Barbara Bush just lost points with me!

[PrincessFiona]

BUSH MOM: EVERYONE WANTS TO MOVE TO TEXAS
Mon Sep 05 2005 19:52:02 ET

Former first lady and mother to President Bush said Monday that evacuees from New Orleans have found a home in Houston.


"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this (she chuckles slightly)--this is working very well for them."

huh? What was this about?

[Rapunzel]

She's rich and tactless basically. She may be right, but it's tactless and I'm surprised that she said that to the cameras - she's usually been a bit more politically adept in the past....

Jennifer

I believe that she said it on radio and there was a little more to the quote (not defending it, btw!):

Speaking of evacuees in the Astrodome, the former first lady told a reporter in Houston: "What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway. This is working very well for them."


I was sort of tracking with it being a potential issue that so many people want to stay in Houston. That is a lot of people, regardless of socio-economic status, for one city to absorb in such a short period of time. But the last 2 sentences.... ...oh my!

I saw and heard her say this on tv too....
The whole family is simply unbelievable.

I saw and heard her say this on tv too....
The whole family is simply unbelievable.

[PrincessFiona]

Nellie,

Thanks for pointing out that there was more to the quote. I've heard this one replayed as a basic sentence only.

My concern for the people coming to TX is that they rank so poorly in terms of their social 'welfare'.

[Meenah]

She is as big a PIG as her sons & husband. Need I state how I feel? Totally despicable (and I felt this way before Katrina).
Luanne

Holy cow! No tact or compassion whatsoever. Unbelievable.

Rumour has it that she is suffering from a mild form of dementia. One can hope.

Do you mean this quote?....

"Out of the rubble of [Sen.] Trent Lott's house--he's lost his entire house--there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." President Bush, referring to the Mississippi senator's loss during a tour of the Hurricane Katrina disaster area last week

Sort of a strange thing to say at a time like this! I guess that's what happens when the people who usually "corral" Bush are all on their summer vacations.

They need to hire Nancy Reagan.

Do you mean this quote?....

"Out of the rubble of [Sen.] Trent Lott's house--he's lost his entire house--there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." President Bush, referring to the Mississippi senator's loss during a tour of the Hurricane Katrina disaster area last week

Sort of a strange thing to say at a time like this! I guess that's what happens when the people who usually "corral" Bush are all on their summer vacations.

Maybe that's the Bushies plan. "We didn't neglect the levees, we just figured since you were all living in squalor and couldn't afford a demolition team, we'd wait for mother nature to take it's course and allow you good folks to rebuild bigger and better. What's that? You're not insured properly and you don't have anywhere to go in the meantime. Hmmmm. Well - Brownie is doing a great job down there. We'll make sure there's a crack for you to fall though. "

[samssugarmomma]

I understood her message quite differently.....

The people now living in our Astrodome now have access to things that they didn't neccessarily have before - a place to sleep with a roof, air conditioning, hot running water, medical care and three hot meals a day. Plus volunteers cooking and cleaning up after them and items donated that they may not have been able to afford in their previous life.

Yes, some of these are basic needs...and what happened was tragic.....but nonetheless....not all of the refugees had these before....

So....should people who were able to afford such things in the former life continue to receive them and those that did not have those things live in refugee areas without a/c, etc?

I would hazard a guess that for some (most?) people, they would rather have what they had before rather than be living in a refugee status......I'm sure there are some who will get used to it and would like to sponge (there always is at every social level) but I think the last part of her comment was out of line.

well put Nellie.