> >
> > > many commercial contractors scoured the astrodome as well as the superdome with job propositions. Obviously the people who went and got jobs on their own were not included in my comment. And getting these jobs would automatically exclude from the need-based welfare checks. 100percent were declined. This all seemed pretty obvious to me, which is why i didn't mention any of it.
> >
> > I've tried searching for any news or opinion articles that mention this. I can find no evidence that these contractors ever offered jobs, let alone that "100percent were declined". Can you provide a source for these claims?
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> > wintermute
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> my father is a contractor in the houston area. i suppose i am not able to offer conclusive written evidence, however, http://www.jobsearch.org/hurricanejobs/ shows that there are 50,000+ jobs available and the URL which i have linked shows a dramatic decreased in employement. It is happening, just because the news and internet isn't saying something doesn't mean that it isn't a problem. I've been to the relief sights. along with many of my family, friends, and co-workers. the aid is there, the money is there, but the will is not there.

I don't think that the link you provided supports your position. In fact, it makes it very clear that the increase in unemployment in the aftermath of Katrina is far lower than was expected, and that the uptake of new jobs was higher than had been predicted.

Obviously, when an entire city is destroyed, and every employer within 50 miles is shut down, then there's bound to be a massive increase in unemployment. If anything, the increase in unemployment rates has more do do with the ability of employers to create new jobs than with the desire of individuals to take new jobs.

As for the construction sector, specifically, I can understand why refugees might choose avoid such work. I myself am of average strength (at best) and don't have great coordination. I would be more of a liability than a help on a construction site, and if such work involved living in a portakabin in a drowned city with no amenities, in which I had seen friends and neighbours die, I think I would almost certainly move elsewhere and look for work I was better qualified for. Clearly, such a line of logic doesn't apply to everyone, but just because a given sector is under-manned, it doesn't neccessarily mean that everyone is going onto welfare instead. Certainly not when the EPI is expressing suprise at how quickly employment levels are normalising...

> this is not the reason for my initial post, however. all i was trying to say was, i believe that it was not such a bad comment to say "i cried less when my son died" because i believe that people, in an attempt to give themselves purpose or to attract attention to themselves, display excessive emotion over events that do not directly affect them... i think. now i can't even remember because of the absurd amount of off-topic inquisitions that my post generated.

Well, you were the one who made the allegation (without reference to anything previously in the thread) that 100% of Katrina refugees would rather live on government handouts than get a job. I don't think it's exactly an off-topic inquisition to ask you to provide evidence to support that claim.