I share Mr. Paulson's sympathy for the residents of Cobb County who were affected by the flood. But I take exception to his idea of raising taxes so the county can pay reparations to the flood victims.
A much better idea would be how Missy Owen addressed the matter. Ms. Owen, a counselor at Hayes Middle School, was concerned about a mobile home community in her school district that was hit hard by the flood.
She visited the neighborhood and witnessed home after home after home with piles of muddy carpet, furniture and clothes set out on the street. She spoke to several residents and asked them what their needs were. She sent out an e-mail to friends and parents, asking for donations and assistance with receiving and distributing the donations.
At 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, only six days after the flooding, scores of people in trucks, vans and SUVs showed up at the middle school, carrying baby furniture, mattresses, sofas, tables, chairs, clothing, bedding, towels, paper goods, cleaning supplies, food and water. Teachers, parents, and students from Kennesaw Mountain High School, Hayes Middle School and Pine Mountain Elementary pitched in and helped unload vehicles and load the goods onto moving trucks.
By 3 p.m. trucks had already started delivering the donations to the Castle Lake Mobile Home Community. The piles of donated goods were growing as large as the piles of ruined carpet and furniture. Volunteers dropped off the donations and residents came and got what they needed. Again, this happened less than one week after the initial disaster.
I challenge Mr. Paulsen to find a government of any size that can address a disaster with the same speed, efficiency and goodwill.
Mr. Paulsen's heart is in the right place. You called two friends and wrote a letter to the editor. Good for you. Blaming the engineers and the developers of Cobb County, plus denouncing the mortgage culture, blaming capitalism for shattering the American dream, and pressing for reparations is certainly one way to address the disaster.
But Ms. Owen's quick actions, along with an outpouring of support from a caring and charitable community, worked a lot better and faster. I bet the people of Castle Lake would agree.
Meg Daniel
Kennesaw
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