"Wouldn't it have been standard practice for the City Auditor to check the payroll practices of the N.O.P.D.?"
You mean the New Orleans City auditor? This would be someone that shares DNA and/or a surname with many other Louisiana politicos. And they know about every indiscretion in the auditors past, present, and future. The only way to audit this whole mess, is outside and independent.
You mean the New Orleans City auditor? This would be someone that shares DNA and/or a surname with many other Louisiana politicos
Sounds logical. Naive on my part. What a mess!
You are correct. Look, if you carry the title of "elected public official" in Lousiana, there is just no way in hell that you don't know which side of the bread has the butter on it.
Start from dog catcher in BooHoo Parish (if elected) and go right to the top. EVERY public official in Lousiana is on the take, involved with those that do the "giving", or has made a deal with everyone in between. The term "mobbed up" does not just refer to the traditional mob, but to the homegrown, historical Lousiana battalion of corrupt public officials.
It's a freakin' tradition and it has a very long (Long-as in Huey, Earl, etc.) history.
If you think that Blanco and Nagin are/were not aware of the political climate in LA, you are living in a dream world. If you think that ol' Ray got elected on his charm and his good offices, you are living in a super dream world.
If you think that anyone with the last name of Landrieu is not on the take, knows who is on the take, arranged the take, controls the take, profits from the take, and gets elected because of the take, you are living in a dream world.
There are no good guys in this deal. Not a cop, not an elected official, not a job that relies on an elected official. They are all dirty. Right now they are running scared. The city aldermen, the school board, the Levee boards, the public works officers, the legal establishment. THEY ALL KNOW. Will they pay? Not unless the feds really go after them.
They are looking right now for ways to weasel out.
This stuff is common knowledge, and has been since my family lived in South Lousiana before the War of Northern Agression.
It's always been that way, only the names have changed.