Why We Cannot Save Louisiana

BWX

I didn't check all these facts.. but from what I have seen and heard over the past year, it is probably a lot worse that this is even saying.




Just some facts to help you understand what we have to work with here.

In the late 1990s, the state's school systems ranked dead last in the nation in the number of computers per student (1 per 88), and

Louisiana has the nation's second-highest percentage of adults who never finished high school.

By the state's own measure, 47% of the public schools in New Orleans rank as "academically unacceptable."

These government failures are not merely a matter of incompetence.

Louisiana and New Orleans have a long, well-known reputation for corruption: as former Congressman Billy Tauzin once put it,

"Half of Louisiana is under water and the other half is under indictment."

That's putting it mildly.

Adjusted for population size, the state ranks third in the number of elected officials convicted of crimes (Mississippi is #1).

Recent scandals include the conviction of 14 state judges and an FBI raid on the business and personal files of a Louisiana congressman.

In 1991, a notoriously corrupt Democrat named Edwin Edwards ran for governor against Republican David Duke, a former head of the Ku Klux Klan.

Edwards, whose winning campaign included bumper stickers saying: "Elect the Crook," is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for taking bribes from casino owners.

Duke recently completed his own prison term for tax fraud.

The rot included the New Orleans Police Department, which in the 1990?s had the dubious distinction of being the nation's most corrupt police force - and the least effective. (The city had the highest murder rate in America.)

More than 50 officers were eventually convicted of crimes including murder, rape and robbery; two are currently on Death Row.

And let us not forget, Mayor Nagin of New Orleans turned down a Texas scrap metal firm's offer to the city of $100 each for the privilege of hauling away the abandoned automobiles now littering the city. This would have paid money to the city.

Mayor Nagin is now considering giving a contract to another firm for $23,000,000 to get rid of the vehicles. This plan will cost the city.

Ten billion dollars are about to pass into the sticky hands of politicians in the #1 and #3 most corrupt states in America. Worried about looting? Well, you ain't seen nothing yet!

New Orleans has a Democrat Mayor, a Democrat City Council and a Democrat Chief of Police.

Louisiana has a Democrat Governor, a Democrat Lt. Governor, a Democrat Attorney General.

24 of 39 Louisiana State Senators are Democrats, 67 of 105 Louisiana State House Representatives are Democrats,

there's a Democrat Representative in the House from New Orleans, and one of two U. S. Senators is a Democrat.

I THINK THIS, PRETTY MUCH EXPLAINS, WHY IT'S ALL GEORGE BUSH'S FAULT.

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CDsDontBurn

what an idiot

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BWX

Yeah he is an idiot.. so is the governor of the state. She's a complete moron.

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CDsDontBurn

they probably didn't graduate from high school then

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Pompey

source?

(not suggesting they are false)

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One's inability to find an answer to a question does not imply that the question has no answer.

Falstaff

Consider New Orleans....

it must continue to degrade, succumb and be consumed by the sea before it will ever rise again...
Look at Bangladesh, and other coastal cities subject to the power of nature...
New Orleans should never have been...
and yet we pour money into this festering abomination..
Demographic be damned, it was a city on the verge of dying anyway...
within a hundred years unless they made dramatic changes to the infrastructure, the city was doomed to be swallowed by the sea.
Want to fix New Orleans?
Move the whole damn city back about 30 miles past Lake Ponchatran..
Like Venice..no matter what becomes of the city, all efforts will forstall the inevitable.

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BWX

Yeah it is a complete waste of money and effort to save the killing fields of a bunch of criminals.. The whole place needs to just rot and die. I think Katrina had the right idea. Those idiots were so stupid they couldn't even follow directions and get the hell out when warned repeatedly. Then they blame the federal government for their own stupidity.


Ehh, what the hell.. lets just give then 50 billion to squander and fight over while they blame the hand that is giving it to them.

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Randomletters

It's obviously all bush's fault though, If he was any kind of president he would of fired the dirty politicians, Single handedly carried every person in louisiana to safety, Ran back for their dogs/cats, Stopped the flood like Superman did in Superman II(?) and then lower taxes and budget the economy.

But he didn't, Because George Bush hates black people.

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<----------- Sexy Budget Rig stats to the left.

CDsDontBurn

that's worthy of being my new quote in my sig

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Falstaff

People People...
George Bush does not hate Black People....
you want a hypocrate?
Bill Clinton..

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BWX

Yeah I forgot about that! Bush is a racist too..

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dj_stick

i have a feeling this thread is more suited for the FWZ than the PD forum

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CDsDontBurn

FWZ, PD forum.....same difference

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Counterfe1t

Im sure he had to retire his cape long long ago before becoming president. that and he doesnt seem like a superman more of a lex luthor with a lower IQ

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Pompey

I thought randomletters was being sarcastic.

What’s the saying? Play with fire and expect to get burnt?
Build a city below sea level in an area prone to hurricanes and expect it to be destroyed...



The people who had their homes destroyed should have their asses kicked for living in such a stupid place...

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One's inability to find an answer to a question does not imply that the question has no answer.

