[Mb-civic] NY Times: Krugman - The Big Uneasy

[Mike Blaxill]

The Big Uneasy
    By Paul Krugman
    The New York Times
    Friday 23 September 2005

    Although Hurricane Katrina drowned much of
New Orleans, the damage to America's economic
infrastructure actually fell short of early
predictions. Of course, Rita may make up for
that.

    But Katrina did more than physical damage; it
was a blow to our self-image as a nation. Maybe
people will quickly forget the horrible scenes
from the Superdome, and the frustration of
wondering why no help had arrived, once cable TV
returns to nonstop coverage of missing white
women. But my guess is that Katrina's shock to
our sense of ourselves will persist for years.

    America's current state of mind reminds me of
the demoralized mood of late 1979, when a
confluence of events - double-digit inflation,
gas lines and the Iranian hostage crisis - led to
a national crisis of confidence.

click here for full text
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/092305N.shtml