Posted on 09/07/2005 1:58:44 PM PDT by COUNTrecount
WASHINGTON, DC. - Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) wrote a letter to Speaker Hastert, urging him to direct federal hurricane relief aid through channels other than Louisiana public officials. Citing incompetence and a history of corruption, Tancredo said a bipartisan select committee of the House should administer the aid and provide accountability for the $52 billion requested. The letter is reprinted below:
Dear Mr. Speaker,
Given the abysmal failure of state and local officials in Louisiana to plan adequately for or respond to the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans, and given the long history of public corruption in Louisiana, I hope the House will refrain from directly appropriating any funds from the public treasury to either the state of Louisiana or the city of New Orleans. Instead, reconstruction and relief funds dedicated to the people of New Orleans should be administered by a private organization or a select committee similar to the historic Truman Commission.
Public corruption is a well known problem in Louisiana. The head of the FBI in New Orleans just this past year described the state´s public corruption as "epidemic, endemic, and entrenched. No branch of government is exempt." Over the last thirty years, a long list of Louisiana politicians have been convicted of crimes; the list includes a governor, an attorney general, an elections commissioner, an agriculture commissioner, three successive insurance commissioners, a congressman, a federal judge, a State Senate president, six other state legislators, and a host of appointed officials, local sheriffs, city councilmen, and parish police jurors. Given the documented public corruption in the state, I am not confident that Louisiana officials can be trusted to administer federal relief aid.
Clearly the federal response from FEMA in the aftermath of the hurricane was hampered by bureaucratic ineptitude. Making matters worse, the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana have demonstrated mind-boggling incompetence in their lack of planning for and response to this disaster. According to one recent media report, "A year ago, as Hurricane Ivan approached, New Orleans ordered an evacuation but did not use city or school buses to help people evacuate. As a result many of the poorest citizens were unable to evacuate. Fortunately, the hurricane changed course and did not hit New Orleans, but both Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin acknowledged the need for a better evacuation plan...[but] did not take corrective actions. In 1998, during a threat by Hurricane George, 14,000 people were sent to the Superdome and theft and vandalism were rampant due to inadequate security. Again, these problems were not corrected."
The city of New York, by comparison, had no advance warning of 9/11. Yet Mayor Giuliani and Governor Pataki displayed tremendous leadership in managing a chaotic situation in the city. Their leadership inspired confidence in their ability to manage the emergency and coordinate federal aid In contrast, despite knowing days in advance about the coming hurricane, Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin seem to have done little beyond encouraging residents to leave the city or gather at the Superdome. City school and transit buses could have carried 12,000 persons per run out of the city, yet they sat idle in parking lots under water - while both the Mayor and Governor criticized the federal response.
In the coming days, tens of billions of dollars will likely flood Louisiana to address the costs of rescue, clean up, and rebuilding. The question is not whether Congress should provide for those in need, but whether state and local officials who have been derelict in their duty should be trusted with that money. Their record during Hurricane Katrina and the long history of public corruption in Louisiana convinces me that that they should not.
Sincerely,
Tom Tancredo
"Stellar -once again, you try to get into a personal squabble with me."
It is my right to defend a man you spend the majority of your time on FR trying to denounce and discredit.
"Quit with the 80% Savage posts - it's a bunch of BS.""
It certainly isn't, at the point we started debating. You certainly are obsessed with the continual phrases "savage is a loon" "savage is a nut" etc etc.
"Why don't you try countering that by showing your side of that argument, rather than trying, again, to attack me?"
What's there to counter when all you do is post the same drivel over and over, savage is a loon, savage is a nut and the like? I will continue to attack you when I see the majority of your posts here dedicated to defaming this man.
"Savage calls for price controls on gas, blasts Bush for Katrina, calls for Bush's impeachment, said often that there was NO difference between Kerry and Bush, says that we should leave Iraq immediately. Am I listening to Err America, or Savage?"
Again you are mischaracterizing his statements. For someone that says he's such a loser and a loon, you sure seem to listen to him HAHA.
