Is there a locally administrated fund for direct help? Who runs it? What is it´s track record? Is there a hope of the money actually getting to the real people who need it?

It’s sad to see so many of you have missed the point.  You’re too busy doing what the Republicans do - resorting to name-calling, labelling and nastiness when you don’t hear what you think you want to hear.  It’s precisely this divisive attitude that will allow the neo-cons to dominate again in the next election. 

The point is and SHOULD BE that New Orleans is in trouble and needs help.  If you don’t think shoe-shopping is the answer for us locals, then why don’t you try to come up with something that DOES help.  We’re open to suggestions because we’re not getting much help from the Federal Government (don’t believe Bush’s hype) - we haven’t received the money promised, nor any of his programs for that matter.  Until you’ve lived through something like this, I really think you are not in a point to “arm-chair quarterback this disaster.

Why not take the high road, put aside your petty complaints and help some American Citizens who are suffering?  Once you’ve suffered through something like this, you really see how petty most of your arguments are.  Try living for a year with no electricity because the Insurance Companies don’t want to pay out your claim (for just one example out of thousands).

One clarification, Rubensteins, is locally owned and I was so proud to see that they were really just about the first store to open - which took real guts for them to gamble and pay their employees to run a store in a town that at that time was a ghost town.  I would have bought something from them if I had anything left to my name after this storm.

I am sorry, Petsounds. If shoe-shoppers and out-of-town money couldn’t spare NO from abject poverty before Katarina. What makes you think it will work post-Katarina?

Doesn’t a TV pundit (or whoever this woman is)applauding her effort of buying designer shoes in an empty department store strike you as, well, silly? Futile? It reminds me of a story of the British military giving makeup to Holocaust survivors, except she was buying the shoes for herself.

Having the chief say “resume normal living” or “go shopping!” and having the likes of you buy into it is just perfect combination of copperfieldesque misdirection and mass-seditive that allows the F-ups in government to keep winning elections. But hey, what the hell, you have new shoes.

Nancy…..my thoughts exactly. I waited for days before saying anything, thinking I had mis-read the piece. I did not.

This silly cow went to one of the worst disasters of modern times and WENT SHOPPING! I just know her spending an obscene amount of money on a pair of boots in a store not even owned in New Orleans is going to put the thousands left with no where to live in the city of their birth right back in shape.

CHRIST ON A CRUTCH!!!!!!!WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE COME FROM?

The whole of La. is unique in the music that is homegrown.  The cajuns and the creoles have created a word for a fusion of the two cultures which sometimes mix, I mean there are people who speak French and who have combined the music of the cajuns with the music of the creoles and come up with Zyedaco, which is happy music.  So people must remember there is more to La. than New Orleans, and the Zydeco music has also changed to a new mix called French Rock bugie.

The whole south is filled with people who really care, but care can only go around so much.  This country forgets were a lot of the oil comes from, and the environemists must put the attention on the wetlands that are being eaten up at a rate of large swatches of land a year.  The wetlands are the filter for a lot things, of course the state should have gotten more royalties from the oil companies, after all they are the ones that are causing a lot of problems in the wetlands.  You cannot blame the people because they did not leave at once, because hurricanes have been around for a long time.  The city of New Orleans(French Quarter) still have most of the building intact, that is because the doors and windows have shutters that are there for more than decorations.

Marge from Vancouver, Washington(formally Kenner,La.)

I’d like to second the emotions of those who find Ms. Estrich’s presence on this site offensive and disheartening.  Estrich is IMO among the most repugnant of those in Fox News’ stable of putative “liberal” lapdogs.  Through her sycophantic performances for Sean Hannity, she has forfeited any claim to providing honest commentary.  Truthdig’s reputation can only be hurt by providing her a forum.

I expect far better of Bob Scheer and I’d be pretty confident that other regulars on this site including especially Molly Ivins share the offense that I and others feel.

Micha,
    You are an example of our new America.  The government has abandoned New Orleans.  It is horrible, but to tell the truth,I always felt deep down they were pretty useless.  It is people like you that have been an eye opener.  They always begins “indeed it is horrible what has happened to the people in New Orleans BUT”.  Then you include whatever political view that is your personal excuse to desert your fellow citizens to their misery.  They come from the right and they come from the left.  This is what our country has become.  I am tired of the excuses or trying to put it in pretty words.  I am a natve New Orleanian.  What you are saying is that you want to abandon your fellow citizens.  We are not worth your money or your time.  You are saying we don’t matter.  When did our country become so selfish?  Thank you Susan for being the voice of Americans that actually care.

It’s really amazing to us New Orleans residents that people bought into the Bush propaganda machine about the corruption in Louisiana.  Yes, there is corruption here, as there is just about anywhere, but it was the the incompetence and egotism of the Bush Burocracy that is still crippling this great city.  For conspiracy theorists, did it ever occur to you that Bush wanted to punish an outspoken critic of Bush, a Democratic Woman governor by making her look inept.  Proof of this is the people of Gulf Coast Miss. where Republican Trent Lott resides has received over 5,000 government grants to individuals whereas Louisiana has received 48.  Certainly there were mistakes at all levels of govt. including local and state but by far the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the Barbarian Killer of Cultures, George Bush,

Also, the very idea that one of America’s greatest cities should not be rebuilt is just incredible.  We have some of the most interesting, important architecture in the United States and the world.  We have a local cuisine that is unique.  We are the birthplace of jazz.  We have a culture that is unique.  We were considered to be a World Heritage site by Unesco (a designation that was torpedoed by Ray Nagin) which would have put us in a league with Venice and Machu Pichu.  We are still barely grasping our one-of-a kind culture as the United States hurtles toward bland uniformity of culture.  And so some person, who probably has not ever even been to Louisiana is condemning us because of police brutality that is found in every city in the United States?!  Come on! 

