if you can help drop her a line

the link to the original post is below:

Artiew you got it spot on when you said "When the richest nation on earth cant rebuild one of its cities, complete with public amenities, there is something very wrong here."

That's why the gardens have to beg on the net for donations of plants. The joy of being a "free market" society (as america claims to be) is that there is no government assistance for just about anything.

Massive public works projects in the US may have gotten a bad reputation in recent years because they always turn into massive money drains - a major reconstruction project of new highways, tunnels, and bridges in Boston ended up costing 7 times the original estimate. They also typically have more expensive problems after they get finished - some of the tunnels in Boston still leak. A lot of people now just assume that any public works project is going to end up costing much more than it is worth.

And using the word "gotten" signs you up for being a septic.....

You obviouslyu haven't got TV where you live - everyone around the world gets to see what hasn't been done in New Orleans - hundreds of thousands of houses still rotting inn mud.... tens of thousands of trailers sitting in depots all around the country waiting for the federal government to authorise the release to people who need them in New Orleans.

Darwin was wipred out by a cyclone in 1975 - I don't think we prevaricated and pontificated as much as the terrible USA government in supplying aid. New Orleans went for weeks without power - power was restored to darwin within a week.... I know there's a size difference between darwin and New Orleans, but no greater a proportion than the size of australia compared with the USA

"I just read your last email where you sent me the link to the AU Garden Web forum and I found it so interesting that I just had to reply back to you on my own personal take of the posters' opinions.

As far as the N.O. Botanical Gardens go and their request for replacement seeds and plants, that's a good thing, I suppose. It is a beautiful garden in the springtime and I've been there many times. But all the plants they want to replace are very common and easily available down here (once the plant nurseries get back on their feet which many have already). I'm wondering, tho, how these new plants and seeds are going to be cultivated and maintained without enough people to do it. I'm assuming that there are plenty of volunteers that can at this time. But I am wondering about that. The botanical gardens are located in City Park where they're trying to get FEMA trailers set up and the last I heard, lots of contractors from out of state as well as FEMA people are living in tents there. But that's not what's important anyway. I personally think that the botanical gardens aren't that important right now when you see so many desperate, homeless people that just need something to call a roof over there heads. And I'm an avid gardener myself.

I just have to address the posters who talked about us being the richest nation and we have such poor assistance. Well, you Aussie friends are right on the money. We poor taxpayers here have to take care of the big government as well as take care of those that won't work. All of us here in the US know that if the federal government builds anything, it's half-assed. A perfect example is the levee system in N.O. that broke and caused all the destruction and deaths. It wasn't Katrina that did it, it was the levees breaking. The federal army corp of engineers built those many many years ago and were substandard back then. The same army corp is repairing them right now and promise to be finished by June. They aren't making them any stronger, they're just patching them back to Cat. 3 hurricane protection. Well, I don't think they'd hold a Cat. 3 either and you saw what happened with a Cat. 4. N.O. would have been okay for the most part if the levees hadn't have broken.

Some posters on your forum mentioned not understanding why thousands of FEMA trailers are just sitting empty when so many need them. Aside from the unexcusable fact that FEMA is inept and doesn't know what the hell they're doing and nobody knows the answers from their office headquarters, I'll tell you why people don't have them. FEMA said they cannot and will not set up trailers unless there is proper water, sewer and utilities to hook up to. Well, the lights are still out in the majority of the devastated areas.

One poster talked about us being gas guzzling hogs and we are! After Katrina, gas at the pumps soared and you never saw so many SUV's and gas guzzling vehicles go up for sale and still are. We're one of the worst nations for excess and waste. But being born and raised and living in an oil-related industry all my life, I know there is plenty of oil to sustain our nation for a very long time without depending on foreign oil.

I just want our friends in Oz to know that a lot of innocent people down here are suffering needlessly because of our inept federal government and these are the good, honest people I'm talking about. If this storm had happened in NYC, the world wouldn't be hearing about the long time suffering of its people still.I really thank you for the link to the forum. I know most of the world hates us and I see why so many do. But the forum people are pretty much right on with their discussion and I know I'm one American that certainly appreciates any help they want to give this area. Ah, the kindness of strangers is the very best and we've already seen what they can do. It's so moving and awe-inspiring! It really puts my faith, personally, back in humanity."

Thank goodness I am a Australian and live here. The best Country on Earth till the Pollies ruin it...Cheers..MM.

I think it is a lovely idea to start the NO Bot gardens with donations from OZ. In my own little world, I love all the donations from people I have received, it makes me smile to think of all the people's good intentions that have gone into my garden. Its a lovely way to transfer love and care to people who are hurting. A garden is a special place where people can heal and relax and view beautiful images.

Of course the logistics of it all would have to be investigated.