http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/blanco/ en-us Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:45:04 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2292741/posts Weeks after Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans and worsened the medical plight of the city's poor, then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the publicly run Charity Hospital would not reopen, even though the military had scrubbed the building to medical-ready standards, the retired Army general who oversaw the work said. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Lt. Gen. Russel Honore said Blanco told him in late September 2005 the 20-story building that served the region's poor residents would not reopen. "'Ma'am, we got the hospital clean, my people report ... if you want to use it,'" Honore recalled telling Blanco.... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2292741/posts#comment Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:45:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2292749/posts NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Weeks after Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans and worsened the medical plight of the city's poor, then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the publicly run Charity Hospital would not reopen, even though the military had scrubbed the building to medical-ready standards, the retired Army general who oversaw the work said. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Lt. Gen. Russel Honore said Blanco told him in late September 2005 the 20-story building that served the region's poor residents would not reopen. "'Ma'am, we got the hospital clean, my people report ... if you want to use it,'"... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2292749/posts#comment Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:56:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2174398/posts Classy. The View http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2174398/posts#comment Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:25:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2174374/posts One can’t reflect upon the recent changing of the guard in Washington, without recalling the previous one. And in this instance, one can’t judge the previous guard without bringing up Hurricane Katrina. artorius castus blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2174374/posts#comment Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:43:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986875/posts While former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco is making the most of her time out of office delivering speeches and writing a book, there's more trouble brewing for her back in the capital. From today's New Orleans Times-Picayune: In the final weeks of Gov. Kathleen Blanco's administration, state officials quietly increased the size of the Road Home management contract from $756 million to $912 million, rewarding a contractor the Legislature wanted to fire, auditors questioned and thousands of homeowner applicants cursed. The Blanco administration never told the public about the 25 percent compensation increase for ICF International that was added to... southernstudies.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986875/posts#comment Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:40:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1964481/posts Blanco asked to battle Vitter By PATRICK COURREGES Advocate Acadiana bureau Published: Feb 2, 2008 LAFAYETTE — Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco said this week, among the many things on her post-governorship schedule, she’s been fielding phone calls from people asking her about a 2010 run for the U.S. Senate seat held by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La. Blanco, a Democrat, chose not to run for a second term for governor in 2007 and turned over the reins of state government to Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal in January. She said that she’s been enjoying herself in the weeks since Jindal took... 2theadvocate.com (Baton Rouge, La) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1964481/posts#comment Mon, 4 Feb 2008 04:32:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1953387/posts BATON ROUGE -- If Bobby Jindal is searching for a way to define his inauguration today as Louisiana governor, he might choose "Great Expectations." He's said as much himself. On the campaign trail and since, he's promised to make Louisiana, a state known nationally for its colorful and corrupt political icons, "the gold standard for ethics." Embracing victory in the Oct. 20 primary, he declared a "fresh start" for a state often derided -- sometimes by candidate Jindal -- as an underachiever and even an embarrassment in many national comparisons. Although he concentrated his campaign efforts in northern Louisiana, he... NOLA.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1953387/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:26:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1947755/posts Departing Louisiana Governor Defends Her Record By ED ANDERSON   Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco listens to President Bush during a post-Katrina news conference on Sept. 12, 2005. (Photo by David Grunfeld)     BATON ROUGE, La. — Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, who saw Louisiana through two monster hurricanes in 2005 only to see her own political career take a hit in their aftermath, turns the Governor's Mansion over to Republican successor Bobby Jindal on Jan. 14, but she says she will not fade away nor go very far.The Democratic governor, whose four-year tenure will always be bound to the state's darkest... Newhouse News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1947755/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jan 2008 16:37:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1916670/posts BATON ROUGE - As the California wildfires continued to rage Thursday, so too did the political feud between President Bush and Gov. Kathleen Blanco that has smoldered since the federal government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina. The latest flare-up came when Bush, while touring the California disaster area, took an apparent swipe at Blanco's post-Katrina leadership as he complimented California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. "It makes a significant difference when you have somebody in the statehouse willing to take the lead," Bush said, according to the Associated Press. The president's statement, coming from a White House that seems determined to avoid... nola.