do they realize that the more they can help the victims of Katrina with taxes or homes, the more loyal and very grateful tax paying citizens they will
have. Need money? They help and receive.

This is sad in general.

People have lost their possessions, lives, jobs, health, etc...& now, have to be in fear of having absolutely no place to potentially rebuild, at least for those who are attempting to stay.

Two years, at yearly intervals is nothing compared to how much had gone into what these people had &/or tried to have prior to Katrina.....this is like adding salt to a wound, insult to injury, & I would like to know what logically & realistically can be done to help those in this situation & others in any similar situation...

I can not believe that this is happening to these people. Does the county not have a heart?

The problem is the fact that in America, you NEVER own your home. Dont pay taxes and they will sell it for a song and a dance to somone else. I would like to see a persons primary residence (say below 500,000 or below in value)immune from seizure. Its all about the money though.

This is just unbelieveable. The government should step in and stop this. Where is the help for these poor people? How is this allowed? The greed is disgusting.
Jade Tucson ,Az

The county has a budget to meet, and those people should have had insurance. I for one am tired of picking up the bill on all the bad things that happen in the world. I'd rather keep the money in my pocket to pay for my kids education, and the insurance I have on my house to prevent me from suffering the same fate.

Only in America. The rich or Corp. Screw the rest " AS ALWAYS" And the local "GOV CO" Kisses the A__! of the ones that take advantage! The very ones that are to protect and can change the system. Screw the ones that need a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is surely sad. These people have worked for years to secure their property and belongings and our government has failed them because of a natural disaster. I was in Bay St. Louis as a FEMA contractor for nearly 5 months...as of today, my company still has not been paid for the right-of-way clean-up that we performed. I gave over $2,000.00 to people out of my own pocket that were stranded and homeless. Please send me an email if you know of someone who needs help. Thank You.

I sent this too "Thomas in Salt Lake". Maybe you would be interested.
The insurance companies have refused to pay for their losses! They have hung
their hat on loopholes and crooked "appraisers" who have blamed everything
on "water damage" when the wind was the real culprit. I will bet you, you
don't have flood insurance on your house? If you do you are very wealthy.
Flood ins. is very expensive and in most states the government underwrites
it. So you "taxpayer" loose either way.
Why do we have a government if it doesn't help people? What do your taxes
pay for? Police? Welfare? what?
Governments are supposed to "promote the general welfare and provide for the
common defense of the people". I didn't make this up. It is part of the
preamble to our constitution.
Well, what do you think now? Still feel the same after I have acquainted you
with the real facts? I hope not.
sincerely,
Bob

If you read the whole article you will notice that the majority will not lose their homes they still get to live in their homes and have 2 years to pay their taxes, in the mean time the county gets the money they need to rebuild and improve on the county these people live in.

People potentially losing their homes due to tax liens...meanwhile, of some $110 billion allocated for Katrina relief, only $44 billion has been distributed.

What did that story say? Hancock country expects to gain a measly $1.2 million?

C'mon, feds...for crying out loud. You can't cut a check to Hancock county to spare those people more heartache?

I mean, that is like 0.0019% of the missing $66 billion...some bank somewhere is probably earning that much interest in a day off of Katrina funds they are "temporarily" holding...

Why is it so easy to spend money on whim for war, and other third world countries when we're allowing this to happen on American soil? If the gulf states were a forein country that we bombed, they would already have more money and assistance from the US government to pay for the rebuild!!

Almost time to toss the tea into the bay again isn't it?

TO Thomas in Salt Lake City - Most of these people HAD insurance. My daughter, who lives in Waveland, had a hurricane policy, a homeowners policy and an extra wind policy. She was told by her mortgage company and her insurance broker that getting flood coverage would be a waste of money because in the past 100 years her neighborhood had never suffered any water damage unless it was from a roof blowing off. The Federal Flood Maps have been redrawn since Katrina and her house STILL IS NOT IN THE FLOOD PLAIN!

None of her insurance has paid off on anything. They gutted their entire house, threw out all of their belongings and used loans from parents and grandparents to rebuild to the point where they can at least live inside the unfinished house.

Please, before you condemn people try to educate yourself. You might read the segment on this site called "Schools Study Subtraction" in case you're still upset that your tax money is going for worthless causes. Our President has recently promised hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild schools in Lebanon while our own children suffer and are given pep talks about how things have improved. Just because there aren't dead bodies in their street anymore doesn't mean that life is rosy.

