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Like kissing babies, the congressional delegation’s visit to New Orleans makes for good photo op’s. Almost three years after the big one Pelosi is trying to convince us that the folks in Washington really give a shit. The stories of Pelosi personally helping a couple of individuals get their recovery funds, loses site of the bigger picture of the recovery and the trickle of federal funds getting into the hands of the people. I guess in an election year we should expect to get this kind of attention, after all it’s like kissing babies.

When it comes to paying our fair share for levee protection I think Jindal’s approach is reasonable.

From T.P.

But they continue to deal with other state requests. Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday that his top priority is to persuade his former congressional colleagues to give the state 30 years to pay its $1.8 billion share of levee construction costs, rather than the three years signed into law last month.

Of course Mayor do nothing thinks we should pay nothing. The pay nothing approach doesn’t help our hand out, welfare reputation that many people around the country have of us. We do need to share in the cost of our levee protection.

From T.P.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin hoped for a more generous arrangement, arguing that the state and local governments shouldn’t have to pay anything for the levee work.

“While I support the governor’s compromise position on federal funding for this protection and appreciate his advocacy, I believe that this city and this region deserve 100 percent federal funding for this flood protection system,” Nagin said.

If you watched any of the television news coverage of the delegation’s visit you will notice that Dollar Bill Jefferson seemed to be in every shot. If he were really interested in the state getting more recovery funds he would not show his face. Seeing that crook asking for more money for the state can only hurt our cause.

From my cynical and jaded perspective I would say, don’t expect great things to come out of this visit. It is a facade by the democratic party who are trying to convince the american people that they are they party that cares.

But it is more attention than we get from the reds who could care less. If you can’t blow it up or kill it those guys could care less.

I guess the Jeffersons cleaned out their refrigerators. Dollar Bill having trouble raising campaign funds is a good sign.

In today’s Times Pic there is an article about the defections of five of Nagin’s top staffers. There are a number of reasons that are given for these staffers leaving, including frustration with the process of getting recovery funds where they need to be.

The stress of putting a city back together also might be weighing on top directors, who long have complained that contentious battles with state and federal leaders have delayed rebuilding, Burns said.

“The people who are involved in the recovery may just be growing frustrated with the pace of the job,” he said.

Indeed, the officials who have resigned all worked directly on rebuilding matters or other storm-related issues.

Frankly I feel it was the responsibility of some of these folks who are leaving, to make the process a little less contentious. The Nagin administration has been quick to blame everyone else involved for causing the problems with cash flow. Seldom if ever has the Nagin Administration taken responsibility for the shortcomings of the staff at City Hall for not getting paper work done in a timely fashion.

If you ask me, and by the way nobody has, it looks more like rats leaving a sinking ship.

As the flooding in the Midwest continues to cause havoc and destruction, I can only think that the river is taking back what belongs to her. Living in New Orleans we are well aware of the battle of man against nature. Nature however is going to win the war in the end. Is there anything that humans can do to stem this tide, not really in the end New ORleans like Venice Italy will eventually be under water. WE do however continue to put off the inevitable, we have quite an investment both emotionally and financially to the property that the river and nature in general is trying to repossess. Have we chosen the right weapons to even put up a proper fight, our weapons being levees. Have the politics that are involved in our efforts to control the river played a part in the current situation. This battle is nothing new, I would hope that anyone who lives near the Mississippi River or who depends on levees to protect their lives and property read John Barry’s Rising Tide:The Great Mississippi Flod of 1927 and How It Changed America.

When you view the photo in todays Picayune where Sen. Ann Duplessis has her fist raised in the air you would think that the legislature might have done something important, like found a solution to our disappearing wetlands. Or maybe the senator figured out a way to restore her devastated district. But no she is celebrating the fact that against the will of the people they doubled their salaries.

On this morning’s news Duplessis stated that the people don’t know what they really do, the meetings, yada,yada,yada. One thing the people do know is what they don’t get done. In three years when these folks are up for re-election if the results of their actions don’t meet the size of their salaries I expect many of them to be voted out of office. I know during the next election cycle I will be reminding my readers of the fist in the air salute that symbolizes the legislature’s contempt for the opinion of the people they represent.