Help your fellow American and save a World Heritage treasure.  Visit New Orleans, enjoy yourself and help us because the federal government certainly hasn’t.

Of course, shopping is the answer. After all, it’s what has gotten us to this wonderful state we are in now.
I have no idea who the person who wrote this article is but with views like this - why is she on truthdig?

DR summed up most of what I have to say about your “liberal” credentials. You are a political opportunist with no honest or deeply held beliefs…except in the almight dollar. However my comment is about your heart wrenching tale of New Orleans misery. The fact that New Orleans continues to wallow in misery is in large part due to the corruption and ineffectiveness of it’s politicians. Any desire I might have had to visit New Orleans was lost in the sickening scenes of police brutality, which have been forgotten already. Finally, the best thing that could happen to New Orleans (and the US taxpayers) is that it is not rebuilt.

To the sour grapes person, DR, who complained about the author buying shoes in New Orleans…As a proud New Orleans resident, I think the author’s comments were dead on.  People here have and are suffering greatly but we carry on.  We here in New Orleans need and want our tourist back.  The author’s buying shoes at Rubensteins supporsts a local business that has been in New Orleans for almost a century.  Rubensteins is one of the last remaining local department stores.  So please, by all means, buy shoes, buy cocktails, visit our wonderful city, come enjoy yourself and in doing so support our battered local economy.

I don’t know if the democrats will help,  but I am ashamed of America.  This much I know,  I will never vote for a repubican after the way they have treated New Orleans.
One would be treated better by our goverment if one lived in Iraq.

You? A Liberal?? (Spit take…). I’m sorry Ms. Estrich, but the only people who think you’re a liberal are your colleagues at FauxNews. You debated Gingrich you say? What debate? You two agree on almost everything!

It’s pretty pathetic that you went to New Orleans, and all you can think about is shopping; just like your buddy Bush, after 9/11 could only think of telling Americans to spend more money. Did you really think that your “Sex and the City” moment in New Orleans would make you seem somehow give you the Gravitas you so sorely lack? Sorry, but you ain’t no Anderson Cooper (and frankly Anderson Cooper isn’t that good a journalist to begin with).

So please, stop saying you’re a liberal, since your views have very little in common with most liberals. Call yourself a Fox centrist, a Nazi collaborator, a Fashion Diva, I really don’t care. But leave the word Liberal for those who actually believe in things like affordable health care and education, and equality of opportunity. And go back to shopping for shoes.

Oh, so is Ms. Estrich coming back to this side now that Democrats won the election or is Fox News not calling anymore?

Does anyone know if Susan is dating Mort Kondracke?  What do they call those type of bandwagoners, DINO’s?

When I visited New Orleans, I too went shopping although I only bought what I really needed, unlike most American who shop until they drop, I was never raised in that atmosphere, due to the fact was after the War, there were shortages of some things, all I remember is no white sugar, and margarine that was white and you squished the color dot throughout that white mixture.

What I see is that the oil people got rich, did not give much to the state, messed up the wetlands, which if still undisturbed would have mitigated the storm somewhat, and what people forget is people still think that the wetlands are still there, at least the people in the city thought that, and New Orleans public schools did not turn out brillient students, mainly because if you did not go to college, you unually got a dead end job.

People forget that the governments do not operate at full speed when a holiday is near, so since the hurricane was near a holiday who was in charge?  I will tell you the clerks who are there on Fridays while the bosses take their elective days and believe me when government gives out 10 sick days and 10 elective days as well as vaction time, a lot of clerks act as supervisors.

I am sure people get the picture, government was asleep at the wheel, and money for FEMA was spent in Fla. and the war effort.

Marge from Vancouver Washington

Kahru, how ignorant can you be?

Of COURSE New Orleans needs more than shopping—it needs the Bush Administration to do what it should have done a year ago. Don’t hold your breath.

But for many years now, New Orleans has depended largely on tourism as a major source of income. New Orleans needs people to come visit—to eat in restaurants, take taxis, and yes, SHOP! That’s what supports the economy!

There is no similarity between what Susan Estrich is saying—go to New Orleans, shop, build up their economy—and what we were told to do right after the WTC towers fell—don’t be afraid to resume your normal life.

Brava, Susan! I’ll bet those boots will make you happy every time you wear them!

Go shopping? Pahlease. Isn’t that the same sage advice handed down after 9.11? If rebuilding a city after a disaster foremost required crass consumption (and booze), then the US of A wouldn’t have any problems at all.

Thank you Susan for bringing the brave story of New Orleanians fighting for their city to the rest of America.  The abandonment of New Orleans will forever be the shame of this country.  The Republicans have not helped.  Will the Democrats?  You have a voice to their inner circle.  Will the Gulf Coast be left to rot while America goes on its happy way?  It is the Democrats turn to show what they are made of.