SFOSOK

Its all W's fault.

He called upon God (cause u know, he can do that being religious and all ha der!!) to smite the heathens of New Orleans! And you know why? cause he hates black people, it just makes sense. It was him who put them there in the first place so they could drown. It was also him who made them not leave because he dropped a supply of fried chicken and grape drink mix before the hurricane hit. He also named the Katrina.

Hmm what else is his fault? O I know, the crappy economy clinton left him. That was all his fault, he should have done something.




On a sidenote. Maybe it was meant to be destroyed, maybe not. I personally think we shouldn't put the effort in to rebuild everything. That city was never meant to be.

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*Warning* - Explicit Content Preceeding



METAL!!

BWX

They squandered millions that was meant for rebuilding the dikes and whatnot over the years, then they wonder why they failed.. Must be Reagan's fault.

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Sandok

Even if the city was run by republicans as BWX wants apparently, the city was still gonna be heavily damaged. Mother nature is stronger than politcal parties.

This is such a flame war topic

Maddogg6

1) nagin - was he convicted of mis-appropriations... and still get re-elected? I must have missed that miricle.
2) Bush, did he not appoint the FEMA director, who turns out, his qualifications were questionable? (Arabian Horse Association??? A power util co???)
3) FEMA - The EMERGANCY reaction agency - seemed to have not reacted very quickly in that emergancy - and not at all in some instances. Which IS the complaint by the N.O. residents.. WTF is all them tax dollars for? saving Iraq?

Do I blame bush for the levee breaking or that a hurricane hit N.O. - NO! ... I blame him for appointing a nimrod who had NO business to be the head of FEMA. Id think a hospitol administrator or a coast guard captain would have been more qualified, as opposed to his ex-advisor buddy.

Now to me, THAT IS Bushes fault. - that, and his praise to 'Brownie' for his 'good job' (of course he'll say that...he appointed him - and his approval rating was already dropping).

Falstaff

prove it...

yeah...

didnt think so...

no body was prepared for Katrina...

least of all FEMA and the RED CROSS...

blame 911 for that

pure ignorance of our government and government agencies sure makes it easier to point fingers at everyone but the real criminals....

NAGIN...
BLANCA....
and years of corruptions in New Orleans...
everything is great while there is a big party goin on year after year...
but hold some butts to the fire and see how quickly they manuever the problem right back on the particuler government in Washington...
If Clinton were in office the same damn hurricane would have wiped out New Orleans and he would have opted for a bandaid patch over the real problem to keep the bars and whore houses open...but then....that is the democratic way..
short term fixes for long term problems..

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Maddogg6

Naa.... I balme the Iraq debackle for the lack of liquidity, and thus the delay in reaction time. And then it took time to get resources there - when they were already low becuase of Iraq.

911 - hasnt cost our gov't much when compared to invading Iraq and afghanistan, and HLS. Iraq is STILL costing us billions of dollars as well as blood supplies from the red cross - and for what? Its obvious to me were not wanted there now.

Sure, 911 hit the red cross pretty hard... But I cant blame them, they're private, rely heavily on donations, and have a track record of success in helping others MUCH longer than FEMA's.

FEMA on the other hand - OUR TAX DOLLARS PAYS THEIR SALERY - ITS THEIR JOB to be prepared. period - to be NOT prepared is reprehensible.

Plain and simple, Bush blew OUR MONEY and RESOURCES in Iraq and HLS - and thus, left little for an emergancy that affected MORE people than 911 did (granted it may not have killed as many) ... but its pretty simple 'budgeting' and economics and illustrates where bushes interests lie and/or his budgeting abilities.

Heres a nice timeline of events with sources...
http://thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline/

Bottom line -
1) Nagin and Blanco covered their collective asses by declairing a *manditory* evac.
2) The FEMA director is a bush appointee.
3) And FEMA screwed the pooch getting help in time. (and still - 70% of victoms say FEMA is still not helping)

But Im suprised no one brought up the past N.O. gov't officials that allowed building 'low cost' housing thats below sea level. Who issued those building permits, who evaluated the site prior to building?. Now, thats your racist right there, and someone who should take at least SOME credit, if not all.
The fact is, many rely on local gov't to pay experts to evaluate if a home is (or going to be) 'safe' or not. Ala - the justification for building permits. Maybe its wrong to assume such system DOES consider 'nature' when evaluating building sites - but its an easy assumption to make and wouldnt blame anyone for doing so.

Maddogg6

Prove it...

Yeah....

didnt think so.

Well said. But, its hypocritical for you to say this IMO.

Was Nagin or Blanca convicted of those accusations?

Pompey

whatever happened to that coast 2050 thing I remember seeing on Discovery??

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One's inability to find an answer to a question does not imply that the question has no answer.

dj_stick

ok before this turns into an all out flame fest, let me remind you this is NOT the flame war zone

some of the posts i've seen here are out of line - keep the discussion civil.

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Falstaff

where is the hypocracy?


During Nagins administration allegations of fraud, incompetence and poor management have been levelled at him, but the people re-elected him...go figure...he is morally culpable for the deaths of hundreds of people because he refused to use over 300 school buses to evacuate the poorest of the residents of New Orleans. And his police force? It is really useless to rationalize why most of them left...
The only agency in place in New Orleans that sacrificed and worked hard before, during and after Katrina was the local Red Cross, and he criticized them...what an idiot.
After 911 funding for disasters of the order of Katrina were to be raised after an assesment of the damage and projected losses to the economy of the state or the region, that legislation was passed because of criticism that money was wasted on 9/11 vs the economic needs of the victems and the city of New York as well.
Blanco didnt proactively prepare the state for the eventually that was predicted long befoe the first canal and levey system was devised, New Orleans has been hit before. For years the billions of dollars that were poured into New Orleans and filled the coffers were spent on developement, industrialization, but very little on the infrastructure. And what about the continuing erosion of the Delta region...the real buffer that should have absorbed the storm tide and limited the damage...it has shrunk to a fraction of its former size due to dredging and shipping activity to support chemical, oil and frieght facilities that now dot the coast and inner waterways of Louisiana. Yet after the Katrina event Blanco and Nagin were blaming the lack of money and FEMA.
The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously established evacuation plans of the state and city. Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin cannot claim that they were surprised by the extent of the damage and the need to evacuate so many people. Detailed written plans were already in place to evacuate more than a million people. The plans projected that 300,000 people would need transportation in the event of a hurricane like Katrina. If the plans had been implemented, thousands of lives would likely have been saved, where were the buses?
The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state governor and his emergency operations center.The federal government does not have the authority to intervene in a state emergency without the request of a governor. President Bush declared an emergency prior to Katrina hitting New Orleans, so the only action needed for federal assistance was for Gov. Blanco to request the specific type of assistance she needed. She failed to send a timely request for specific aid.
The Louisiana Legislature should have conducted an immediate investigation into the failures of state and local officials to implement the written emergency plans. The tragedy continues, and real leadership in the state and local government are essential in the months to come.
Dont even get me started on the historically documented ineptitude of New Orleans Justice System and government..it is legend!!

Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005 12:47 p.m. EDT Gov. Kathleen Blanco: No State of Emergency

Though her state has been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and thousands are believed dead in New Orleans, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has yet to declare a state of emergency and refuses to cede authority over rescue efforts to the federal government.

"Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans," the Washington Post reported in Sunday editions.

Story Continues Below

Gov. Blanco's office rejected the request, the paper said - concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. The Louisiana Democrat has also failed to declare a state of emergency - in marked contrast to Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, who both issued emergency declarations before Hurricane Katrina struck.

State and federal officials also told the Post that Gov. Blanco did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday - more than 24 hours after breaches in New Orleans levee system had flooded the city and killed thousands.

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BWX

[BWX]:Hi sarcasm! Hey I have a friend I want to introduce you to.. Hey Jeff, this is sarcasm..

[Jeff]: Hi sarcasm!, I don't believe we've met.

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Falstaff

DOH...

I get so fired up at New Orleans..and Bush being called a rascist

it makes hypocrites out of the very people that call him one...

I really think they should scrape New Orleans off the face of the state of Louisiana and rebuild it miles inland where it could reasonably protect itself from disaster..but noooooooooooo....
you and I pay taxes...we see them toil to rebuild it back on the very same polluted shithole and we wait for it all to be washed away again.....
that is what frustrates me...
If the indians wouldnt build on it over 200 years ago, why the hell did the city persist?
(heavy sigh)

what should we talk about next...hmmmmmm

oh yeah....

illegal immigration...

I have a bottle of TUMs and a liter of water...LOL

besides..its all DJ sticks fault!
yeah...thats the ticket!!

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Maddogg6

Well - my post pretty much sumed it up... your pointing fingers at Nagin and Blanco - whom were never convicted of any crimes - seems like a lack of understanding our legal system. Its not 'guilty until proven innocent'.

Then I added....

Which is the 'real crooks' part of my original point.

Falstaff

Nagin and Blanco had a responsibility...
Pres Bush called for restraint in the matter of fixing blame...
that pretty much saved both of them lots of grief...
corruption-graft-you name it...
and a justice system that barely worked at all...
That is the New Orleans both of them are faced with to resurrect out of the muck of last years storm...
Now they both face another one soon....
call it what you will I dont care..but they both should have been replaced...
as a consequence..New Orleans will face another disaster of epic proportions....
without lack of preparation...
without insights into the crux of the problem and eliminating it they are no worse than criminals..
if your in charge, and the people vote you into to power more than once, and you have tremendous resources at your disposal, wouldnt it just make sense to be as clever as possible when it comes to preparing for another Hurricane?. It wasnt Bush that turn his back on poor African Americans it was Blanco and Nagin..for more information about New Orleans see this link:

http://www.cityofno.com/Portals/Port...al=46&tabid=38

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Maddogg6

Im curious...
Why does this fire you up so much?
Are you his press secretary or his publicist? family member? does his approval rating/image affect you or your salery?

Instead why not get fire up on the corruption part - stuff that DOES really matter.