Fifth, create the "Gulf Opportunity Zone" (encompassing the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama disaster area) that President Bush has called for, and within it provide tax relief for small businesses as well as other spurs to entrepreneurship. Accompany that with the White House's "Urban Homesteading Act," which would give low-income citizens free building sites on land the federal government currently owns but does not need. The idea is to increase home ownership, often with help from charitable organizations like Habitat for Humanity.

 Sixth, honor compassionate "first responders" by telling the story of not only what went wrong, but what went right. Journalist (and former firefighter) Lou Dolinar, noting a New Orleans death toll much lower than its mayor predicted, reports that National Guard helicopter crews, volunteers with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries who went out in their boats, and other volunteers saved 25,000 to 50,000 people in a response that "was immediate and massive. ... Big government didn't work. Odds and ends of little government did."

 Seventh, thank God for His mercy. With everything that can go wrong in the world, with hurricanes each year filling most of the letters of the alphabet, it's worth noting that only a few become infamous. Why should we assume good weather and good health? Why not be thankful for days of clear skies or gentle rains?