Ahhh.... Good ole' America, land of the free*...

* Section 4.273(1) of the U.S. gibberish code defines "free" as running a rat-wheel for the rest of your life. Should you not respond to each and every piece of gov't mail (regardless of whether you actually received it or not), Uncle Sam hereby reserves the right to take any possessions that you may have worked your entire life for.

Should you contest any notice or amount owed, pay the amount anyways, regardless of whether you have it, even though it's most likely wrong, and fill out form 82.a98.28b and wait 6-12 months for a response. If you don't receive a response, assume your request was denied. Should you receive a response, you have 5 business days to respond or your case will be dismissed, and an additional $500 fine will be levied against you for wasting our form-generating computer's time.

---

Just a note, I'm not affected by Katrina (directly anyway), but it's ridiculous. Why in the world can the gov't take your family's *paid off* home? If I'm not correct, our DMV fees pay for the roads to it, I certainly paid for every square inch of my property, and I pay monthly to cover electricity, water, sewage, etc, etc, etc. Man, I'd love to own the business (agency, bureau, etc, etc.) reaping those revenues... Wait... I can! Simply brown-nose my way up the political ladder!

It's just a shame that people have to go through this. The Gov. and Bush keeps saying we are going to do this and do that and still nothing happens. All all that money they say tey have spent has only gone to the rich corps of the U.S.
Hancock and Harrison does not mention how much money they have received for the counties. So why go after these people. But are the article says most of the bidders were from Corp. America. Like someone else said, "The Rich Get Richer off the backs of the poor". I also was effected by Katrina but not like the coast was. And the person who spoke about forms. I did have that problem. Trying to get my disability. Social Sec. office which was in Gulfport said they sent my notice out 3 days before Katrina, I did not received it and we did not received any mail until the middle of October. The appeal time past 5 days before I got the notice. I askd them to reconsider and even though their building was severely damaged by the storm, they took the stand the my appeal time has pasted and I would have to start the process all over again. That means the 9 months of dealing with them is gone and will have to wait now after starting over again by their letter 90 - 120 days before I came even get a appointmnet to finish the application process.
As yes se spend too much money of other countries and not enought at home. I think Mississippi and Louisiana should declair themself independent countries and then we can start receiving all that foreign aid they we so generously give to other countires.

Most definitely those victimized by Katrina deserve our help and ongoing support. As Americans I think we sometimes expect too much of our government. The tax burden which would be created if govenment was large enough to respond immediately to each and every humanitarian need is more than most Americans would be willing to pay. It is the govenment's responsibility to verify the claims submitted for payment and invoices for services performed as protection against fraud. Unfortunately in a disaster the magnitude of Katrina doing so is time consuming, yet still necessary. Pleas for more government isn't the answer.
The answer lies with each American individually. Each of us must do what we can to help. And corporations have the same responsibility to the populations of the affected communities where their customers have been so tragically hurt. Working together through donations of time, money or other resources is the most efficient answer to helping those affected by Katrina rebuild their lives.
Expecting our govenment to carry the entire burden is to abbrogate our responsibility to help our fellow man, our fellow American, in their time of need. Our govenment is limited by available manpower and resources collected from taxpayers. We, the people, are limited only by our resolve and concern for our fellow man.

NO HOME LEFT, NO FLOOD INSURANCE,BUSINESS GONE,NO FLOOD INSURANCE TOLD DIDNT NEED FLOOD INSURANCE.
1 YEAR LATER NO GRANT MONEY YET FOR HOME. WHILE THE RENTERS GOT FREE TRAILERS AND CRUISE SHIPS. WAS TOLD WOULD GET RENTAL ASSISTANCE SINCE A TRAILER NEVER CAME. THEY DID CALL TO CHECK ON TRAILER THAT WE NEVER GOT, THATS NICE OF THEM. NO ASSISTANCE FOR BUSINESS BECAUSE NOW IT HAS TO BE RAISED 14 FEET TRY WORKING ON CARS UP THERE. USELESS PROPERTY NOW!!! DEAL WITH THAT MR. SALT LAKE CITY.

