The Bus that Never Came

"Are the buses here yet?" This was said by an old woman sitting on the side of the road. She said this about a half hour before she was found dead in her seat, with the hot sun beating on her. Before she was pushed into a corner with the other dead bodies, her son pinned his contact information on her. He then went back to waiting for the buses that would save him and the crowd of thousands on the point of death. Without food, water, a bathroom, and with the smell of death and feces filling the air, he was waiting for a bus that never came.More than 1,500 people died in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. The media calls the event a tragedy. It is tragic that reporters were able to go in amongst the people to deliver heart wrenching reports of starvation and death. Tragic that camera crews were able to drudge through the devastation on the streets that only a month before had been bustling with the day to day activity of the same people who lay dying. Yet, agencies of the Federal government found it too dangerous to drop food and water from their planes. Why? The unholy mob of starving people prevented them. Never mind that they had guns and only had to hover above the crowds to bring them life saving supplies. These were a few of the same supplies that were dropped repeatedly in Iraq; while people below were shooting at them and stomping on the food in protest.
The government failed to protect the people from the disaster following Hurricane Katrina. People did not die because they were too stubborn to get out of town. They did not die from Hurricane force winds. They died because the Levees of New Orleans failed in over fifty places. These Levees should have been able to withstand Hurricane Katrina. People died because the government failed to protect its citizens from a flood caused by its own carelessness.The Federal Flood Protection Act of 1965 clearly shows that the government takes on the responsibility to protect citizens from floods. The measures they took by building levees failed impart to poor construction. Since an error was made on the part of the federal government, it is not unreasonable for the federal government to assume responsibility in reversing as much as possible the damage done due to its negligence.
Government assistance of providing food, water and shelter can hardly be considered unreasonable when it is such measly reparation for the cost of human suffering it has inflicted.

Corporate Responsibility

In order for a corporation to succeed, it must have a steady workforce to meet the demands of customers. This steady, uninterrupted service in turn creates the appearance of a fluid stable company in which customers can trust.
With so many other companies vying for the best employees to service their business, the art of employee retention is built on basic expectations of employees. Corporations can tip the balance in their favor of attracting the most qualified minds in the field by offering proper compensation, a safe work environment, and employee appreciation.
Paying an employee a competitive salary in their field prevents the company from losing talented contributors to their business success. An employee at Company Y that is assured that company X across the street is not offering similarly qualified peers a heavier paycheck with the benefits to match, is much more likely to stay focused on the job at hand with a smile. On the other hand, an underpaid employee will find every usually reasonable job task to be overly burdensome, since they are ‘not getting paid enough for this anyway’. The harbored resentment at the cheapskates who “expect me to do everything around here without acknowledging the contributions I have put into this slave ship” will no doubt show in the employee’s demeanor and drive away customers before the employee follows suit.
If as an employee, you have ever been in a situation where you felt the working conditions were unnecessarily unsafe, how long did it take you to start putting in your application elsewhere?
Keeping employees safe shows respect and care for them as people. While some jobs come with a natural and expected risk of injury, employers can offer security by providing adequate on the job injury compensation.
Employees want to feel that their efforts are appreciated and that they are a valued asset to the company. When praised in the forms of a bonus, raise, or even a proud word and smile, employees are given incentive to continue working at a level of corporate satisfaction. Furthermore, the employees will double their efforts when necessary to ensure their work continues to be valued by the company.
Employees, who know that their efforts are appreciated, begin to value the company outside of a paycheck. As they feel themselves to be major contributors to the company success, they will advertise for their corporation. While telling friends and family about the great products or services the company offers, they are feel they are in essence recommending themselves. This form of self advertisement flows easily and frequently from the lips of the appreciated employee and benefits the corporation tremendously.
A corporation advertises itself to potential customers every day through their employees. An corporation that makes sure employees are is satisfied with pay, feels secure in their work environment, and knows they are important to the corporation will not only ensure customers are kept, guarantee that more are drawn by the positive demeanor of employees.