The Tragedy of New Orleans (ingrained culture of political corruption in New Orleans)

WSJ/Opinion Journal ^ | Tuesday, August 29, 2006

[WatchOutForSnakes]

Where do you get your information that $122 billion has been squandered by New Orleans so far? That would be kind of hard to do since $110 billion has been allocated by the federal government for the entire gulf coast and less than half of that has actually been spent. Please tell me where you get the information that $122 billion has been squandered.

I will be anxiously awaiting your "proof". The misinformation floating around is mind boggling.

[caresistance]

I can't stand how the underclass always holds us hostage to their children. How about being self-sufficent before having children? People make irresponsible decisions and then expect a lifetime of freebies. Saw news reports of Mexicans arriving to do the work, with no excuses. The New Orleans residents are full of excuses which is becoming very tiresome.

[srmorton]

Paul over at Whizbang: Explosively Unique has a fascinating post complete with pictures and videos about what was really responsible for the flooding in New Orleans that occurred after Katrina. According to his post and some other links he supplies, Katrina may have actually been responsible for saving lives in New Orleans.

Check it out at http://wizbangblog.com.

[sanjacjake]

It is in the lead editorial in todays's WSJ..or
as you may not know..Wall Street Journal....You
can trust me???????????? Jake

[WatchOutForSnakes]

On April 4, 1974 a F5 tornado (the most intense tornado, reaching speeds of over 261 miles per hour) hit Xenia. It touched down at 4:30 p.m. nine miles southwest of Xenia and entered town at 4:40 p.m. Of 25,000 residents, 33 were killed and 1600 were injured. More than 1400 buildings were damaged or destroyed and total estimated damages exceeded $400 million. Xenia was declared a national disaster area, and the American Red Cross, as well as several hundred Ohio National Guard troops, moved into Xenia for several weeks to assist with the rescue and clean up.

A tragedy no doubt but not even in the same ballpark when it comes to destruction and buildings destroyed. 1400 buildings destroyed and 400 million in damages. Multiply that by about a hundred times and you might get close to the destruction along the coast.

I don't want to argue with you, I just hope nobody ever has to go thru this again.

[Diggity]

You could raze the entire area and rebuild it brand new exactly as it was the day before Katrina for about $50 billion if not cheaper.

That's insane.

Diggity

[sanjacjake]

August 29, 2006...wall street journal....ok?? jAKE

[Diggity]

This site gives the daily down and dirty on Lousiana.

http://www.thedeadpelican.com/

[WatchOutForSnakes]

Hope you don't mind that I didn't trust you. I read that article and it refers to allocated funds for the entire gulf region, not spent funds on N.O. or Louisiana only. It also refers to being 5 times as much as any other disaster, not 10. There is a difference in allocated funds and spent funds. Also a big difference in spent funds and "squandered" funds. It's a lot of money, no doubt about it and the people in the region are grateful for it. But to say it's all been squandered is just a little bit of exaggeration, don't you think?

[CajunConservative]

How many of those 3000 pound bags that had to be dropped by helicopter? It was like dropping a marble in the ocean for a long long time. People are clueless really. There was a poster who was from Lakeview who was there when the breach happened. Um, anyone who would have been in the vicinity of the breach would have been drowned immediately.

His story was harrowing as it was. Let me see if I can locate it.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1589796/posts?page=41#41

[CajunConservative]

There's hundreds of miles of levees. Where do you start especially since the entire life of the storm was 6 days? Two days of that was in Florida.

[WatchOutForSnakes]

I remember that poster. Wonder what happened to him? Those 3000 pound bags were pushed out of the way like they were feathers. Funny really, people complain that people didn't evacuate or get out of the city and they complain that people didn't stay and sandbag the levees. Can't win for losing.

[Savage Beast]

Yes, it's no coincidence that every proposed safeguard--voter identification, e.g.--to prevent voter fraud is opposed by the Democrats. If voter fraud were prevented, they'd be thrown out of office.

[CajunConservative]

He probably got burnt out with all of the bashing. I don't understand it either, I mean, people stay and people whine, people evacuate and more people whine. The fact is that the majority of people did do what they were supposed to do before, during and after these storms.

I am the first to admit there needs to be a major change in how things are done here but I also deal with the facts. There's been so much misinformation told about things that it will take two lifetimes to sort out the truth from lies.

People conveniently forget that the state also got hit very hard by Rita and that the funds dispersed were for the immediate clean up for both storms. SWLA is coming along pretty well but Cameron Parish still has a lot of work to get done. Three entire parishes were destroyed, 99.99%. How many more were severely damaged between the two storms? It's much larger than a small midwestern town. From Texas to Florida is massive obliteration.

[LisaMalia]

1400 buildings destroyed and 400 million in damages. Multiply that by about a hundred times and you might get close to the destruction along the coast.

The tornado that wiped out Zenia, Ohio was in 1974. 400 million dollars in damages, if I may quote you.

I'm not quite sure what 400 million translates in $$s from 1974 to 2006, but I'm guessing it's quite a bit.

All I'm saying, is that you folks who live in New Orleans, ASK WHERE ALL THE MONEY SENT TO YOUR CITY HAS GONE!

Asking why HAVEN'T the levies been rebuilt, which I would think would be the first step, after making sure the citizens of your city got out safely.

[ClaireSolt]

You start by maintaining and policing your levees everyday as if your life depended on it. Read the story of Hans Brinker.

[IrishMike]

That is an interesting take.

[IrishMike]

I guantantee you, if this catasrophe would have happened in a city in the Mid-West, and we had those mega millions in resources to work with, life for it's citizens would be virtually back to normal by now.
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As in most of the gulf coast hit by Katrina, and Florida hit with FOUR hurricanes the previous year. Which bye the bye offered assistance and was rebuffed by New Orleans and Louisiana officials.... Must have called at nap time.

[IrishMike]

Thanks for the post.

[IrishMike]

Yes, it's no coincidence that every proposed safeguard--voter identification, e.g.--to prevent voter fraud is opposed by the Democrats. If voter fraud were prevented, they'd be thrown out of office.
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That's why they need new voters,
Illegals and felons will do fine.