Price controls on gas, isn't good but who said you have to agree with everything? He also said other things in the same breath like cut off welfare and services to illegals, oil for illegals, etc.
He said we should leave iraq immediately if we dont FIGHT, which means not having soldiers under fraud investigations like Pantano and not having to be shot at before shooting back.
There is no one better to attack liberalism than Savage, he calls both parties on it. He isnt afraid to call a commie a commie, describe the press' dangerous marxist agenda, etc.
"I attack Savage, you attack me. Real smooth."
Awww, playing the victim card.....real smooth.
I'm in the top 10!! I'll do it!!
Again, I'll ask that you refrain from the personal attacks on me. For the last time.
"I'm a fraud because I hate Savage? I guess most FReepers are frauds then, right?"
Nice try to distract from the intent of that post. Can you even read? You tried to allude to the fact that Delay was this ultra conservative and I posted proof that Tancredo is right up there with him. You also mischaracterized his statements about "selling delay down the river".
However, yes you are a fraud because again the overwhelming # of your posts (80% or so) have to deal with denouncing savage with the same useless drivel.
Always mistrust anything the MSM reports. They twisted Condi Rice's words regarding the Gaza pullout. A FReeper posted the actual statement.
It killed me to see what I thought was Rice's kowtowing to the terrorists. It kills me even more that I didn't have faith.
"Again, another personal attack. Sweet"
Awww...you can sit here and attack savage 80% of the time with the same drivel but you can't take it when called to task on your BS. Poor baby!
Do you have a link to her real comments? I would like to see that, as I too was disappointed in what I thought she said: "it cannot be gaza only"
It's YOU that's trying to distort. Show me where I challenged Tancredo's conservative credentials. Otherwise, drop it.
oops, I ment NAACP... not ACLU (blush/)
"president doesn't decide where the money goes."
I think if he took a clear position, he might have a chance of making it happen. And in any case, you don't seem to know the first rule of politics, which is:
Take a position and educate the public. The president, any serious political person, must get out there and tell the public what he/she believes is right.
As for calling me a Tancredo worshiper and a Bush hater ...
you have no reason for either comment. I am a Tancredo admirer, and a Bush supporter who knows and criticizes the man's flaws.
I won't make up a name for you, but I could think of some.
Savage is a public figure, so I can freely discuss my views about him. I'm NOT.
Consider the source.
The search function and I do not get along. I think it was posted in August. I'll see what I can find.
Ping for a little help. Thanks! (Clarification on what Condi really said, as opposed to what MSM printed, regarding the Gaza pullout.)
"It's YOU that's trying to distort. Show me where I challenged Tancredo's conservative credentials. Otherwise, drop it."
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to illustrate what a fraud you are. In response to this post:
One professional fundraising Congressman writes a publicity seeking letter and the third-party Bush haters start wetting their panties. It's the return of Buchanan sillies.
56 posted on 09/07/2005 4:24:08 PM CDT by bayourod
To which you replied:
To: bayourod; Dane <---notice your "friends"
That's hysterical! LOL!!! I agree fully.
116 posted on 09/07/2005 5:18:21 PM CDT by NYC Republican
Then you said:
Many of these Tancredo followers are the same folks who love Buchanan and Savage. hmmmm.
122 posted on 09/07/2005 5:23:24 PM CDT by NYC Republican
Now you're trying to associate Buchanan, Savage and Tancredo. Tancredo is pro-iraq war while buchanan is against it, tancredo is pro-israel while buchanan is not.
In fact Savage denounced Buchanan for his anti-WWII column. On top of that you say Savage is worse than "Air America", meaning he's a liberal-- so that must show what you think of Tancredo by associating him with the other two. And your initial agreement with Bayourod's post (a OBL troll who has been banned numerous times, dane's been banned too) -- which equates Tancredo supporters with Bush haters.
"Savage is a public figure, so I can freely discuss my views about him. I'm NOT."
LOL!!!!!! What you have a problem with though is people pointing out that 80% or so of your posts are filled with the same drivel about Savage.....you call that an "attack" and whine like no other. Hmm...
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