WASHINGTON: Sources within the Bush Administration confirmed that the television show Extreme Makeover has been tasked with the reconstruction of New Orleans.

"We've been hammered for the lack of our emergency response capabilities in the wake of Katrina," said the Bush source, "but we're going to score lots of points with our 12 week reconstruction of New Orleans."

The reconstruction of the city will air over the 12 week period later this Fall.

"It is a privilege and an honor to be recognized for our abilities to reconstruct people's homes and lives," said a publicist for Extreme Makeover. "And it will be a real challenge to build 200,000 homes, offices and other buildings in the flooded city."

One million construction workers, and over 100,000 pieces of construction equipment will be mobilized for the effort.

"We will start by leveling everything that was damaged by the storm and the flooding, then burying the lower parts of the city with 20 feet of fill," said the Extreme Makeover spokesperson. "That way the rebuilt part of the city won't flood again."

Giant earthmoving equipment will be borrowed from strip mining companies in Appalachia to fill the lower portions of New Orleans.

Demolition and placement of the fill material is expected to commence as soon as all the people are removed from the flooded areas of the city, and the water is pumped out.

Houses that aren't badly damaged will be picked up and stored outside the city, and replanted once the fill, water and sewer lines, and new streets are completed.

SERIOUS COMMENTARY

IS AMERICAN GOVERNMENT MORALLY BANKRUPT?

"Where is the help?"

"Where was the food and water?"

"Where was the government?"

Katrina has exposed the devastating reality that the American people cannot trust government at the local, state and especially federal levels.

The basic purpose and function of government is "to protect the health, safety, welfare, lives and property of the people."

Government is imbued with what is legally known as the "police power" which means in extraordinary situations, government has the power to do whatever is necessary to protect the health, safety, welfare, lives and property of the people.

Every policeman and fireman takes an oath to protect the health, safety, welfare, lives and property of the people.

That is why they step into harm's way to do their job. They are "the oath people". And they take that oath very seriously.

But how about our leaders...our President, our Senators, our Congressmen, our Governors, our State Legislators, our Mayors, our City Councils?

All too often our political leadership has been more concerned about getting votes, granting favors, protecting business interests, sucking up to religious extremists, than protecting the health, safety, welfare, lives and property of the people.

How come the poor, the sick, and the aged were left behind in New Orleans to die?

Because a lot of our "leaders"  have not taken the oath.

To those morally bankrupt leaders some people are more important than others. It is, in their mind, the fault of the poor people that they didn't evacuate.

How come someone didn't grab every bus in Louisiana to help the poor, the sick, and the aged get out?

How come for all the boats that US government owns, they weren't on the scene the next day?

How come the National Guard wasn't mobilized the next day to protect the people of New Orleans?

How come people with little or no experience in emergency situation management get high ranking jobs managing emergencies?

Our governments are morally bankrupt, that's why.

We have government that is trying to bamboozle us into believing our health, safety, welfare, lives and property depends on issues like "intelligent design" being taught in our schools.

We have government that cut funding for protecting the New Orleans levee system.

And whose fault is that? Take a look in the mirror Americans.

We elected these spinmasters and special interest cronies.

We bought into the bamboozlement that our lives would be better if we cut taxes.

We gave the responsibility to protect our health, safety, welfare, lives and property to Republicans and Democrats alike who sell us out daily.

New Orleans is our wakeup call. Who are we...Americans?