Another reader complained about how some of the federal money earmarked for rebuilding should be spent to ease the property tax burden for those in trouble. There is one problem with that: if the federal government is not distributing funds, then the county still has to get the money somewhere. How would you expect them to get the money? Civil government is expensive in the best of times, and more so in these worst of times. Although far from perfect or ideal, at least the system gives people the chance to pay off the debt. By the way, state DMVs only pay for certain roads; others are paid for by local governments who must create the cash flow somewhere. Other property taxes go towards schools and civil oversight of the very companies we pay our utility bills too. We are literally paying for the privilege of protection and oversight of inspectors and lawmakers who want to keep things running smoothly and safely. It is a hard pill to swallow, but it must be swallowed.

For a Government to do this is a disgrace.

There is nothing unusual about a tax lien sale. It happens every year in every community in this country. To avoid the sale all you have to do is pay your property tax on time. As the article stated only 20 percent of the sales are expected to be Katrina related. That means the other 80 percent just forgot to pay the taxes or for whatever reason just didn't pay them. The people are not losing their property. Not yet anyway. They have a full 2 years to catch up the payments before the investor who purchased the lien gains title to the land. Most will not lose anything. It's really not a big deal. I've forgotten to pay mine before and my aunt called me when she saw my name in the listing and I went down and paid the taxes and interest. No problem. This article is nothing more than alarmist and misleading. If you don't pay your taxes on your property where ever you live the same process will happen to you. It's not just a Hancock county MS thing. Just pay your taxes on time and there is no issue.

Dear Jhon Doe:
I am a social worker who does a lot of work w/ social security and other state and federal programs to advocate for older adults and people with disabilities and families. I should tell you that under Bush II, there has been a lot less persoanl compassion by federal and state employees to make the system work for those in need or those have are due entitlements, even in Massachusetts.
If our national organization NASW had formed an army of advocates to come south and help with these problems--how would we have found you to advocate for you when you needed it most to prevent all this delay?

I am curious, so we as advocates can do a better job in the aftermath of disasters.

A lot of folks simply left. Let the county have a slab. When insurance won't pay, you don't have enough savings, what do you do? LEAVE unfortonally. " When You Got Nothing, You Got Nothing To Lose".....very sad but true.

I think that it is absolutely amazing how much effort and time is being invested into a losing battle..... Insurance companies are in the business of essentially gambling or gaming. They hawk their goods like a Carny "step right up and win the little lady a PRIZE!!!" when the game is really rigged no matter how good you are. I have homeowner's insurance, flood insurance, wind damage insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, auto insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, unemployment insurance, and let's see..... I used my dental insurance this year to pay the first 1/3 of my annual check up because that's all they covered! Other than that, I just "lost" my money because I didn't "win the prize" or have a need to collect (thank God). It's a losing battle, and it won't change until the completely out of touch ultra rich upper class of our society is voted out of office and the corporate/ governmental intimate relationship is broken apart. Strange bedfellows, lawyers, politicians, and CEO's but they all play by rules that don't apply to the working class. Meanwhile, don't gripe about a tax sale that you can't change, gripe about the lawmakers that make the rules and profit from other people's misfortune. BTW, how much of that $1.2 Million is used to pay their salaries and fund their pension plans? Just asking. A wise man said "you can't win every battle, pick the battles that will let you win the war." I feel the best battle is one that will install new leaders with the enthusiasm and exuberance of youthful idealism like our founding fathers demonstrated centuries ago for an infant Nation. Fight them on their own ground, support grass roots candidates, not the rich established political machine. Thanks for reading this far, and good luck on OUR future.

I agree with most of what I have read above, with the exception of Tom in Utah, who may never know what it is like to truly loose everything you have ever worked for, or been given as a gift. I only hope you never have to know how it feels to first loose your house, and belongings, then find out now you may never be able to move back because you now oew back taxes on a property that you haven't been able to live in for over a year.

If only there were as much oil off the coast of Biloxi/Gulfport/New Orleans (where actually there is some but not as much) as is in the Middle East - you'd see s ton of federal dollars being spent there, then!

