Blanco, we have a problem...
No problem. Just give Blank-o, say, a few gazillion dollars and she'll fix it. Probably leave the ship right there and turn it into a casino.
Posted on 09/24/2005 11:58:21 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
BATON ROUGE — Gov. Kathleen Blanco on Saturday proposed creating a nonprofit group, funded with nearly $2 billion in federal money, that would provide services to evacuated Louisiana residents, much as refugees are settled in this country after fleeing political persecution overseas.
The Family Recovery Corps would rely almost entirely on federal money, plus some donations, Blanco aides said. It was unclear who would run the noprofit, which relief groups and government agencies would be involved and how contracts with the relief groups would be arranged.
Blanco said the Corps "will certainly not be inexpensive." She contacted President Bush about funding on Thursday, before Hurricane Rita struck, but has not heard back, said Andy Kopplin, Blanco's chief of staff.
"I think (Bush) will welcome this idea," Blanco said at a news conference.
Blanco said she envisioned the Corps as manned by "a cadre of trained workers, trained to know what benefits are available and how families can access those benefits. They will connect benefits to families -- families from all walks of life."
The plan, released to reporters late Saturday, said Blanco will appoint a senior executive from the private sector to lead the group, along with an advisory board, whose members will help with management and fund-raising.
As planned, the Corps would provide a single clearinghouse of information and assistance to the estimated 1.3 million residents who were driven from their homes by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, scattering into shelters and the homes of friends and family members elsewhere in Louisiana and around the country.
Its staff would work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross and other non-governmental agencies to get help for refugees who need housing, health care, counseling, job training, help enrolling children in school and many other services, said Ann Williamson, head of Louisiana's Department of Social Services.
Since Katrina hit and the evacuations began, Blanco has repeatedly said the refugees need to return so Louisiana's economy, communities and culture can recover from the storms.
"The damage Rita leaves behind makes approving this plan even more pressing," she said.
As budgeted, Blanco's plan calls for spending an average of $4,100 on each family to be served. Each family would also get an average of $1,300 in financial support to cover additional costs.
Williamson said about 5.3 percent of the proposed $1.99 billion budget -- about $100 million -- would go toward administrative costs.
One nonprofit that was involved in creating the plan, and planned to be involved in the Corps, was the Washington, D.C.-based International Rescue Committee, which helps get job training, housing, counseling and other services for political refugees given asylum in the U.S. The group has had representatives in Baton Rouge since the days after Katrina struck, said Christine Petrie, its national resettlement director.
"The sooner we start to serve these individuals, the sooner they will have the opportunity to participate in their plan to return" to Louisiana, Petrie said.
Hold on, I have a few billion sitting around somwhere here...oh, here it is, in a shoe box. Sure, she can have it, I wasn't going to use it.
I swear, politicians are using natural disasters to act like kids in a candy store. We can have whatever we want, because we're not the ones paying for it!
I'm sure there are already non-profits that currently provide these exact same services.
This is nothing more than a Democrat politician trying to create another organization from which to either steal money or to buy votes.
She's sucking up to the President right now.. heard her with Geraldo and he asked if she had been maligned over this and she said she AND the President had been unfairly maligned... when asked about Nagin she refused to respond.
Does anyone have the full audio of the pre-Katrina conference calls? NPR makes only a few brief excerpts available online. I want to hear what the Governess said.
She has to spend 2 billion to tell people how to access more billions? I don't think this woman could organize a one car funeral procession.
Sounds like Blanco and her fellow banditos have found just the vehicle to direct all that loot their way. Add Landreau's $200 billion to that and off they go.
Heck, for two billion I could run one heck of a non profit and guarantee it would stay that way.
They are not going to get back any of their people who were on welfare IMO. Texas gave them a better place to live and jobs for those wanting to exit the great society programs.
Just more taxpayer money wasted by Dem idiots to make sure that other idiots are in their districts to vote for them.....
If there were any justice in the world, Blank-O would be trying to steal 2 billion dollars to pay her lawyers and other bribes to defend her from her well deserved impeachment.
The State of Louisiana needs a "Government Recovery Corps"
Blanco continues to impress me that she is just not very bright. She trails off and on and on, on the news and I think she's just not uptopar as to capability to handle these very difficult tasks. Thus, she fantasizes along the lines of grandiosity and deliberation and such, just as she appears to have done in the critical days leading up to and just after Hurricane Katrina.
In all due respect, she just seems incompetent to be governor, particuarly now at this critical time. I think someone should consider taking steps to circumvent her and/or replace her due to the severity of the situation and issues presently needed solutions, and affecting so many in such huge dollar and human condition degrees.
Anybody that falls for this crap should be shot.
How stupid does this goofball think we are?
Just a blatant attempt at more theft and corruption in LA.
A billion here, a billion there. Pretty soon she's gonna be talking about real money.
Of course! Each person who fails to come back to Louisiana is a lost vote for the Democrats. Each voter they can get back is money well spent!
Man, what a plan! Get Bush to blow a billion dollars to get the Democrat voters back. In the process, we crooks running Louisiana can skim untold millions into our own pockets.
What a country!
Sounds like Blanco! Gimme the cash and trust me to spend it correctly.
No problem. Just give Blank-o, say, a few gazillion dollars and she'll fix it. Probably leave the ship right there and turn it into a casino.
Next, Blanko will be demanding Pres. Bush send out military troops to force the Democrat hostages back to the plantation. Note how they are now considered "refugees" when it comes time for the big pay off, when before this Jesse squealed that the term was racist.
The feds are fools if they let the LA pols get their hands on any resettlement funds. They've already embezzled enough federal money for preparedness and levee maintenance, but they keep coming back for more.
Like I've been saying, they care only for the lost votes. Without their slaves, they can't win their elections. They are alarmed that so many DON'T want to come back to the hell-hole they escaped. I really hope these folks won't be tempted to re-enslave themselves.
Blanco said she envisioned the Corps as manned by "a cadre of trained workers, trained to know what benefits are available and how families can access those benefits. They will connect benefits to families -- families from all walks of life."
She has to spend 2 billion to tell people how to access more billions? I don't think this woman could organize a one car funeral procession."
Didn't Hillary create the 211 official help line to tie these organizations to the 'needy'?
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