Katrina Victims Say "NO" to Iowa

[tkrexx]

Up to 1,000 people can be temporarily housed at a shelter in Des Moines, officials say, yet NOT ONE hurricane victim has agreed to be moved to Iowa. I read this in the paper this morning, and found myself laughing out loud. Iowa's the kid who gets picked last!

Rxx

 

[milagros317]

Not clear how long "temporary" means. I think staying for the winter in Iowa would be a rude shock to somebody who lived her or his whole life in N.O. 😀

 

[MrMacphisto]

Could be worse... you could get sent to Utah.

 

[goddess_nemesis]

a bunch have come up to minnesota and are staying at fort ripley. they rather live in minnesota than iowa. ROFL! they'll be back down south by the first snowfall. LMAO!

 

[General Zod]

I don't understand why they won't go to Iowa I've driven through there a lot over the past 9 years Nice state and nice people Iowa also stands for
I Owe World an Apology

 

[AffectionateDan]

I guess beggars CAN be choosers, after all...

...personally, I don't get it. If I'd just lost everything, I'd be damned glad to have an opportunity like that arise, WTF, over?

 

[jim66e]

I don't understand why they won't go to Iowa I've driven through there a lot over the past 9 years Nice state and nice people Iowa also stands for
I Owe World an Apology

Yea Iowa, thanks for the happy comments Zod. I have to say I don't understand why someone wouldn't want to live in a place like Iowa, but then I'm heavily biased 🙂

 

[JoBelle]

Let's not be so hasty.

Did every victim of every other disaster jump em masse at every offer put forth?

I think one of the reasons you don't see a huge migration to Iowa is that people have to have some type of security once the shelters close up. What is the job market like? Are the people in the areas offering it as a viable solution to the problem at hand. I can honestly tell you that THIS is the first time I've heard mention of the offer and I'm here running a shelter with about 200 people. I took a walk around a few minutes ago and asked what folks thought. Four families here said they would go if they knew they could get a job or permanent housing once things settle. I have a friend who goes to medical school in Des Moines and even being from the less populated south, he comments one how small the place seems. Thanks to modern media, it's not the place that sings of a great Metropolis and second chances.

People are looking for secure footing, not just a temporary residence that would require them to rebuild their lives again and again. It's not that they are snubbing the offers. They HAVE lost everything...including the ability to feel safe without really thinking it over. There are a lot of other places that ring familiar to the ears in terms of job availability.

Don't diss 'em for not jumping at every free ride. If you had 2000 people taking Iowa up on the offer, there would be complaints about how that extra thousand are free-loaders and mooching off that poor state.
Jo

 

[JoBelle]

I guess beggars can be choosers after all...personally, I don't get it. If I'd just lost everything, I'd be damned glad to have an opportunity like that arise, WTF, over?

SINCE WHEN DID BEING THE VICTIM OF A NATURAL DISASTER MAKE PEOPLE BEGGARS? 😡 How absurd!

 

[tkrexx]

Nobody's dissin' anybody, Jo. This thread was designed to be a "Laugh At Oneself" type of thing. I read it in the paper and found it funny that if given a choice, people would go elsewhere other than Iowa, where I reside. If I had spent my entire life in New Orleans, or even half of it, the other half in Iowa, I sure wouldn't wanna come here either. The state is vastly Anglo-populated, with Latinos as the dominant minority. The economy reeks, with alot of people finding 60-70 hr workweeks only 3 months at a stretch (So employers won't have to pay unemployment) at an average of $8/hr. The family farms are slowly being absorbed into corporate farms, which Big Oil plays a major part, and our only populous city (Des Moines) has half a million. The summers are miserably hot and sticky, the winters bitterly cold. It's not uncommon to be "Snowed in." Every once in a while, we get a biblical flood that affects even those of us on high ground. Our young people are leaving the state in droves. Again, I can't imagine someone from New Orleans actually DESIRING a residence in Iowa.

On the plus side, however, housing, food and gasoline are generally not too expensive compared to the rest of the nation. Probably the best steaks you can find anywhere. All the corn you can eat. You can make jokes about Missourians. Umm, I'm sure there are other positive aspects to living in Iowa...

...BUT:

If you had 2000 people taking Iowa up on the offer, there would be complaints about how that extra thousand are free-loaders and mooching off that poor state.

This, unfortunately, unfairly, will eventually happen wherever these unlucky folks land. We both know this, as distasteful as it is. Please don't put that brand specifically on Iowa. These folks need and deserve, as you pointed out, stability, security and roots. I'm sure Iowa would be less than an ideal place for them to persue these things.

The point of this thread remains a poke at those of us in Iowa, NOT at the victims and survivors of Katrina.

By the way, Jo, I'm glad you're okay, and wish you a big, honest, midwestern dose of good fortune as you get on with your life.

Rxx

 

[JoBelle]

Hey Rexx and thanks for the well wishes.

As far as the laugh-at-oneself humor...you're talking about people from MS! We're experts at that! We've always ranked pretty low on the "value scale" compared to the rest of the country.... Until a hurricane hits here and everyone else's gas prices go up! 😛


Just to clear things up....I was only bothered by the statement about "beggars" as apparently there are people in this world who feel that folks should leave everything they love and cherish to go somewhere without any personal opportunity, history or future. Pretty sad to hear that type of stuff. Just wish some folks would THINK before they make offhanded comments like that.

Jo, exhausted but hopeful

 

[MÿTicklingStudios]

Could be worse... you could get sent to Utah.

Or iraq

 

[AffectionateDan]

Just to clear things up....I was only bothered by the statement about "beggars" as apparently there are people in this world who feel that folks should leave everything they love and cherish to go somewhere without any personal opportunity, history or future. Pretty sad to hear that type of stuff. Just wish some folks would THINK before they make offhanded comments like that.

Jo, exhausted but hopeful

Just to clear things up even further, it pains me that anyone would turn my words around into something spiteful... and while this is obviously an emotional time for those who are mired in it and living it, surely everyone from sea to shining sea has heard the phrase "Beggars can't be choosers.", have they not? Was this said with malice? Of course not. Thoughtlessness? Perhaps. Since it never occurred to me that it would be taken out of context and used to vilify me, particularly by one who I'd hope knows me better than that. Insensitive? Hardly. Guess it depends on what side of the disaster you're living on. Just stands to reason (to someone who HASN'T lost everything he cherishes, anyhow) that, having had that happen to you, he'd think that getting ANYTHING to replace the loss would be a boon. Pretty sad to hear a friend get their knickers in a twist over a turn of phrase. Just makes me wish that some folks would THINK before they publicly criticise someone who meant no harm. Guess I'll keep my offhand comments to myself from now on.

Dan, the annoyed but hopeless.