Allstate Wins, New Orleans Keeps on Losing

Two things weigh heavily on my mind this morning. First, a student reminded me that Allstate is based in Northbrook/Chicago. So my corporate nemesis will root for their team in the Superbowl while we prepare to gut our house now 17 months after it flooded. Allstate employees were probably among the Bears fans who threw snowballs and beers at Saints fans last Sunday and shouted Katrina related insults. Second, not one mention was made of Katrina and the Gulf Coast in last night's State of the Union Address. Not one! That is hard for me to believe. Of the many words about Iraq, Bush said "The great question of our day is whether America will help men and women in the Middle East." And so we learn about priorities. Webb's Democratic Response had only a brief mention, saying the Democratic Party hoped this administration would address "such domestic priorities as restoring the vitality of the great city of New Orleans." Last year I was shocked at how little was said, but at least Bush said the words "New Orleans." Come to think of it, he said "In New Orleans and in other places, many of our fellow citizens have felt excluded from the promise of our country." I feel more excluded today than I felt last year. If Louisiana is not part of the union, please let us know, so we can formally secede.