I don't live in a flood area, so no, I don't have flood insurance. If I lived in an area 10 feet below sea level, you can bet I would. I do live in an area that may be hit by earthquakes, and yes I have earthquake insurance. I don't think the U.S. should be paying to rebuild anything in Lebanon, and as far as I'm concerned, we shouldn't pay to rebuild anything in New Orleans either. If you live on the coast in range of a hurricane, you're in a potential flood plain. I know the government underwrites the flood insurance, but that doesn't mean that we should pay out on people to DID NOT CARRY IT. By your logic, I should just cancel all the insurance I have on my house, cars, life, my medical insurance, everything... when something bad happens, let the government bail me and my family out. While I'm at it, I could just stop saving for retirement, let the government take care of me. I'm tired of paying my taxes to see it wasted on support for foreign countries, large corporations, and people in this country who are too lazy to work, or who didn't think about covering themselves in case of a natural disaster.

If you READ the article it clearly states the the owner has 2 YEARS to pay off the tax bill. The property owner can also continue to live on the property for 2 YEARS! No one is losing their property to the evil profiteers, lol!

I see a lot of discontent in the messages here. Here lays the fault we vote these crooked skimming son of a dogs in every voting oppurtunity. We don't research we vote what 3% of the richest people tell us we need to do. Evil prevails when honest people do nothing. Our political leaders are so corrupt it is a matter of everyday business to us. We live in a country that spends more money then we have income year after year. It's accepted as policy. We spent enough on the war it could of payed the projected short comings of SSI down. They ransack SSI and we all stand around. We all are part of the problem. How much of the money alloted for the hurricanes victims do you actually think will reach the hands of people who need it. One scheme after another. All this to say next time you vote think about what your voting for. Its not the person it's the platform. We need a business man not a politician to start cleaning up this mess. Even local Govn't it has to start somewhere.

Thomas in Salt lake City - you are not paying attention. We aren't 10 feet below sea level! We are sitting on the highest piece of land on the entire Gulf Coast. My home was over one hundred years old and hadn't had water in it, even during Camille. A year ago today, it was washed away by Katrina. My daughter's home in Pass Christian was raised 14 feet high on concrete pillars - they found bits and pieces of it more than half a mile away. Like so many, you are conflating two different disasters - the natural one that hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the man-made one that destroyed New Orleans.

Do we live in AMERICA or somewhere else?

Sherry... while I agree it is tragic that people lost their homes, I don't feel that it is the governments responsibility to cover their losses. I don't have a problem with the government helping out with the evacuation, and temporary housing, but we should not just give tax payer money to people to compensate them for their losses (if we forgive the taxes owed, that's what it would be). If we start doing that, it will never end. My neighbors house burned down 2 years ago... it had never burned down before, and was 55 years old... nobody paid them for their losses. Now you might argue that it's not the same thing, but you would be wrong... it is. It doesn't matter how long your house sat there without flooding, and that a once in a century storm blew your house down; I still shouldn't have to pay for it. Like I said before, if you live on the coast in range of a hurricane, you should anticipate that one in a hundred shot.

If I had lived in the year 1840 (for example) and went around saying something like, "If the blacks are unhappy with their current conditions, they should have anticipated their capture back in Africa and not gotten caught.".....I'd be an a**hole.

Please just READ the article. Nobody's losing their land or homes because they cannot pay the taxes! This is not any different than any tax auction that happens in every county in every state in the US. People are showing up at these tax auctions with the misconception that they can bid on tax-delinquent properties and snatch them up for the taxes owed, and that's not how it works! The landowners with delinquent taxes are having their property taxes paid; the county is getting the money it needs to operate by having the taxes paid; and the people paying the taxes are making money on interest. The landowner is getting two years to pay the delinquent tax bill before losing his property even becomes a possibility. Very few properties ever change hands in this way. Two years is plenty of time to get one's finances in order to secure the funding necessary to pay the tax bill. The tax bill yields to no man. Everyone has to pay their taxes, period. The images of heartless tax collectors evicting helpless families and crying children into the streets to fend for themselves is a false perception.

