Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois), and a conservative columnist from Connecticut, suggested today that New Orleans was not worth rebuilding, suggesting: “,if the people of New Orleans and other low-lying areas insist on living in harm’s way, they ought to accept responsibility for what happens to them and their property.”

Better yet, why stop there.

Shame on the folks in the northeast for living in an area prone to winter storms. NO disaster assistance for you! Shame on the folks in the plains states for living in an area prone to tornados. NO disaster assistance for you! Shame on the folks in the world’s large cities for living in an area attractive to terrorists. NO disaster assistance for you! While we’re at it, screw all you people in need. We’re pretty sure you had it coming to you for some reason.

Maybe our elected officials should spend more time thinking about how they could have responded better – or hell, responded at all, instead of trying to pin all of this on the victims. It’s awfully easy to blame someone who can’t fight back at the moment, isn’t it?