Readers post their comments for Mary Landrieu

Tue Aug 29, 10:02 PM ET

We asked for your thoughts, ideas and questions, and we got them. Now we await responses from Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu (news, bio, voting record), the first guest of this new feature, Generation Next: Talk to Power, with host Judy Woodruff.

Marking the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and looking ahead to this year's crucial mid-term elections, Talk to Power invited the Louisiana senator to appear on Yahoo! and answer your questions.

Questions and comments began to flow in on Thursday, and by Tuesday afternoon there were more than 900 posts submitted. Thanks to all for participating.

Look for Landrieu's video responses here on the Talk to Power page over the next 24 hours.

Not surprisingly, the conversation centered on Hurricane Katrina, the aftermath of the storm, and, not least, the response of local, state and federal governments. 

From the outset, many readers expressed frustration and anger with the recovery effort, while others argued against pouring money into rebuilding a city that lies below sea level. The example of the Netherlands was a consistent theme on the boards, with many asking, in essence: If the Dutch can do it, why can't we?

Why don't we contract with the Dutch Engineers from Holland to rebuild the levees. They have been doing so for centuries and their country is under sea level. -- reader comment

From the outset, there were also pointed and angry questions, perhaps not surprising given the lasting power of the images that came out of New Orleans after the storm. Democrats and Republicans alike came under fire. That spurred a number of readers to seek a more peaceful dialog.

Katrina was an act of God.
President Bush, Ray Nagin, Gov. Blanco, and Mary Landrieu did not cause the hurricane, nor did they cause the levees to break. If you want to blame someone, blame whoever was in office when the levees were built. -- reader comment

Part of the fractious debate focused on the issue of personal responsibility versus the role of government.

We seem to spend a lot of time focusing on what the government can do for us. How important is it for citizens to take personal responsibility and prepare? What would be the best things for us to do? Does preparation and planning have any kind of impact? -- reader comment

Thanks to all the participants for their comments and questions. 

Be sure to return for Landrieu's responses; meanwhile, you can offer comments for our next guest, Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), on this page.

Next: Landrieu responds to Yahoo! readers' comments
Previous: Thoughts on Iraq, and the U.S. commitment to Iraq

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