana: Anarchy and lawlessness breaks out, looters take over city, no arrests, criminals with guns have to be shot by federal troops.

8. Texas: Considerable damage caused by hurricane.
Louisiana: Considerable damage caused by looters.

9. Texas: Flood barriers hold preventing cities from flooding.
Louisiana: Flood barriers fail due to lack of maintenance allowing city to flood.

10. Texas: Orderly evacuation away from threatened areas, few remain.
Louisiana: 25,000 fail to evacuate, are relocated to another flooded area.

11. Texas: Citizens evacuate with personal 3 day supply of food and water.
Louisiana: Citizens fail to evacuate with 3 day supply of food and water, do without it for the next 4 days.

12. Texas: FEMA brings in tons of food and water for evacuees. State officials provide accessible distribution points.
Louisiana: FEMA brings in tons of food and water for evacuees. State officials prevent citizens from reaching distribution points and vice versa.

13. Louisiana: Media focuses on poor blacks in need of assistance, blames Bush.
Texas: Media can't find poor blacks in need of assistance, looking for something else to blame on Bush.

14. Texas: Coastal cities suffer some infrastructure damage, Mayors tell residents to stay away until ready for repopulation, no interference from federal officials.
Louisiana: New Orleans is destroyed, Mayor asks residents to return home as another hurricane approaches, has to be overruled by federal officials.

15. Louisiana: Over 400 killed by storm, flooding and crime.
Texas: 24 killed in bus accident on highway during evacuation, no storm related deaths.

16. Texas: Jailed prisoners are relocated to other detention facilities outside the storm area.
Louisiana: Jailed prisoners are set free to prey on city shops, residents, and homes.

17. Texas: Local and state officials work with FEMA and Red Cross in recovery operations.
Louisiana: Local and state officials obstruct FEMA and Red Cross from aiding in recovery operations.

18. Texas: Local and state officials demonstrate leadership in managing disaster areas.
Louisiana: Local and state officials fail to demonstrate leadership, require federal government to manage disaster areas.

19. Texas: Fuel deliveries can't keep up with demand, some run out of gas on highway, need help from fuel tankers before storm arrives.
Louisiana: Motorists wait till storm hits and electrical power fails. Cars run out of gas at gas stations that can't pump gas. Gas in underground tanks mixes with flood waters.

20. Texas: Mayors move citizens out of danger.
Louisiana: Mayor moves himself and family to Dallas.

21. Texas: Mayors continue public service announcements and updates on television with Governor's backing and support.
Louisiana: Mayor cusses, governor cries, senator threatens president with violence on television, none of them have a clue what went wrong or who's responsible.

22. Louisiana: Democratic Senator says FEMA was slow in responding to 911 calls from Louisiana citizens.
Texas: Republican Senator says "when you call 911, the phone doesn't ring in Washington, it rings here at the local responders".

What if state and local elected officials were forced to depend on themselves and their own resources instead of calling for help from the federal government? Texas cities would be back up and running in a few days. Louisiana cities would still be under water next month. Republicans call for action, Democrats call for help. What party will you be voting for in the next election?

seriously, since texas thinks its cock is so damn big, i wish it would just go ahead and secede already so it can stop embarrassing the rest of us.

OK, I have a few thoughts.

Conditions Primitive in TEXAS Following Rita - Not a lot to be proud of in Texas.



That's just a complete lie.



This one's just stupid. Those Texans watched all the Katrina coverage before Rita hit, and I didn't see anything that I would describe as "orderly."



Those are lies too.



The number of deaths for LA and TX are both wrong. More evidence that the author cannot read and had his mom type this for him.



This didn't happen either.



What's the point here?

That would require people taking responsibility for their lives. Never gonna happen. People, especially in our society, need someone to blame for every bad thing that happens to them. It used to be the Devil. Now it's corporations or SUV drivers or the federal government.

Some things simply don't warrant a reasoned response. But I think you've done a pretty good job so far, and B and others will help further here.

You come to the right place, son!

My answer, similar to Knuckles. If they like Texas so much, they should move there. Seriously.

23. According to B, zut has never met anyone from Louisanna.

I said poor people, not Louisianians.

These mass emails sent out to distort fact disturb me. I got one not to long ago on how great fox news is and yadda yadda yadda, I friggin give up.

I don't like the ones calling for a "blue state revolt" and I don't like this one either.

Here's your response:

"Anyone sending out emails making a joke out of two disasters where people lost their lives, homes, businesses etc. in an effort to take a weak jab at another political party should really rethink their priorities."

These are bullshit. I'm from Texas, and we don't have a hard-on for everything our state does. Shit like this is what gives us a bad name.

This isn't Texas vs. every other state. The first 'point' in the email is that Texas is a republican state and Louisiana is a democratic state. This is a red state/blue state gay email.

Yes, gay. Gay republicans sent it.

Oh, I know. But if you look at several of the responses in this thread, they have to do with Texas being stupid and full of itself, and this is not true.

You retards. Republicanism is the cure for everything! Cancer, AIDS, hurricanes, abortion, war, you name it! If we voted 100% Republican all this shit would be solved!

I'm sorry that you have to count amongst your friends and family a certain number of ass hats. You might consider disowning them.

It is interesting that a number of people here that are calling the senders of this email retarded, etc. didn't seem to have any problem with the equally stupid emails about how the blue states are superior.

It's all hype people. Just because you like what the hype is saying doesn't make it any more true.

this is the first e-mail i've gotten of this kind, and i figured i'd shoot it down as best i can. if i got it from the other side, i'd do the same.

i was merely looking for some help from some smart people on the board in forming some answers.

isnt this the same vein as, if you dont like the way the US is, then move to canada, that people get so pissed off about?

Interestingly enough, I've never seen a "Don't Mess With Wyoming" bumper sticker.

I don't know Knuckles, there is 12 pages of shootem up over in the SOCOM 3 thread from those Wyoming kids. Its probably safer in Iowa.

don't mess with rhode island