To Thomas,
For a man that is surrounded by 4 corners of land with a great lake in the middle of course you would take that stance, lets hope one day severe rain storms dont flood that little lake near your city and flood you out, or a severe snow storm. But in the meantime, as someone has said, these people are hard working people who have their own little piece of the American dream and that is their home. Some can afford to pay the insurance and some cannot. But if you read above you will see that most of them have the insurance, but of course the insurance company main mission is to make money not pay out money, so they will do what they can to not pay these people for the damage to their homes. And they paid their premiums like they were suppose to , but now the company says sorry cant help you, so of course they are going to turn to their government to help. Now you are worried about your tax dollars helping them, but about your tax dollars being spent sending men to a country for oil? I guess that is okay. I pray that no natural disaster ever comes your way, because then those of us trying to get you to see the other picture will just reiterate your words to your face and walk away and leave you to the ruins of your home.

Get up off that chair, and go help!!!!! Our top politicians are placed by the voters, every election. Between times what are you prepared to do to change the situation. The people vote with a ballot AND a dollar. If corporate greed is the problem in disaster areas, don't buy their products. And don't use distance as an excuse, there are volunteer programs within your community and people that need help

Thomas, in Salt Lake. You really should enroll in a reading comprehension course. This whole series on Rising from Ruin is about Waveland and Bay St. Louis MS. It is NOT about NOLA. Your are either really confused geographically or do not comprehend what you are reading. Nowhere on the MS coast is below sea level. And the article makes no mention of a govt. handout to anybody. It's about a tax lien sale that happens every year in every community in this country. I think you are posting your rhetoric on the wrong comment board.

Thomas, I do see your point and I think that you have a valid point. But it's easy to say in hindsight that everyone who flooded should have had flood insurance.

In my view, part of the problem is the "100 year storm". Katrina was not a 100-year storm. But prior to Katrina, there were two factors that determined if you needed flood insurance - did you flood during Camille? Are you in a flood zone? If the answer to both questions was no, then you did not need flood insurance.

If the question had been phrased differently and if people understood what the flood zones represented, I think more people would have had flood insurance. Most people were under the assumption that if you weren't in a flood zone, then you wouldn't flood.

Granted, each of us has the responsibility to have understood this and to have made a sound decision, but we are like everyone else - jobs, kids, busy lives - and when the insurance agent recommends against getting the extra insurance then we trust his recommendation because he deals with it every day. And in defense of the insurance agents, many of them also flooded and probably many of those also didn't have flood insurance.

It's not so much a question of what to do with the results of this storm, but what to do with the rest of the country. How many people outside of LA & MS learned from our mistakes? I am afraid that it is a very small number.

I read through most of these comments and must say that so many of you have good, valid points. With regard to flood insurance and flood zones, it just wasn't necessary to have it. I live in flood zone c in Hancock county and do not have it, probably won't get it. During the storm I think I was on the island high point of homes that did not flood in Diamonhead. I hope the tax revenues do the county some good. Our schools are missing teachers and band directors; our law enforcement agencies (in all the coastal counties) are in trailers and other temporary operating facilities and on the whole are inadequate at best. Today there is still almost nothing to go to or do in Hancock county. Crime is up and a very high percentage of arrests are a result of out siders "looking for work". I truly hope that these people don't loose their homes to a tax lien. That would be sad. We also can't just stop living. Thank god for Wal Mart. They opened a few days before Thanksgiving last year and man was it nice to have groceries close by. I just wish the rest of Bay and Waveland had the resources to do the same.

I agree with you Dennis, people keep voting these people into office without thinking about the real issues. People get distracted by hot button issues and don't think about what is happening to there little piece of the world. More and More people are slowly waking up to the fact that all of these promises that where quoted to them from politicians where just broken.

Tom in Utah, the Mississippi Coast is not where New Orleans is located. You are speaking of New Orleans. Bay St. Louis and Waveland are in the state of Mississippi on the Gulf Coast. New Orleans is in the state of Louisiana and is not on the Gulf Coast. The state of Louisiana is a Gulf Coast State, but the city of New Orleans is not on the Gulf Coast. New Orleans is a port on the Mississippi River, not the Gulf. New Orleans is below sea level, but the Mississippi state Coast is well above sea level. Honestly, why don't people like you invest in a course on geography. You can find one online, I'll bet.

Thomas from Salt Lake City says that he doesn;t have
flood insurance because he doesn't live in a flood plain.

He just made the same mistake as anyone who lived in Flood Zone C in Hancock County made if they didn't have flood insurance. They didn't live in a flood plain either, at least as defined (prestorm) by FEMA and the insurance companies.

It's an easy mistake to make, isn't it, Thomas from
Salt Lake City.

