It's no accident nor just pure incompetence that the victims of Katrina are still in need of help. Rather than it being a racial type issue,although it partly is I feel the powers that be,namely the insurance companies and lending institutions just don't want people moving back to a flood plane. Probably more economics at work here than racial prejudice or the evils of the Bush administration. Just my simple take on it.

"Demolishing homes in the Empire, from New Orleans to Gaza: Rachel Corrie knew that 'We Reap What We Sow'"
http://www.chycho.com/?q=Rachel_Corrie

also see:

"A People's Revolution in New Orleans - So begins the Civil War in the United States (video)"
http://bellaciao.org/en/spip.php?article16340

These are poor black people. Not "real" Americans, but "losers" the middle class despise. Nobody outside the US expected them to be treated fairly.

At the risk of sounding heartless, which I most certainly am not, I do not perceive an obligation on the federal government to make whole (in the material sense) everyone stricken by a natural disaster.

Also, there is no money.

Yes, you are heartless, 2blueday. There is plenty of money to help these people out and it should be spent doing that rather than messing up other countries thru stupid wars.

So is the unwillingness to help those displaced by Katrina return home racism or greed?

I am at a lost to figure out which it mostly is.

if this travesty of an administration had any shame,this katrina displacement could not have occured.and hell yes,it does make a difference that this is a wealthy nation in which the president's cronies,and acolytes abetted the disaster for personal,political,and ideological gain.we had politicians damned near thanking the flood for driving the unwanted residents out of the 9th ward,at long last.third world governments are strapped to handle routine situations.i'll never forget tom delay,and Babara bush commenting that being that being flooded out of house and home was kinda like a camping getaway from the humdrum same old same old.don't forget the campaign promises of the dems to fulfill the legal obligation to do some congressional oversight on all those unaccounted for fed relief and rehab funds-just because those who made them,like lieberman actually did forget.

"Federal officials deny that evacuees have received inadequate aid, noting that billions of dollars have been spent to house hurricane victims in apartments, trailers and other homes."

Federal officials failed to note, however, that most of this "aid" either disappeared into thin air or ended up in the pockets of Halliburton and Blackwater executives.

I repeat: there is no money. This country is operating at a mammoth deficit. How much more debt should be put on the shoulders of the taxpayers, and their children, grandchildren, etc?

There is also no money for the mammoth economic recovery plan Prez spoke of this morning?

Being realistic is apparently now defined as heartless.