Katrina Fraud Likely To Balloon Past $1B

WFRV.COM ^ | CHRISTMAS DAY | AP

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

If it's one thing the MSM/Dims know how to do, is play politics. They set the Bush administration up beautifully.

They demanded action from him, blamed him when things (to their perception) didn't turn out right, and when he did take action & responsibility, they point out the massive abuse of fraud & waste (like the debit cards for example, the things liberals were advocating for and wanted FEMA to provide, then denounced Bush for handing them out when people started abusing them)

Can't win with liberals. Should've just declared NOLA a tax-free zone for 5 years and private enterprise would've fixed that area up in no time.

[RightWhale]

$200 billion in FedAid and only $1 billion goes to fraud? Does anybody still believe in the Tooth Fairy?

[rellimpank]

---yep--the upcoming "investigations" into the "Katrina" situation would be fun to watch except that the fact that most of the cheating will have been by Demotraitors will be covered up--

[freekitty]

I agree. Doesn't it seem strange with all the fraudulent happenings going someone would be prepared for that and then take action or is that to sane.

[SIDENET]

Should've just declared NOLA a tax-free zone for 5 years and private enterprise would've fixed that area up in no time.

Not a bad idea.

[rawcatslyentist]

>"Does anybody still believe in the Tooth Fairy?"

Apparently the DB enMedia does! She's their only source for "fakcts".

[FlingWingFlyer]

This won't be the first OR LAST time millions of dollars were wasted because someone played the race card. The taxpayers have no one to blame for this but themselves. They bought the garbage spewed by the liberal MSM that the Bush Administration didn't pump millions of dollars into New Orleans because people in the Bush administration are a bunch of racists.

[rellimpank]

--yep--wonder how Wal-mart and Home Depot are doing by now there in the NO basin---

[TomGuy]

The propriety of four no-bid contracts together worth $400 million to Shaw Group Inc., Bechtel Group Inc., CH2M Hill Companies Ltd., and Fluor Corp. that were awarded without competition.

Some of those are also big contractors in Iraq. Go figure!

[jwparkerjr]

They fail to mention that it takes pretty deep pockets to be ready to respond to a Katrina or a Wilma, or an ice storm in New York, or a tornado in Kansas. Those expenses go on whether there's a need for the services for not. Look at the Gulf Coast this year. Mom and Pop companies simply can't afford to have trucks and bulldozers and generators and chainsaws and draglines and tractors and staffing for all of that on the chance they will get a contract MAYBE. It's the big companies that have work all over the US that can keep that staffing and equipment busy year-'round that are in a position to move into a Pascagoula, MS on less than a week's notice and begin to clear away debris so other crews and property owners can get in to evaluate the damage and start to recover.

It's so easy to point the finger, and feign a concern for the "little guy" when your audience has little understanding or appreciation for what is needed to even bid on one of those contracts, let alone get the people and machinery in there and get the job done.

[sgtbono2002]

Liberals were screaming do more, do more---do it NOW,do it Now. They screamed and they yelled and George fell for it, Rushed in money haphazardly and now they will blame him for rushing and fraud.

A blind man could see this coming from a mile away.

[umgud]

Let me step in here and defend the gov't, who I typically have a lot of criticism for.

Gov't contracting is difficult at best and to keep things fair, the gov't has numerous programs for small and minority businesses. Unfortunately, most of these small businesses aren't qualified and don't have the resources to take on large projects, especially large emegency services contracts.

Large contractors, capable of such large undertaking are actually very few and in the case of an emergency, it is common for the contract to go to the contractor who can convince the gov't that their company is up to the task.

Unfortunately, this looks pretty bad in retrospect and the MSM and any who feel slighted use this to scream they've been screwed by an out of control gov't.

[ExTexasRedhead]

I would instruct federal law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute Katrina fraud including attempting to recoup the $$.

[VastRWCon]

That's exactly why I didn't give a penny. The MSM turned me off to giving. To this day they blame President Bush... give me a break. Stupid sheeple.

[ICE-FLYER]

Just remember one thing all...The democrats are simply going to say you're a bunch of "racists" because you will dare to point out fraud among so many who are black & Democrat! If they own and frame the debate then it will never be anything other than you're a bunch of racists cat calls that the media will dutifully promote.

[ExTexasRedhead]

I don't think the American people will care what the RATS cry about because it's "our" money that was stolen.

[RckyRaCoCo]

A blind man could see this coming from a mile away.

absolutely...a fool and his OUR money.

[PAR35]

$200 billion in FedAid and only $1 billion goes to fraud?

The waste number is going to be much higher than the fraud number.

[Brilliant]

I'm sure that every disaster has this kind of fraud--and probably quite often on the same scale. The difference is that because it's a GOP administration, the media writes about it, while they will ignore it if a Democrat is in the White House.

[meyer]

Almost the entire federal aid spent in New Orleans would be considered fraud in my book.