Maybe it’s because they don’t have anything better to do. Many of the parks and recreation areas that would normally host baseball leagues and other activities to keep our thirteen year olds occupied are still trashed after having been used for trailer parks. Of course the city and FEMA are still haggling over who should pay to clean and restore these recreation areas.

From T.P.

The park sits idle because of protracted negotiations between the city and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Citywide, none of the 15 parks used for FEMA trailers have been returned to service. Instead, the parks stand empty, surrounded by fences draped with raggedy green fabric, topped with crushed stone and crisscrossed by electric lines and white PVC sewer pipes. Metal thieves have nabbed many of the electric boxes, neighbors say. Other than that, nothing’s been touched.

So the next time you hear about a thirteen year old being arrested or murdered, lets put the responsibility on the heads of the people who are responsible for it. FEMA and the government of the City of New Orleans. They only think of themselves, I guess they have forgotten that their primary purpose is to serve the people. Maybe they can come up with a solution when they have their next power lunch at Commanders.

The Louisiana legislature is about to vote to triple their salaries, there seems to be a public outcry against this. A raise is not the problem it is the amount. Thier justification is that their salaries have not kept up with the cost of living, I say whose salary has. Since they will become some of the highest paid legislators in the country the state should move to number one in all categories such as education, infrastructure etc. After all the highest paid legislators ought to be able to bring the status of the state to number one.

I guess my real problem is that when you add this raise to what they steal they are all making well into six figures. I won’t curse them publicly but my regular readers can figure out what I am saying under my breath.

The Times Picayune won’t let the City Hall credit card issue go. Apparently these credit cards are being used for fine dining and party throwing. Whether or not the use of these cards is official or not the problem seems to be that the users of these cards are not providing the proper documentation which seems to be the one requirement for using them.

From T.P.

The 1999 memo is clear on one point: Expenses can be covered by the city only if documentation is supplied.

“Bills, receipts and other documents must be checked for accuracy before payment or acceptance,” it reads in part. “Reimbursement should be requested only for reasonable and necessary official expenses.”

My problem with the whole thing is what makes public servants feel they deserve such perks. Our underachieving local government doesn’t deserve to be eating high on the hog while we have police and fire stations that need to be repaired. Streets that look like they have been bombed, and a urban blight problem that makes the city look like a scene out of a Mad Max movie. I wonder when the reality of the slow pace of progress will sink in with our elected officials. I wonder if they realize how much some people in the city are struggling to keep their heads above water. ( no pun intended.) As far as I am concerned they should take these credit cards away from all who hold them. Let them use their own credit cards for these events and be reimbersed later. That’s the way it is where I work. Even better maybe they need to get a brown bag and make themselves a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. Mr. Cerasoli where are you?

The Mayor’s comments about Kenya Smith being a critical part of building a better city makes me want to puke. I can’t think of very much that has been rebuilt better than it was before the storm. This is the same place it was before only torn up. The New New Orleans is not happening we have the same problems we did before, some of them even worse. I don’t mind living here but I would appreciate it if our elected officials would stop trying to convince people that we are living in a new and improved city. It’s just not true. You don’t know how hard it was for me to post this without using profanity. Ahh shit, what the hell the mayor is a fuckmook.

From WWL

“Kenya has been a critical part of our work to recover and to build an even better city for the future,” said Mayor C. Ray Nagin. “His passion and strategic vision have been invaluable. I thank him for his hard work and wish him every happiness and success in the future.”

Don’t be surprised if Kenya runs for elected office in the future.

The city council has decided to make it’s contracts public by posting them on their web page.

Continuing a drive to make information about city government more accessible to the public, the New Orleans City Council has decided to place all the professional-services contracts it awards on its Web site.

They are also considering passing an ordinance that would require the mayor’s office do the same.

From T.P.

The ordinance, which the council could vote on June 5, would further require that all professional-services contracts awarded by any department “within the control of the mayor” must be placed on the city’s Web site “in a conspicuous manner and an easy-to-use format.”

This is a good thing, the public has a right to know how their money, not the mayors’s money not the council’s money but money that belongs to the citizens of New Orleans i sbeing spent. I am pretty sure that even if the ordinance is passed that the mayor’s minions will delay and obtruct getting the information on the city’s web page. That’s just the way the “cable guy” does business. Why would a mayor who is doing a good job be so afraid of letting the public know what is going on behind the scenes? Could it be that he is not doing such a good job after all.