War, Tax Cuts and Budget Cuts

I live in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area on the Texas Gulf Coast. This area is protected by a seawall that is supposed to be capable of holding back the surge from a category 3 hurricane. After seeing what happened to New Orleans this week, I am terrified of what might happen to me and my home. What is really concerning me are the items that I have heard in the news that the Bush Administration has diverted and delayed funds that were to be spent on the New Orleans levee system to fund the war in Iraq. I cannot say that any levee would have prevented the tragedy, but I keep thinking that New Orleans did not take a direct hit from Katrina. A significant amount of time passed after Katrina had hit before the levee failed.

I and probably most people do not keep a close enough eye on what our politicians are doing with funding. I do not know what is being done to improve and maintain the seawall in my area. I hate paying taxes as much as anybody, but we must maintain and improve the infrastructure of this country in order to prevent another tragedy.

Beaumont/Port Arthur has three major refineries, petrochemical plants and port facilities. The United States cannot afford to lose them.