Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour complained to a U.S. House panel Wednesday of inaction on  hurricane relief to his state.  If Barbour can't get any action, who in God's world can? He's about as well connected as any politician in the country. A former Republican National Chairman, Barbour is  on a first name basis with Bush White House folks and with lots of GOP members of Congress. Yet, lack of help from Washington is hindering recovery efforts in his state.  Nobody can say he hasn't asked for help. 

What is wrong with Congress?

Displaced students are fighting and arrested in a Houston high school.  Texas still has 34,000 in hotels. People in the areas of destruction are suffering from physical and mental illness. But we get lame responses from Congress about Katrina no longer being a high priority. Members want more "accountability" before they authorize more funds. Where has the accountability been in Iraq as Congress has poured billions into the war and recovery efforts there? Don't our own citizens deserve as much? This is outrageous behavior, as if ignoring the problems will make them go away.  If we were not so over extended by the war effort, maybe we could manage to take care of our own.

Meanwhile, as Barbour noted, federal highway funding to rebuild roads and bridges has been stalled. Congress has failed to approve financial aid for public school districtings facing bankruptcy, and homeowners who had no flood insurance are not getting help in rebuilding or repairing their homes.

Maybe some areas of New Orleans should not  be rebuilt. But the feds can't just turn their backs on Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. The richest country in the world can do better. 

 Thank God for former Presidents Bush and Clinton, who have raised and given $90 million in grants along the Gulf Coast, including $30 million for higher education institutions, which will aid students eager to return to their home schools.  But we can't rely on private fundraising at a time like this. Federal taxes must be put to work. This is a national disaster, and Congress acts as if it could care less.  

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