Fired New Orleans city workers get final paychecks - Nagin, Blanco stunned (non Miers thread)

What you say should be said in the US House of Representatives.

I never embraced the corruption of this state or the government of the state or NO. Many people down here have fought it and suffered under it. I never embraced those ways nor did my family for the last two hundred years. So don't imagine for one minute that I am in favor of carte blance for the politicoes down here.

But your thoughts need to be said at the place where the decisions are to be made. And keep your personal contributions where you want to make them.

There are levels of response to what has happened here. I suggest that those who live in this state, who are doing our damnest to deal with and love our neighbors are not in a position to engage in the battle to come over this. The Congress is where that battle will be fought and that is where wise heads will be needed. I am under water here as are most of the good people around me. You cannot possibly know what is going on here.

But you need to say what you say where it matters. And you have to forgive me for saying that there is a bullying quality to your post which I am not sure you meant or not. But it is present all over this thread. That bulllying quality is profoundly alienating.

So do your part of this work by directing your comments, actions and influence where it matters. And leave us here to feed, clothes, house and support our fellow Louisianians. With the help of good people all over this country.

Democratic vermin did not destroy NO. Nature did.

And you are WRONG. The hurricane didn't destroy New Orleans. The flood that occurred after the storm due to the fact that the filthy corrupt government of Louisiana and New Orleans either siphoned off the flood control money into their pockets or used the money for inappropriate things, and that caused your substandard levies to fail and drown your city after the storm passed.

The people that run and have run Louisiana are filthy crat vermin.

But why should you expect me to pay to rebuild your town?

Stay and put it back together or go somewhere with a lower risk, but don't expect the taxpayers to make it all right again.

If there's a bullying quality to my post, it is because I am angry. To put it politely, I want to line Nagin, Landrieu, and Blanco up and bash on their faces till their legs no longer support them. I'm not a little guy, I know what the consequences of that would be, and still I want it.

I am angry at seeing people die needlessly. I am angry at seeing billions of dollars wasted. I am angry at ot being able to help people who need it, because in this case, helping them will in reality help those who have and will continue to hurt them.

Most of all I am angry at seeing essentially no steps taken to avoid an exact repetition of this event. Yesterday is yesterday, we can't do anything about that, except learn from mistakes and work not to repeat them. This is not happening.

You can do something about the idiots, at least theoretically. The recall process begins with you and ends with you, the people of the state. If this is beyond your current means, then indicate that this is what you wish and we will take it from there.

I fully intend to see that the information yet to be presented arrives in Legislative hands, and it will not stop there. Until it is completed, however, it goes no-where. For now, much shorter posts here at FR are all this is open to me.

The point of my earlier post was to present you with information, to show you precisely where the problem is. Identification of a problem is the second step in the resolution process, the first being recognizing that a problem exists.

If you read more into my post than that, I apologize, and take 50% of the blame. From your posts here, I have concluded that you see a huge set of problems facing you, do not kjnow where to start, and (at least in the case of your and my communications) perceive blame personally directed at you, which is not the case. I know how close the election was, I know what tactic Blanco used to win, it has nothing to do with you.

Something else I hoped you'd get from my post is that the small minority who adhere to the "no money for floodplain cities" ARE in fact in the minority, DO NOT significantly affect your future, and therefore, can safely be ignored.

Any river that drains 1/13th of the country will have a port. Any port will be built on an alluvial plain. Any such port will require people to staff it, and others to support the staffers. This is simple reality.

Additionally, nobody in the US can claim they live in an area free from risk, which makes any such claims bogus from square one.

I do not want to tell you what to do, but I could if asked.

Instead I choose to present to you the following:

1. We can only advise you, you still get to choose and we can't take that away.

2. The "no money for floodplains" crowd is a mathematical non-issue.

3. The "no money to rebuild a corrupt machine" is a huge issue, one that demands attention before all others.

Until the people of Louisiana indicate, loudly and frequently, that they no longer wish to be represented by the failures currently in office, this is as far as we can follow that path.

Until such time as we receive such indications, our options are limited to prosecuting violations of the laws.