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1916670/posts#comment Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:29:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1915209/posts Bobby Jindal, who was elected governor of Louisiana last Saturday, may not be a freak of unnatural Louisiana politics, but he's an unsoiled anomaly. The temptations of office, which flower in abundance along the bayous, lie still ahead. That's the cynical view, but one widely held in Louisiana, a state battered by nature (most recently Hurricane Katrina), and human nature (the examples never end). "Corruption in Louisiana," a one-time agent in charge of the FBI office in New Orleans once said, is "epidemic, endemic and entrenched." Graft three ways, as it might appear on the menu at a Chinese takeout.... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1915209/posts#comment Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:34:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1914179/posts Unable to withstand the fallout from two Katrina-related prosecutions, Attorney General Charles Foti narrowly missed a runoff that will leave the former Orleans criminal sheriff out of public life for the first time in three decades. Foti fell short of second place in a three-man field, with Republican Royal Alexander, a Shreveport lawyer, emerging to face primary leader James "Buddy" Caldwell, a Democrat and longtime district attorney from Tallulah. The two will meet in a battle sure to be vitriolic, judging from the increasingly caustic tone of the campaign leading up to Saturday's vote. Another longtime statewide official, Agriculture Commissioner... Times-Picayune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1914179/posts#comment Sun, 21 Oct 2007 12:08:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1914279/posts The national media completely obsessed over Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, conducting an amazing propaganda campaign which suggested a la Kanye West that George Bush hated black people, demonstrated it by the government's "neglect." They paid little attention to the incompetence of state and local officials, like Gov. Kathleen Blanco. She was so tarred by her response that she didn't even run for re-election. Yesterday, Republican Congressman Bobby Jindal, who lost to Blanco by four points in 2003, easily won the governor's race. Bobby who? That's right, the national media that obsessed over this area (and we mean... NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1914279/posts#comment Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:19:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1913856/posts Tonight, the man who may well be the Republican Party's brightest hope could take the reins of America's most ungovernable state. If you haven't heard of Bobby Jindal, almost certain to be the next Governor of Louisiana, it's partly because his sense of action and purpose about Louisiana post-Katrina is so strong that it's scared off any credible challengers, making this a boring race. The question is whether Jindal can do the next-to-impossible, clearing 50% plus one and winning Louisiana's "jungle primary" outright. No gubernatorial candidate in an open seat race has ever done that before in Louisiana history. Normally,... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1913856/posts#comment Sat, 20 Oct 2007 11:39:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1901608/posts Having gotten little out of attacking Bobby Jindal for being a Christian, the Democrats in Louisiana and Walter Boasso in particular, have found a new avenue -- attacking Jindal for cleaning up Louisiana's objectively corrupt hospital system. Along the way, some things happened that should not have happened. as Vladimir notes, Boasso is highlighting one of those tragic cases now. Keep in mind that Jindal was sued in his official capacity, not personally. Jindal, having learned his lessons from going against Kathleen Blanco, has been quick to fire back. Keep in mind that Jindal was sued in his official capacity,... Red State http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1901608/posts#comment Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:34:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1888099/posts ST. FRANCISVILLE, La., Aug. 28 — Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco was summoned to a courtroom on Tuesday to testify in a homicide case over Hurricane Katrina’s single biggest loss of life, and she refused to take blame for the deaths of 35 patients who drowned at a nursing home. nyslimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1888099/posts#comment Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:15:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1879831/posts Having missed a deadline to challenge a subpoena requiring Gov. Kathleen Blanco to testify in the St. Rita's nursing home trial, the state attorney general's office asked for an emergency extension and, barring that, requested that Blanco give a closed-door deposition rather than be cross-examined on her response to Hurricane Katrina in open court. Defense attorneys subpoenaed Blanco on July 10 in connection with the upcoming negligent homicide trial for Sal and Mabel Mangano, who owned the St. Bernard Parish nursing home where 35 residents drowned during Katrina. snip Judge Jerome Winsberg is expected to issue a ruling on the... Times-Picayune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1879831/posts#comment Sat, 11 Aug 2007 19:19:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1870590/posts Excerpt - Ex-FEMA chief profiteering on Katrina? Witt’s firm charges Louisiana double its costs for subcontracted