using katrina

In the wake of 9/11, the Bush administration knew it had an opportunity to push though an agenda that, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t have gotten through Congress and by the American people. They took advantage of that fact and set in motion a series of initiatives, like the war in Iraq, that had been on the “dream list” of conservative extremists for over a decade… And, in the process, they learned something very valuable — Tragedies in America don’t have to be tragedies for everyone.

“In times of tragedy, never stop thinking about the wealthy individuals who keep your campaign coffers filled.”

So, it wasn’t too much of a surprise to me when I began hearing that, in the wake of Katrina, the legislative envelope was being pushed a bit further, and not just in relation to the billion-dollar contracts being handed to friends of the administration… First, it was the news that wages would be rolled back in the area affected by the hurricane. Then, there was news that Republican Senators were looking for wealthy casualties of the hurricane to help them make the case for the permanent repeal of the Estate Tax. Then, this morning, Daniel Shore mentioned on NPR that there was talk of making the entire Gulf region a flat-tax zone as part of the Hurricane Katrina Tax Relief Act of 2005. I haven’t had a chance to do the research yet, but I suspect there’s also going to be more of a move toward school vouchers in the area, more tax money pumped into so-called “faith based” initiatives, lessened environmental laws, fewer worker protections, and fewer restrictions on corporations.

What we’re about to see unfold in the Gulf region is nothing less than a Neocon wet dream come to life.