I lived in Flood Zone C in Bay Saint Louis, and got flood insurance anyway. Thank the deity of your choice. Outside of the government's underwrtiting of the flood insurance program, I don't have my hand in the wallet of the man known as Thomas from Salt Lake City.

And now I live somewhere else and also have flood insurance even though I dn not need it, thereby insuring that I do not unduly have my grubby paws in the pockets of Thomas from Salt Lake City.

Now Thomas from Salt Lake City does not have flood insurance, because he doesn't live in a flood plain, just like I didn't live in a flood plain, and just as I continue not living in a flood plain.

But _I_ have flood insurance.

Maybe Thomas from Salt Lake City should get some, so as to keep his high horse from tumbling. After all, if there's a flash flood in Salt Lake City, I would hate to read how Thomas from Salt Lake City lost everything and had no chance to recoup his losses. I wouldn't want to see his hands in my wallet, nothing
personal you understand.

Kick you while you are down --- is the new motto of the U.S. Government? Our founding fathers are spinning in their graves. Our country deserves God's severe judgement for our greed, selfishness and allowing the government to become our master instead of our servant. See the United States Constitution! Note who is supposed to be in charge ---- WE THE PEOPLE

Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Jane from Southern Mississippi--You go girl!
My heart is sick for the victims of Katrina. I can't believe that there are still some who are trying to profit from all this. What ever happened to 'Be The Change You Want to See? it is going to take a long time for this to heal.

Katrina Victims--Keep Strong Still. There is some god that came from all this maybe we just haven't seen it yet. :)

By the way, Thomas in Salt Lake, you say that "this country has a budget to meet". Where the heck have you been? Any budget and fiscal responsibility that we had has been blown out the window and we are now billions of dollars in debt because of money thrown away in foreign countries and on unnecessary wars. That doesn't seem to bother you but using tax dollars to maintain and support our own country does.

And I'd like to add my support to the suggestions above that you get yourself some flood insurance. I live about 50 miles south of you and know for a fact that floods and mudslides are rather common in Utah.

If I could go back to the original article about the Tax Sale in Hancock County MS, the 80% of the properties listed are not a result of Katrina. If you ask the people in the Tax Collectors office you will probably find that a large number of those 80% are listed every year, the fact is a number of taxpayers stay 1 year behind on their taxes, rarley do they even get to the second year.
We demand quality schools, decent roads, great police and fire protection, taxes are how government fund those projects. In Mississippi property taxes are a part of the budget, like it or not it is a fact of life, but no matter where you live you have to pay taxes to cover those costs.
The law says you have to pay, I know it would be great if those Katrina affected properties could get a pass this year but there is not anything in the law that will allow for that.
There is also nothing in the law that says the property owner has to be the one to pay the bill. If anyone really wants to help you could contact the Tax Collectors office in Hancock County and offer to pay the taxes for someone that has lost every thing to this storm. You may be surprised to see how little some of these tax bills are.

There is something I do not understand about the value of real estate here in the wake of a natural disaster. Is the property valued at the pre-storm rate or is it reassested at post-storm value? What was the worth September 1, 2005? And what about the services that tax goes to fund? Are they restored?

God bless those of you having to rebuild your lives.

It varies by county - in Hancock county (where Waveland is), the damaged/destroyed properties were reassessed to post-storm value (I'm not sure if the taxes were prorated). I believe that undamaged properties are the same, despite their increased post-storm value.

As for services - between losses of property and sales taxes, not to mention loss of county/city property (buildings, vehicles, equipment), I don't think many services have been restored.

Interestingly, in Harrison County we paid full taxes through August, and then we were not taxed on any property loss not covered by insurance. So, since I had flood insurance and was paid for my losses, I had to pay full taxes on my slab. This year's taxes should be just for the property and should not include the house.

Between this article and the many posts, one thing is clear--much help is still needed in Hancock County, the rest of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the rest of the areas pummelled by Katrina and Rita.

Even though owners whose property is sold to collect taxes have 2 years to pay the back taxes and reclaim the property, it seems that this would be difficult to do in the aftermath of a massive disaster in which not only have you lost your home and other possessions but also a job because your workplace was destroyed as well, and perhaps even if you were able to find a new job it might not pay as well as the previous one. So I wonder how many will afford to buy back their properties?

