As New Orleans goes ...

270,000 people without power after almost two feet of snow fell in New York? Why would anyone want to live there? Maybe they should abandon that place.

Living with the threat of volcanoes and earthquakes around the clock in Hawaii? Why would anyone want to live there? Maybe they should abandon that place.

When the authorities say evacuate, people should evacuate, right?

Except that some cities don't have plans to accomodate people who don't have cars. Except that Hurricane Katrina altered its course some 300 miles west just about 48 hours before landfall -- and still, 80 percent of the city's residents did evacuate.

So which cities have a worse evacuation capacity than New Orleans? Denver, Houston, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Miami, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and many more. Sounds like mainstream America to me. Only 11 of 37 cities have better evacuation scores than New Orleans.

Dangerblond is a little more kind. That's appropriate.

My point is that we're all in this together, as a nation. As Buffalo goes, so goes the nation. As Honolulu goes, so goes the nation. As Denver, Houston, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Miami, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles go, so goes the nation.

You in other parts of the country, ask yourselves which four-fifths of your city could you decimate? Which half of your population could you scatter and force to live out of temporary accomodations for more than a year without major unrest?

Yes, New Orleans is down, and people here still need help picking up the pieces. The help is coming from some great people around the country who still "get it." But the message we're getting from the White House is, "From where we stand, it looks like everything's just fine. We'll call you the next time we need your campaign donations."

As New Orleans goes, so goes the rest of the nation.

Tags: Hurricane Katrina | Katrina | New Orleans | Louisiana | America's Wetland | Bush is a moron | Impeach Bush | George W Bush | Bush | Worst President Ever | Ray Nagin | Worst Mayor Ever | Recall Ray Nagin | Rebuild New Orleans | We Are Not OK | Katrina Dissidents | Failure Is Not An Option | Katrina One Year Anniversary