This editorial greeted Chimpy on his visit to NOLA

[CatWoman]

EDITORIAL: Treat us fairly, Mr. President
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Nobody wants to have to compete for disaster relief.

But that is what Louisianians have had to do in the two years since Hurricane Katrina struck.

Despite massive destruction caused by the failure of the federal government's levees during Katrina, despite the torment caused by FEMA's slow response to the disaster, despite being hit by a second powerful hurricane less than a month later, Louisiana has had to plead to be treated fairly by our leaders in Washington.

Louisiana had three times more damaged homes and seven times more severely damaged homes than Mississippi. Universities in this state had three times as many students displaced and had four times the losses of Mississippi's campuses. Louisiana fisheries suffered almost 75 percent of the damage done by Katrina, and our hospitals lost 97 percent of the hospital beds closed by the storm.

Yet in every case, Mississippi ended up with a disproportionate share of aid. Housing grants, for instance: Mississippi got $5.5 billion in Community Development Block Grant money for its 61,000 damaged homes. Louisiana, with 204,000 damaged homes, got $10.4 billion. If the aid were given out proportionately, this state would have gotten twice that much.



Some people point to the clout of Mississippi's congressional delegation as the reason. Others say that Louisiana's reputation for political chicanery has hurt us.

Frankly, neither should be an issue. The people of Louisiana are no less deserving of disaster aid because their representatives are newer to Congress or because some of the people we trusted to lead us turned out to be scoundrels.

As President Bush returns today to mark the second anniversary of Katrina, this is what Louisianians need him to remember:

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1188367660232970.xml&coll=1

[monmouth]

1. If only he would/could read it...nt

[Critters2]

2. This LA Times POS, reprinted in the Chicago Trib (also a POS),

praises Mississippi's "shrewd politicians":

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0829edit4aug29,0,4646284.story

:eyes:

[partylessinOhio]

3. I understand from Hardball that the school children had to be kept under

tight control today because they wanted to be quite vocal on what they thought of Bush at his visit to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology in New Orleans, Louisiana . I did note that the prinicipal was stiff with him at her introduction and welcome.

U.S. President George W. Bush makes a statement
on the Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts
at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School
for Science and Technology as Principal Doris Hicks
listens in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 29, 2007.