Most of Katrina's victims lived their lives without a single tattered safety net in place. Poor, unskilled, and underemployed, many of these Gulf Coast residents barely stayed afloat even before the flood waters raged in. Now what little they had is gone. They cannot bury their dead and get on with life as the 911 families managed to do - because there is no life left.
The political think tanks that worry if a nominee is conservative enough, the lobbyists busily grabbing the largest slice of pork for their clients, and the Haliburtons, the Fluors, and the oil magnates have no emotional conception of the reality of poverty. While difficulty in paying the bills is common at all economic levels, contrast that with someone who has no bills because they have nothing: no debts, no creditors - but also no money, no food, no home, no resources.
Only after the settlements were made were the cries of the families in Oklahoma heard. Those families, too, suffered a terrible loss but received only speeches and sympathy.
And now there are the victims of Katrina. Not only were hundreds of family members lost but, in addition, entire businesses, lifestyles, community bonds, and the independence conferred by gainful employment were entirely obliterated. We must ask ourselves: do we deal with victims in an evenhanded manner?
Unless they are lucky enough to become the swing vote in a tight election, they will recede from the front pages and slowly submerge beneath the slime of poverty, a more permanent threat than any temporary storm.
Depending on what charity you choose to volunteer for will depend on exactly what you will do. So, if you are considering becoming a volunteer within the charity there are some basic factors that you should consider. The first thing to think about is what you can offer the charity. Look at what skills you possess and how they could be of benefit to the charity group. For instance, if you are especially good at administration then your administration skills could be of great benefit to the charity, and this is where you should offer your services. Its no good volunteering with a charity as a counsellor if you have no qualifications or experience in that department. Think about what you can do well and offer to do it for the charity.
The political think tanks that worry if a nominee is conservative enough, the lobbyists busily grabbing the largest slice of pork for their clients, and the Haliburtons, the Fluors, and the oil magnates have no emotional conception of the reality of poverty. While difficulty in paying the bills is common at all economic levels, contrast that with someone who has no bills because they have nothing: no debts, no creditors - but also no money, no food, no home, no resources.
Only after the settlements were made were the cries of the families in Oklahoma heard. Those families, too, suffered a terrible loss but received only speeches and sympathy.
And now there are the victims of Katrina. Not only were hundreds of family members lost but, in addition, entire businesses, lifestyles, community bonds, and the independence conferred by gainful employment were entirely obliterated. We must ask ourselves: do we deal with victims in an evenhanded manner?
Unless they are lucky enough to become the swing vote in a tight election, they will recede from the front pages and slowly submerge beneath the slime of poverty, a more permanent threat than any temporary storm.
Depending on what charity you choose to volunteer for will depend on exactly what you will do. So, if you are considering becoming a volunteer within the charity there are some basic factors that you should consider. The first thing to think about is what you can offer the charity. Look at what skills you possess and how they could be of benefit to the charity group. For instance, if you are especially good at administration then your administration skills could be of great benefit to the charity, and this is where you should offer your services. Its no good volunteering with a charity as a counsellor if you have no qualifications or experience in that department. Think about what you can do well and offer to do it for the charity.
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