Anyway, it's time not only for everyone living and struggling to rebuild on the Gulf Coast and in other areas affected by Katrina and Rita, but also everyone else who wants to see them recover and bring their communities back, to let MSNBC know they want both MSNBC's Gulf Coast News coverage and the regular reports and updates on Rising from Ruin brought back.

While they may be old news to lesser Americans including members of the Bush Administration, Congress, and the mainstream media, the storms and the recovery effort should not be allowed to completely fade from America's consciousness. And survivors must not be forgotten.

Take a look at the Bush Administration, which seems to feel that $110 billion, much of which is tied up in bureaucracy, should be enough for the Gulf Coast. While anybody who reads these reports or posts from people on the ground in the area or coverage in area newspapers' websites knows nothing could be further from the truth.

We must let MSNBC know that the recovery effort is still NEWS, that life in the storm zone ISN'T O.K. or back to normal, and that much more help is needed if the region is to fully recover. And demand that MSNBC bring the regular coverage on Rising from Ruin back.

Here's another spin on how the Fed's $110 Billion is going towards the ravaged Gulf Coast. I used to work for the Army Corps of Engineers and was deployed to Keesler AFB in Biloxi for 30 days. Now understand I was not an actual Government employee but rather a contractor providing direct IT support services. Anyway the funding Bush proposed for the LA/MS coast recovery effort not only , I firmly believe, was intended to directly affect both the residents (either displaced or otherwise), the sub-contractors for debris removal, ROW clearing and the like. But also the government employee's salaries while being deployed. Each and every gov employee was on a 7 day a week, 12 hours a day work schedule. Now for the average USACE fed that pulls about 55K per year.. think about how that adds up. As well as their pensions and expenses. While I was there I saw fed workers who were being setup in condos that were being billed to the gov at over $200 per day. Granted there weren't many hotels open at that time and the FEMA contractors took a large percentage of those, (Beau Rivage). Certainly those people who were able to stay in, what I would call, luxury 2-3 bedroom suites could have been just as comfortable in a FEMA trailors...especially since so many sat unused in fields (outside Hope, AR and south of Hattiesburg, MS to name a few). Honestly it wouldn't have mattered to me either way although for the record I was housed on base. But we weren't there to be comfortable, we were there for a job.

Then not to mention all the debris truck drivers that tried to cheat the system, which required more people employed to audit them. And actually there are still quite a number of USACE personnel deployed to the coast that are still trying to resolve invoices. I know of roughly 15 people that that is all they have been doing for the past few months. Inputting and in some cases, auditting invoices.

While I'm not the biggest fan of the federal government with all it's waste and excess. Some of you need to realize the scope of this disaster other than what you saw on Fox News, or Yahoo! bulletins. This was the single largest disaster our country has ever faced. The feds were not prepared for something of this magnitude. So of course there would be shortcomings, wrongings, and stuff that appears to have been just plain wrong. Crooked people exist everywhere just like idiots and opinions. But as a few of the other posters above said.. Only we the people can change that. And what are the suggestions? Elections?, informally banned trade with certain companys? Or revolution?

Will we do it? Any of it? Probably not. People fear change and the unknown.

I HAVE DRIVEN THROUGH THESE AREAS BEFORE AND AFTER THE STORMS.I AM SURPRISED THAT THERE IS ONLY A 20% INCREASE IN THE TAX SALES. THESE TAX SALES HAPPEN ALL THROUGH THE COUNTRY IN EVERY COUNTY AND VERY FEW HOMES EVER CHANGE HAND.IN FACT,A LOT OF HOMEOWNERS WITH MULITPLE PROPERTIES USE THE PROCESS TO DELAY PAYING THEIR TAXES BECAUSE THEY KNOW HOW THE SALES WORK.THE COUNTIES GET THEIR MONEY,THE INVESTOR WHO BUYS THE DEBT GET THEIR RETURN AND THE HOMEOWNER WHO IS SMART PAYS OFF THE SAME DEBT.YES THERE SHOULD BE SOMETHING DONE WITH THESE INSURANCE COMPANIES SOONER RATHER THAN LATER BUT THESE COUNTIES NEED THE MONEY FOR SERVICES.IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE WAY THEY CONDUCT LOCAL BUSINESS.VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE.