Louisiana Governor Blanco Requests FEMA To Use Locals As Prime Contractors

[struggle4progress]

BATON ROUGE--Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco issued a written statement about her contacting acting FEMA director David Paulison, urging FEMA to require its contractors to use Louisiana and Gulf Coast businesses as the general contractors.

The statement stated: "A contractor should be required to demonstrate that IT has exhausted available local and in-state resources before reaching out of state to identify possible firms," Governor Blanco wrote in her letter. <snip>

"...we have firms in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast which are capable of being prime contractors. These firms will have better local contacts to subcontractors and will be more able to link the resources made possible by reconstruction efforts into the affected areas," said Governor Blanco.

Additionally, Governor Blanco wrote that subcontracting should be managed through federal procurement resources or state government resources such as Louisiana Economic Development. In making her case to Paulison, Blanco stated reminded the Director that President Bush emphasized the use of local industry to help rebuild the economy and also cited the Stafford Act as authority.

Copy of the Blanco letter: http://www.gov.state.la.us/assets/docs/PDFs/David_Paulison_10.14.05.pdf

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=5281

[Miss Chybil]

1. Good for her. It should be a requirement. nt

[postulater]

2. There should be special effort to locate small business owners

and help them re-establish their businesses with startup loans. These people are the backbone of the local economy and provide many jobs.

[sarcasmo]

3. Nominated. This no bid contract BS needs to be stopped.

[DRoseDARs]

4. So THAT'S what that sound was that I've been hearing all day...

...the sound of cronies cackling with laughter at the unlikelyhood of this request.

[pacalo]

6. Might as well get their laughs now. This is what awaits them...

[pacalo]

5. Yes!

[krkaufman]

7. Contact your Congresscritters and Shamators...

... to see if they won't help out Gov. Blanco on this.

[ninkasi]

8. Governor Blanco is right about this

Actually, it would seem the most sensible thing to do for many reasons, locals knowing the area and having contacts, and helping the people who have suffered get back on their feet. Of course, the Bush gang cares absolutely nothing about the people, they just look at the situation and see an opportunity to throw more money to the usual suspects...Halliburton, KBR, etc.

We could have saved ourselves billions of dollars, prevented a lot of bloodshed, and done a lot to improve the lot of ordinary citizens had we done the same thing in Iraq. America is now a kleptocracy.

[strategery blunder]

9. Blanco is a Democratic governor. Why the hell would bu$h care?

It's not like Governor Blanco volunteered to appear in a Halliburton/Bu$h-4 more wars commercial last election season; why would the uppity governor expect any favors?:sarcasm: