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Largess in Louisiana: Money Flowed to Questionable Projects
Washington Post ^ | 9/8/05 | Michael Grunwald

Posted on 09/07/2005 10:00:50 PM PDT by Uncle Joe Cannon

Largess in Louisiana Money Flowed to Questionable Projects State Leads in Army Corps Spending, but Millions Had Nothing to Do With Floods

By Michael Grunwald Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, September 8, 2005; Page A01

-snip-

In Katrina's wake, Louisiana politicians and other critics have complained about paltry funding for the Army Corps in general and Louisiana projects in particular. But over the five years of President Bush's administration, Louisiana has received far more money for Corps civil works projects than any other state, about $1.9 billion; California was a distant second with less than $1.4 billion, even though its population is more than seven times as large.

Much of that Louisiana money was spent to try to keep low-lying New Orleans dry. But hundreds of millions of dollars have gone to unrelated water projects demanded by the state's congressional delegation and approved by the Corps, often after economic analyses that turned out to be inaccurate. Despite a series of independent investigations criticizing Army Corps construction projects as wasteful pork-barrel spending, Louisiana's representatives have kept bringing home the bacon.

For example, after a $194 million deepening project for the Port of Iberia flunked a Corps cost-benefit analysis, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) tucked language into an emergency Iraq spending bill ordering the agency to redo its calculations. The Corps also spends tens of millions of dollars a year dredging little-used waterways such as the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, the Atchafalaya River and the Red River -- now known as the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway, in honor of the project's congressional godfather -- for barge traffic that is less than forecast.

-snip-

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Louisiana
KEYWORDS: corpsofengineers; corruption; democrats; dirtyrats; dnc; federalspending; incompetence; katrina; katrinafailures; landrieu; left; liberals; marylandrieu; punchlandrieu; rats; senaterats
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To: willyboyishere
Thats it in a nutshell. In fact it was worthy of a double post.

I've tried to explain that to several people and they stare back blankly, as to say. "So what?"

81 posted on 09/08/2005 8:01:19 AM PDT by oyez
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To: meyer

Human relations run on pork and rud. Everyone could use a little self-reflection.


82 posted on 09/08/2005 8:14:18 AM PDT by liberallarry
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To: oyez

thanks---I had a hunch yyou would appreciate some attempt to "nutshell" it. But all of us who have arrived at that no BS way of looking at things (usually after a long frustrating period of involvement in politics) will always get the "so what" response. Cataclysmic events such at this(and 9-11) always get an "official" response,, but it's always so much less than we should hope for, and SO much less than is necessary.


83 posted on 09/08/2005 8:51:04 AM PDT by willyboyishere (AM)
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To: Arizona Carolyn
Susan Estrich made what may be the most outrageous statement today: Called this Bush's Monicagate.


84 posted on 09/08/2005 9:28:54 AM PDT by Itzlzha ("The avalanche has already started...it is too late for the pebbles to vote")
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To: 2nd amendment mama

Thank you.


85 posted on 09/08/2005 10:14:47 AM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: Ursus arctos horribilis; Designer

"Don't bank on it."

"I hope you are not holding your breath 'til then."

The hearings are going to happen. There is no way they will not look into this.

And the findings will just happen to come out right before the upcoming elections in 2006.

The Dems know what these hearings will reveal and are already starting to whine and moan. Nancy Pelosi already has critisized the makeup of the BIPARTISAN panel. The loony left wing of the Democrat party is going to look really bad once the panels findings are released, so they are starting to discredit any potential findings from any inquiry into this whole mess. It`s their only defence. They have put their faces on TV with all their screaming and yelling and cannot take that back.

There is no way the Republicans are going to let this one slip by.


86 posted on 09/08/2005 10:24:26 AM PDT by Peace will be here soon
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To: Uncle Joe Cannon

Levee board under federal investigation before Katrina hit
By David Hawkins & Judi McLeod
Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Rampant public corruption was doing big business in New Orleans long before Hurricane Katrina ever hit. What then Congressman, now Senator David Vitter calls "corrupt, good old boy" practices were apparent in the New Orleans Levee Board just one year before the collapse of regional levees, emergency communications and government services brought the Big Easy to the brink of anarchy. In fact, Senator David Vitter requested a federal investigation into improper practices of a number of public utilities, including the New Orleans Levee Board, and a new Task Force was to have been initiated in the Baton Rouge office, beginning in July 2004.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2005/cover090605.htm


87 posted on 09/08/2005 11:44:20 AM PDT by griswold3 (Ken Blackwell, Ohio Governor in 2006 - George Allen, POTUS 2008)
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To: Uncle Joe Cannon

The Louisiana politicians had the wrong priorities.

