Yes, I feel better off

Republican candidates are asking, "Do you feel better off than you did four years ago?"

My God yes, but it didn't take four years. It only took one day. My sigh of relief on Jan. 20, 2009, the day after the Bush Administration vacated the White House, is still bouncing off walls at my house.

That day was like climbing the stairs from the storm cellar, flinging open the doors, and seeing beautiful clear blue sky above.

But the wreckage was monstrous. It looked like a national Hurricane Katrina, and that metaphor pops to mind because of President Bush's indifference to the New Orleans Hurricane Katrina, an indifference that has never left my mind. I hope and pray that this country never sees another administration with even the slightest similarity to the Bush years.

Today, four (almost) years later, I feel like the country is in the midst of the massive recovery, but the recovery is hindered by a FEMA-like entity staffed entirely by Republican representatives in Congress. I can literally see Mr. Bush being given a tour by House Speaker Mitch McConnell, and at the end, Mr. Bush says, "Mitchie, you're doing a heck of a job." But folks who are still under water continue to scream for help. We have to wonder if Mitchie is up to the task, or even cares.