Poll: Storm Changed Americans' Attitudes

Poll: Storm Changed Americans' Attitudes - Yahoo! News

I totally believe this.

I think we'll have profound change for years, perhaps decades. Some of the change will be for the better - as with 9/11, we Americans will grow up some more. We'll be more spiritual, have better priorities and values, be less materialistic, perhaps better at loving our neighbor.

We've learned some things about poverty and about race. Frankly, my guess is that many Americans have never seen so many ordinary, everyday African-American people -families - in one week than they've seen maybe ever? And that poverty spans races and that so many of the poor are children, family, the disabled, the sick, the elderly.

We've learned that FEMA/Homeland Security doesn't work. Maybe it's better now, but it failed Katrina. We've learned that a president can actually put a friend of a friend and a very unqualified individual in charge of managing our country's emergencies. That's scary. So much for our feelings of safety and trust. I think government generally - at all levels - has taken a hit from its handling of Katrina.

Along those lines, we've learned the value of being self-sufficient, as in having our disaster preparation and plans in order ahead of time. We know we have to take care of ourselves - and our neighbors.

(This Democrat is surprised to hear me saying these things.)

The probable change for the worse could include an even bigger divide between the haves and havenots. There will be many more havenots. Our economy is likely to worsen. All but the wealthy will be doing some belt-tightening, if we aren't already.

And, I think all of the above will make even more Americans think we should stop wasting lives and money on Iraq. I think more people will feel we have far too many of our own problems, and our own people, to tend to now.

How about looking into this hurricane thing? Why? Can we do anything about it? How? And what about global warming?

That's just a start in regard to changing American attitudes.

Please forgive so much rambling, especially from someone on the other end of the country. These are strange times.