But hey... At least Landrieu got her "lynching apology" thru the Senate.


88 posted on 09/08/2005 11:44:21 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: kcvl

The Internet gives some history of local control of these facilities. I understand that years ago, new and more powerful pumps were bought for these stations. But they were not installed, because the contract didn’t include that. So those pumps sat in a warehouse owned by a friend of Mayor Moon Landrieu (father of the current Senator Landrieu), incurring storage costs for four years, before another contract with another friend of the Mayor could be signed to install them.


89 posted on 09/08/2005 11:55:26 AM PDT by rang1995 (They will love us when we win)
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To: Itzlzha

I need a new keyboard!!!


90 posted on 09/08/2005 12:01:49 PM PDT by hydrotech1
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To: Uncle Joe Cannon; Howlin; McGavin999; Peaches; Morgan in Denver; rodguy911

Please mail copies of this article to as many Conservative Talk Show host, pundits, conservative activists, freepers, ping lists etc. This is a direct refutation of the lie being spun that "Conservatism" being the cause of the New Orleans disaster


91 posted on 09/08/2005 3:11:57 PM PDT by MNJohnnie ( Blaco say Wed Aug 31st, FEMA says Thur Sept 1st.. Who is lying?)
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To: liberallarry
If I were a Republican I'd be pushing this story with everything I had

How about pushing this story because it is the truth and as an American Citizen and Taxpayer you want TO fix the problems so they DON'T happen again. Or is Political Ideology more import then the safety of fellow citizens? Do you want all those who died to have died for NOTHING?

92 posted on 09/08/2005 3:14:40 PM PDT by MNJohnnie ( Blaco say Wed Aug 31st, FEMA says Thur Sept 1st.. Who is lying?)
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To: hipaatwo
OMG...The shocker is this was page A-1 in the Washington Compost

NO WAY? OK which Freeper hacked the Washington Post computers?

93 posted on 09/08/2005 3:17:21 PM PDT by MNJohnnie ( Blaco say Wed Aug 31st, FEMA says Thur Sept 1st.. Who is lying?)
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To: willyboyishere
so much less than we should hope for, and SO much less than is

Then let Freepers be as activist as the"Jersey Girls"and bring so much pressure to bear that the "Business as usual" crowd cannot stifle it. It is after all Govt BY the people. Well let us get busy.

94 posted on 09/08/2005 3:20:51 PM PDT by MNJohnnie ( Blaco say Wed Aug 31st, FEMA says Thur Sept 1st.. Who is lying?)
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To: liberallarry; willyboyishere
Human relations run on pork and rud. Everyone could use a little self-reflection.

Funny how the "This is all Bush's fault" screams turns into "Oh Well everyone is guilty so no one can be held accountable" wimpers from the Political Left.

95 posted on 09/08/2005 3:22:36 PM PDT by MNJohnnie ( Blaco say Wed Aug 31st, FEMA says Thur Sept 1st.. Who is lying?)
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To: bmwcyle
Let's have that investigation of where did the money go.

YES!

96 posted on 09/08/2005 3:27:08 PM PDT by MNJohnnie ( Blaco say Wed Aug 31st, FEMA says Thur Sept 1st.. Who is lying?)
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To: kms61
Louisiana is hardly unique in this respect.

Nope but the Political Grandstanding on New Orleans by the Hysteric Left gives us the perfect excuse to peel the scab of this cesspool and shine the light of truth on what is slitering out.

97 posted on 09/08/2005 3:29:44 PM PDT by MNJohnnie ( Blaco say Wed Aug 31st, FEMA says Thur Sept 1st.. Who is lying?)
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To: RayChuang88

Did you know NO has a parrish named "ST Tammany"?


98 posted on 09/08/2005 4:00:45 PM PDT by MNJohnnie ( Blaco say Wed Aug 31st, FEMA says Thur Sept 1st.. Who is lying?)
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To: Uncle Joe Cannon

Ah yes, I seem to recall it was the dems who wanted an investigation. Well, now things are being investigated. Notice how the dems have suddenly refused to cooperate? LOL


99 posted on 09/08/2005 4:18:44 PM PDT by McGavin999 (We're a First World Country with a Third World Press (Except for Hume & Garrett ))
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To: MNJohnnie

"Beams and motes" fits you perfectly.


100 posted on 09/08/2005 4:31:40 PM PDT by liberallarry
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