We are being held hostage by your government. They are telling us that we cannot help you without lining their pockets. For now, they are right.

Lets see here...NO laid-off all the "non essential" workers, why is it that I don't give a s#it ?

I wonder if it's because "non essential" means ...They served no real purpose?

If there's a bullying quality to my post, it is because I am angry. To put it politely, I want to line Nagin, Landrieu, and Blanco up and bash on their faces till their legs no longer support them. I'm not a little guy, I know what the consequences of that would be, and still I want it.

I am angry at seeing people die needlessly. I am angry at seeing billions of dollars wasted. I am angry at ot being able to help people who need it, because in this case, helping them will in reality help those who have and will continue to hurt them.

Most of all I am angry at seeing essentially no steps taken to avoid an exact repetition of this event. Yesterday is yesterday, we can't do anything about that, except learn from mistakes and work not to repeat them. This is not happening.

You can do something about the idiots, at least theoretically. The recall process begins with you and ends with you, the people of the state. If this is beyond your current means, then indicate that this is what you wish and we will take it from there.

I fully intend to see that the information yet to be presented arrives in Legislative hands, and it will not stop there. Until it is completed, however, it goes no-where. For now, much shorter posts here at FR are all this is open to me.

The point of my earlier post was to present you with information, to show you precisely where the problem is. Identification of a problem is the second step in the resolution process, the first being recognizing that a problem exists.

If you read more into my post than that, I apologize, and take 50% of the blame. From your posts here, I have concluded that you see a huge set of problems facing you, do not kjnow where to start, and (at least in the case of your and my communications) perceive blame personally directed at you, which is not the case. I know how close the election was, I know what tactic Blanco used to win, it has nothing to do with you.

Something else I hoped you'd get from my post is that the small minority who adhere to the "no money for floodplain cities" ARE in fact in the minority, DO NOT significantly affect your future, and therefore, can safely be ignored.

Any river that drains 1/13th of the country will have a port. Any port will be built on an alluvial plain. Any such port will require people to staff it, and others to support the staffers. This is simple reality.

Additionally, nobody in the US can claim they live in an area free from risk, which makes any such claims bogus from square one.

I do not want to tell you what to do, but I could if asked.

Instead I choose to present to you the following:

1. We can only advise you, you still get to choose and we can't take that away.

2. The "no money for floodplains" crowd is a mathematical non-issue.

3. The "no money to rebuild a corrupt machine" is a huge issue, one that demands attention before all others.

Until the people of Louisiana indicate, loudly and frequently, that they no longer wish to be represented by the failures currently in office, this is as far as we can follow that path.

Until such time as we receive such indications, our options are limited to prosecuting violations of the laws.

We are being held hostage by your government. They are telling us that we cannot help you without lining their pockets. For now, they are right.

If GW Bush gives one cent to Mayor Nagin and Governor Kathleen Blanco, he will lose my support forever. The people of Louisiana that put Nagin and Blanco in office should be taxed to provide necessary funds to run the city of NO and the state of Louisiana. They were stupid enough to elect these morons, so let them pay for their mistakes. The people of Louisiana had a chance to fire these fools and they have done nothing but stand by like idiots as Louisiana descends into the dark ages!!! I say let them flounder, and see if the Democrat Party saves them!!!

I agree. The people who were hit by Rita can't get needed help because the criminals who were bused to Houston abused the system. Now Texans are paying the consequences --plus being stuck with the criminals!

I've been away from home for three weeks with a tree on my house and everywhere I go I am asked for a donation for Katrina victims or told the proceeds from my purchase will go to Katrina victims.

Color me angry!!!

There was an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer (a real rag!) this week about a couple in Lancaster (Amish Country) PA. The husband is recovering from heart surgery and also has dialysis 3 times a week. I believe they have a 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home. Several cars pulled up in front of their home with relatives from New Orleans, and a day or so later, more cars. There are now 49! people living in that home! All family, who say it is like a big reunion. A schedule is set up for the bathrooms--showers--"someone is always cooking". They don't have to buy groceries because people are always dropping off food and household and personal necessities.