services In the traumatic days after Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco turned to one of the most respected names in emergency management: James Lee Witt, the so-called Master of Disaster. But an eight-month investigation by NBC News into the performance and billing practices of Witt’s firm, James Lee Witt Associates, raises questions about profiteering, cronyism and possible falsification of records by one of Witt Associates’ subcontractors. ~ snip ~ Witt Associates reaps its biggest windfall, however, from billing the state double what... MSNBC (excerpt) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1870590/posts#comment Tue, 24 Jul 2007 04:19:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1866067/posts BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — Louisiana became the first American state to outlaw a late-term abortion procedure on Friday, when the governor approved legislation allowing doctors to be prosecuted for performing the surgery. The new law allows so-called "partial birth" abortions in only one situation: when failure to perform it would endanger the mother's life. The procedure would be a crime in all other cases, even if the pregnancy is expected to cause health problems for the mother. Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed into law criminal penalties for doctors who perform the surgery: fines of between $1,000 and $10,000, and jail... FoxNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1866067/posts#comment Sat, 14 Jul 2007 23:40:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1865952/posts State becomes first to ban controversial procedureBATON ROUGE, Louisiana - Louisiana became the first American state Friday to outlaw a controversial abortion procedure that involves partially removing the fetus intact from a woman's uterus, then crushing or cutting its skull to complete the abortion. The new law allows the procedure in only one situation at any time during pregnancy: when failure to perform it would endanger the mother's life. The procedure would be a crime in all other cases, even if the pregnancy is expected to cause health problems for the mother. Anti-abortion activists call the procedure "partial-birth abortion;" surgeons... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1865952/posts#comment Sat, 14 Jul 2007 17:22:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1858131/posts Baton Rouge, LA (LifeNews.com) -- The Louisiana state House put the final touches on a bill that would ban partial-birth abortions and sent it to Governor Kathleen Blanco after approving it unanimously. If Blanco signs the bill, it would prohibit more than 300 such abortions that are done in the state on an annual basis. Lawmakers there hope to put a new ban on the books after an April Supreme Court decision saying such bans are constitutional and that a federal ban on the gruesome abortion procedure is valid. The ban prohibits all such abortions unless necessary to save the... LifeNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1858131/posts#comment Fri, 29 Jun 2007 05:55:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1843881/posts Blanco: up to $700 M found in state money for Road HomeAssociated Press - June 2, 2007 8:54 PM ET BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Governor Blanco says her administration has found up to $700 million in state money to put into the state's hurricane rebuilding program for homeowners. The program faces a possible deficit of as much as five billion dollars. This evening's (Saturday's) announcement is the first time the governor has backed off from a stand that the federal government should cover the entire Road Home program, which provides rebuilding grants to people whose homes were damaged or... KATC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1843881/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jun 2007 01:47:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1831161/posts Leadership: Democrats are starting to blame the federal government every time their governors get caught unprepared for natural disasters. Nowhere is that more blatant than in the Greensburg tornado aftermath. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco blamed the feds after the 2005 hurricane that devastated New Orleans. Now Kansas' Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is doing the same. It's become a pattern: Democrats blaming President Bush for their own lack of disaster preparedness. Investors Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1831161/posts#comment Thu, 10 May 2007 06:08:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1830091/posts However, since it was revealed last week that the program is probably a few billion shy of the funding it needs to meet the obligations of homeowners, it has been open season. “Their incompetence is breathtaking,” said State Treasurer John Kennedy(D) on the Eyewitness Morning News last week. “Remember Otis of Mayberry, the town drunk, I think Otis is secretly running the Road Home program.” WWLTV.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1830091/posts#comment Tue, 8 May 2007 12:37:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1805334/posts In New Orleans, they aren?t shedding a tear over Louisiana Gov. Blanco?s decision not to seek a second term. A letter from the Garden District. WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY New Orleans, 18 months after Katrina, is still a city of considerable ups and downs. Tuesday was no different; as usual, the bad news came first. The first e-mail I received informed me that a block and a half from our new house, at 1:30 in the afternoon, two hold-ups occurred in less than 10 minutes?and I live in Garden District, still perceived as a ?nice? neighborhood, despite the alarming frequency of similar... msnbc.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1805334/posts#comment Fri, 23 Mar 2007 01:37:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1804079/posts Decision comes amid low polls, party pressure Governor makes announcement at evening broadcast New Orleans Times Picayune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1804079/posts#comment Wed, 21 Mar 2007 01:39:36 GMT