The leeches created by Hurricane Katrina!

I just read on the Internet about a Hurricane Katrina evacuee who is getting the boot after living in a 3 Bedroom 2 story house rent-free for almost a year. According to the article, the 23 year old mother of 3, Keisha Moran, had been assisted in every way possible by members of the Church.

Moran had appeared upon the "Oprah Winfrey Show" to speak about the devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina. At the time of the show, she had been living in a tent in Mississippi and the church decided to open their arms to the family.

During the year she grew more and more dependent upon them, in which she had a clerical job that she ended up quitting because her boss lost his job. She later turned down several other job opportunities and decided to stay at home to take care of her children.

Now, I wonder how many more stories are out there about people such as Moran. Personally, I experienced helping and working with Hurricane Katrina victims from the 30th of August until the end of May 2006. Do not get me wrong, many people that I met and befriended were extremely grateful but there were other cases that I felt as if the evacuues felt as if everyone owed them something because of the devastation.

I realize that it must be very disheartening to lose everything, but I would like to think that I would have enough self-dignity to be able to pick myself and my family back up. I can think of one family in particular that the husband and the wife turned down job after job because none of the jobs they qualified for, were what they wanted to do. How pathetic? But they knew that they did not have to get a job because the local churches would provide for them. $3000 per month is what they received for assistance and not one of them truly wanted to better themselves. A year since the aftermath has almost gone by and it is time for these people to move on and start living life again. I just hope they do not depend upon people, government support, etc. for the rest of their life. Hopefully they will want to provide for themselves. Goes back to the entire, put your hand-up instead of your hand out.

I think Hurricane Katrina was a tragedy for the destruction it caused, but also for the Government Program leeches it created. These people, though not all, will feel as if they are owed something from here on out.

Obviously, New Orleans will never be the same or atleast not in my lifetime. It's amazing how the crime rates are starting to pick back up in New Orleans and the surrounding Parishes. I understand now why cities such as Houston, Texas were outraged with all the evacuues staying there. I saw stats the other day that suggested 59% of the crimes being committed are of people formerly living in the New Orleans and surrounding area. Who would've thought that?

In my opinion, people talk and joke about FEMA, but what about the people using Churches and their members for support? What is worse? Abuse the FEMA funds or abuse those people providing funds for support?