The reporter was amazed that the coffee table was clear--no toys all over it--even with so many children. He (she?)was amazed at how orderly everything was, even with such a crowd. They are sleeping all over, in the garage, mattresses pushed to the sides of rooms. Cold weather will be here soon so they may have to come in from the garage--but they are all so happy to be safe and together.

The families say they cannot believe the generosity and friendliness of neighbors and even strangers. So far only 2 or 3 have been able to find jobs and are hopeful others will be able to do so. They are all looking forward to the wonderful Christmas they will have together. I wonder how many will return to New Orleans after seeing the beauty of the Lancaster countryside.

A group of churches in our area is hoping to sponsor a family, to provide a home and everything they need to re-establish themselves, whether temporarily or permanently, including a fund for living expenses, until they are able to be self-sufficient. We have wonderful schools here. From what I have read so many of the evacuees never had the financial means to move to another area. Every child deserves a decent education--that's the only way to ever get out of poverty. So we are all hoping a family will arrive!

It seems to me now that many of those who have been forced to leave New Orleans have hope for a better life.

We pray for all the flood victims every day altho none of us can imagine what you are going thru!

You don't see people of all stripes and colors from Texas, Mississippi, West Louisiana, Alabama and Florida whining and complaining about their lot in life. They just turn to, play the hand they are dealt, and do like all hard working working Americans do, they get moving to get the job done. It presents a stark contrast to the leadership and people of New Orleans that bitch at every little thing. Such is the lot of the Democrat Party "welfare state" of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Remember the old days when cities had reserve funds?

There's usually a delay between the time the state collects taxes and the time the city's share gets passed down. These guys must have operating the city paycheck-to-paycheck. What a great example of fiscal responsibility.... /sarc.

It is not my town, it is everyone's town. I don't live there.

If you will delight in seeing this state go bankrupt and don't mind the human cost of this, go right ahead.

I don't like you at all anymore. I did once. But now not.

New Orleans was a failed city before the hurricane. The clearly did not reinforce the levies to meet the threat of a cat 4 hurricane despite the obvious risk, and they did not mobilize to evacuate or care for their own residents. Beyond that, the school system is utterly corrupt and broken: http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/kinnan200509150849.asp

Thanks for your reply and suggestion to move. We are already planning to return to Massachusetts, but I'm having a problem with the portability of our Section 8 voucher.

It's been explained to me that, in the two years since we moved to Louisiana, the HUD regulations have changed for the worse. It didn't pose a problem for us to move from an area where the rents were high (about $1,400 for a 2 BR unit) to another part of the country where the rents were low (only $400 for a very similar 2 BR unit).

However, trying to do the move in reverse is very complicated. A Louisiana housing authority simply will not reimburse a Massachusetts housing authority for that extra thousand dollars per month. Moving back requires going from town to town in Massachusetts (each municipality has its own housing authority) and begging them to completely re-absorb the voucher into their budget. I finally found a city which could take just one voucher, and now I'm in the process of transferring it back up North.

I'm explaining this in detail because it's very important to debunk the myth that people who were issued Section 8 vouchers can literally take them anywhere they want.

For example, I also considered going back to my hometown in New Jersey. While the county housing authority had no problem with absorbing the voucher from Louisiana, the caseworker advised me that the trick is to find an apartment within their price range. The cap is only $1,132 for a 2 BR unit, but almost every landlord I contacted wanted $1,800 and up. Several rental agents said that they did not accept Section 8 because their criteria was that a prospective tenant's monthly income had to be at least three times the rent. I finally did track down a couple of landlords willing to take Section 8, but since I'm from the area, I don't need TV cameras to tell me those particular complexes are probably submerged at the moment. After the hurricanes in Louisiana, I don't need to go home to New Jersey and deal with floodwaters, too, sigh...

But to answer your question, as soon as I resolve some pending insurance settlements, I'll have enough money to leave Louisiana and not look back. Still, I don't regret the two years we've spent here, because it was a tremendous learning experience that made me appreciate just how good we had it in the Northeast. It's just time for the spaceship to airlift us back to our "home planet" -- ET, phone home!!!