N.O. levees squeezed by Congress' demand for cash

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS - The goal to raise levees and build large-scale flood defenses around this flood-torn city could be delayed indefinitely because of congressional demands that Louisiana chip in $1.8 billion to the effort over three years.

Thursday night, Congress approved a $162 billion war spending bill that included $5.8 billion for flood protection in the New Orleans region. But the funding for Army Corps of Engineers construction projects would be triggered only if the state agrees to a $1.8 billion match.

For Louisiana, one of the nation's poorest states, the amount is staggering. If the state is forced to pay, Gov. Bobby Jindal has warned of "irreparable harm to our ongoing recovery efforts."

Louisiana would have to come up with $1.1 billion of its share in 2010, when the corps' heaviest work load is expected, said Garret Graves, Jindal's director for coastal affairs.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080627/ap_on_re_us/new_orleans_levees

[xxqqqzme]

1. Hey those developers that were rewarded

the public housing property should be able to come up w/ that.

[enki23]

2. in other words, jindal is no longer a consideration for VP

.

[pitohui]

6. jindal never was a consideration for VP

he sold us for bupkis

they were HUMORING him

he's a worse do nothing gov than mike foster

[kestrel91316]

3. LA should use a move from the Bushco playbook and promise to pay

the money, and let the work be done, and then when it's time to pay, ignore requests for payment. Maybe not even open emails from DC about it.

Turnabout is fair play. Except by then it wouldn't be Bushco in charge, unless McSame wins.

[tanyev]

4. So I guess they won't be done by the time the Iowa and Missouri floodwaters

make it down to New Orleans?

[pitohui]

8. new orleans has a spillway, WE planned ahead, unlike those slobs in the midwest

considering how much hate we got from the midwest when we needed help in katrina then it's hard for me to care

if they don't like a little levee breakage they can follow their own advice from 2005 and move somewhere else

karma's a bitch, ain't it?

[tanyev]

9. Well, I'm glad to hear you don't think the flood waters will be a problem in New Orleans.

I was concerned that they would get slammed again. I feel bad for all of the flood victims. It's not good for any of us that so many farmers' crops have been ruined.

[pitohui]

10. i know what you're saying but i was so badly hurt in the storm

if there was one part of the country that shit on us, it was the midwest, as attested to by cruel emails and posts i received, it's funny, the coasts understood, california (a dry area) understood but it was "flyover" country that expended energy telling us that we shouldn't be rebuilt

there's a difference between crops going swimming (crop failure is a routine event in farming) and 2,000 people being drowned, and that's where i'm coming from

at the end of the day i do feel bad but it's mixed feelings

same flood in say california or mexico the feelings are completely unmixed because there is a feeling of "we're all in this together"

hard to explain and i feel bad in a way for having these feelings but in another way, corn going swimming ain't the same as people i knew personally going underwater so i hope you will forgive me for my screwed up emotions

[tanyev]

12. Anybody who made it through Katrina has a right to some screwed up emotions.

I wasn't sure if you thought I was trying to be snarky with my original question--it's really something I had been wondering about.

:hug:

[Thothmes]

5. Sounds like LA should consider an increase in taxes.

[pitohui]

7. sounds like you should consider never driving or heating your home again

we feed you and we fuel you and your answer is to tell us to fuck off and die

the only good i have seen in the midwest floods is all the jerkwads who emailed me and said new orleans should be abandoned because they thought their ass was safe in the midwest are now getting soggy as hell

if you wish me homeless and wet forever i wish the same to you

this is my prayer -- we provided you with decades of oil for nothing in return, so let justice and karma take its course

you know damn good and well that the average citizen of louisiana has NOTHING, just like the average citizen of any african or caribbean colony, you want to loot and to take but never to contribute your fair share

[fasttense]

11. But we have plenty of money for the occupation in Iraq.

Funny how that works out. Plenty of money for a fake war on terrorism but can't afford to help American citizens. Just how the neocons planned it. They still would like to get their hands on your Social Security, pensions and what remains of medicare.

[JackDragna]

13. This is bloody ridiculous.

Louisiana was promised by the government to have its levee system completely updated and restored. It all comes down to playing political games with the people here. Note that Mississippi, with its Republican governor, has received much higher aid per capita and isn't being yanked around by Washington.