Sober Reflections

Though the full scope of the devastation visited upon the Gulf Coast still is not known, politicians on both sides of the political spectrum already have reverted to form. Rather than being humbled by nature's awesome power and the scale of human suffering on display in the Deep South, elected leaders are using the tragedy to justify pre-existing policy goals. Unless this approach changes, America will fail to learn and grow stronger from Hurricane Katrina.

Both Republicans and Democrats are perverting the tragedy to score political points. A story in yesterday's Washington Post, for instance, reported that Congress' GOP leadership is determined to push through a package of tax cuts and entitlement spending reductions while simultaneously calling for more spending on disaster relief. Similarly, many Democrats are using Hurricane Katrina for no other purpose but to bash President Bush and his administration.

Instead of trying to gain political leverage, thoughtful people across the nation and South should realize that Katrina and her aftermath can teach vital lessons about the nature of American society, if only we are open to learning those lessons.

A particularly thoughtful reflection on Katrina recently was authored by Rob Schofield of the NC Justice Center in Raleigh. Schofield outlines ten lessons that progressives can learn from the storm -- lessons pertaining to disaster preparedness, tax fairness, infrastructure investments and the relationship between the public and private sectors. Yet the most important insight resulting from Katrina is that "we're all in this together." Schofield concludes:

"Only through a renewed commitment to collective long-term solutions can we build a sustainable society. In the days following the Gulf Coast catastrophe, it is essential that Americans rediscover this fact if we are to do more than simply clean up the mess."