Congressman Tancredo: Block Katrina Aid to Louisiana Politicians

Bayoubuzz.com ^ | Sept. 7, 2005 | Steve Sabludowsky

[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

[SJackson]

Rice Warns Israel: Don't Stop with Gaza; Don't Create "Facts on the Ground" East of Jerusalem

QUESTION: Yes, Madame Secretary, when the President spoke about your mission, part of it we understood was to convince the Palestinians that there was also an après Gaza, there was an after Gaza process there. Will you be discussing that with them and where are you going to start after Gaza?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, first we’re going to get through Gaza successfully. Because the real point about Gaza is not to stop with Gaza. The President has been clear, we’ve been clear with the Israelis that it cannot be Gaza only; there has to be a day after the successful withdrawal from the Gaza.

[planekT]

Give em hell Tom.

Why can't more of our reps speak the truth like this? If the people are behind you then none of the ba$tards can touch you.

And he's absolutely right. If you want don't want to see billions squandered and pilfered, don't turn the money over to crooks.

[faithincowboys]

Amen brother.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Thank you!! This is such a perfect illustration of how MSM twists and manipulates.

I gave up trying to find it on search : (

[freeangel]

nagin, blanco and landrieux are rubbing their hands together just waiting for the money to grease their palms. Why do you think they don't want the feds nosing around? That might incur some accountability.

[calcowgirl]

Good for Tancredo!

["quisling sock puppet".... perfect]

[NYC Republican]

You're the fraud, and the ignorant ASS, loser.

[demkicker]

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

TOM TANCREDO FOR PRESIDENT! HE'S ONE OF THE FEW IN WASHINGTON WITH COMMON SENSE AND A BACKBONE TO ARTICULATE THE TRUTH!

[Stellar Dendrite]

"You're the fraud, and the ignorant ASS, loser."

You're hilarious. You can't even defend your own statements.

Let me remind you of what you previously said

Again, another personal attack. Sweet

156 posted on 09/07/2005 5:57:02 PM CDT by NYC Republican


Hmm, you can attack Savage, Tancredo and me...but I can't "attack" you.

[bayourod]

Speaking of Internet stalkers, do you know whatever happened to Jude Doty?

[NYC Republican]

Your post is foolish, it's such a stretch, association by association, by association, that it comes across as sophmoric.

[NYC Republican]

I attacked you after you called me a fraud several times on this thread. Jerk

[Sidebar Moderator]

Some folks are going to the cooler before long if the personal attacks keep up.

[Stellar Dendrite]

"Your post is foolish, it's such a stretch, association by association, by association, that it comes across as sophmoric."

The only thing sophomoric is your intellectual honesty. What's a stretch? You associated all three right in this post:

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

[Das Outsider]

As far as your rant against tancredo and "selling" delay down the river" that is another lie. You just believed the media spin, which selectively edited his statements:

Yeah, that one was debunked a few days ago; but it keeps going on, and on, and on...

As far as the Savage-Buchanan-Tancredo thing goes, the charge is true in some cases. Out of that triumvirate, Tancredo is the most levelheaded and consistent. Pat's out in left field--except on immigration and trade agreements. Savage is nuts 50% of the time, but the 50% that he isn't keeps me listening after all this time. He and Pat have been ahead of the curve on different issues throughout the years. All three men are right on illegal immigration.

There's some overlap in what they say, but in general, this is another FROBL generalization, IOW, Stalinist smear.

[NYC Republican]

You've totally bored me, and everyone on this thread is bored by our conversation. I'm done responding to your drivel. I never said they have the same policies, again, you're twisting my comments. I've got better things to do than respond to your idiotic posts.

[SJackson]

Personally I'm not sure the quote was twisted all that much, but this isn't the thread for it.

[Centurion2000]

Tancredo for president.

BUMP

[Stellar Dendrite]

But the charge goes further than that, from buchanan-tancredo it gets turned into the "third party bush haters", to now associating savage by some. Obviously some folks cannot defend their own posts which speaks volumes....