I know the president is fair game when it comes to depicting satire and humor, but I was a little taken aback by the last cartoon showing the president's incompetence in the relief of New Orleans after Katrina.

Certainly Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco should have been included somewhere in this cartoon because the Democrats have controlled politics in Louisiana and New Orleans forever, and they should be held accountable for their actions, or lack thereof.

Crime, poverty and government dependence were all headed in the wrong direction under Nagin's leadership. Seventy-five percent of the students in the New Orleans school system were provided a government-subsidized free lunch.

Before Katrina, New Orleans was headed for the dubious distinction of murder capital of the world. This year it is closing in on that distinction again.

Certainly, President Bush does play some role in this failure, but when you have 1,000 school buses that could be used for transportation end up under water, I just can't blame the president.

Nagin is a pretty astute business person (or was before he became mayor) and should have been aware of possible disasters, particularly a levee breach, in terms of worst-case scenario.

Mayor Nagin has been re-elected and has a second chance to prove he can make New Orleans better than it was. The rebuilding process has been slow, and so has the cleanup.

Do we really want to rebuild homes in an area that will flood again in the next Category 5 hurricane? Let's pray the levees hold and the local government is better prepared to deal with the next hurricane. It can't do any worse, I hope!

Larry Townsend

Pinehurst