New Orleans Wants Ex-Residents Counted (Hey Ray, you're not supposed to advertise fraud!)

WSJ ^ | 7/20/2009 | COREY DADE

[markomalley]

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is calling on former residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to claim their old city addresses in next year's census, drawing criticism for trying to circumvent rules for winning federal funds.

The mayor -- encouraged that New Orleans has thrown off its post-Katrina malaise to become the U.S.'s fastest-growing big city by percentage -- wants the U.S. Census Bureau to grant an exception for its former residents, currently living elsewhere, who want to rebuild homes in New Orleans.

There's one problem: The mayor's plan is illegal, according to the Census Bureau. Federal law requires the Census Bureau to count all U.S. residents where they reside as of April 1, 2010, when the nationwide tally will begin.

"Any individual who does something like that is going to hurt the place where they are living, and hurt New Orleans," said Katherine Smith, a Census Bureau spokeswoman.

The stakes for localities are high. The census, which occurs every 10 years, is used to determine the disbursement of more than $300 billion in federal grants, as well as the reapportionment of congressional and state legislative seats for the next decade. Both procedures are based primarily on population size, with the largest jurisdictions traditionally receiving the most dollars and elected representatives.

[ken21]

life on the democrat plantation.

[tcrlaf]

What’s next??? Counting Whites as only 3/5ths of a person???

[Thanks RR Rest Well]

Fastest growing city by percentage? Wow, the city's recovery sure improved as soon as Obama took office! We all know that nothing good happened there while W was still in charge.
(Just found that my spell checker that used to give me Osama as an option to Obama now directs me to Obadiah - now that's change we can believe in!)

[ridesthemiles]

I used to live in :
Middleton, Wis
Madison Wis
Kenosha Wis
Milwaukee Wis
Los Angeles Cal
Reseda Cal
Grass Valley Cal
Redmond Ore

I now live in N Nevada.
Using Nagin’s attitude, I would be counted 8 times too many.

How can the NAACP and the Dimocraps keep supporting such blatant stupidity???

[Political Junkie Too]

Can every city count the people who moved away as still living there?

-PJ

[ridesthemiles]

I used to live in :
Middleton, Wis
Madison Wis
Kenosha Wis
Milwaukee Wis
Los Angeles Cal
Reseda Cal
Grass Valley Cal
Redmond Ore

I now live in N Nevada.
Using Nagin’s attitude, I would be counted 8 times too many.

How can the NAACP and the Dimocraps keep supporting such blatant stupidity???

[I Buried My Guns]

"...New Orleans has thrown off its post-Katrina malaise.."

Actually, the malaise they speak of now resides in my town, Houston, and it just broke into my car.

Thanks New Orleans, for the diverse gifts you have bestowed upon us. Now pleasee stop bestowing said gifts. Really, please stop. My neighborhood is just about cleaned out.

[dblshot]

Wouldn't it just be easier to just have ACORN add the required voters to the census? Even the government is going to have second thoughts accepting I live in New Orleans form a census form sent to Oshkosh. Well maybe not in this Alice in Wonderland country of ours.

[Gator113]

If he wants to stay with democrat rules and ACORN practice, he also needs to count dead people, felons housed out of state and illegals.

[doodad]

Here in Atlanta too. Please take them forcibly back Ray.

And I grew up an Army brat and went to three high schools; do all those moves count? How come I can’t vote in the other counties here in GA where I USED to live?

[ken21]

el correcto, senor!

[Joe Boucher]

Sounds like Acorn type b.s. .
Course I lived through three hurricanes in two years without ANY gubmint help.
We’re still putting Katrina folks up in hotels. Crappola

[achilles2000]

I’m in favor of their being counted in New Orleans as long as they go back home - especially if they’ll leave Houston.

[SuziQ]

I’m sure Mayor Ray would love to get the Fed. funds associated with larger numbers of poor and unemployed folks, but if they haven’t returned yet, I doubt if they’re coming back. Count ‘em where they are now.

[17th Miss Regt]

How can the NAACP and the Dimocraps keep supporting such blatant stupidity???

Their voters, that's how.

[Texas resident]

Back when nagin was running for re election as mayor, he got away with having people vote from surrounding states. All they had to do was claim that they were displaced new orleanans. If I remember correctly, a local radio talk show guy asked for one and got it. Anybody could vote in new orlean’s election. Hell, Nagin had billboards on the 610 loop in Houston. And since our area took in all those folks, my truck has been broken into twice. I don’t even live there anymore, but work in town. Last break in was at a resturaunt up near gunspoint mall.

[Cyclone59]

“Can every city count the people who moved away as still living there?”

Why not, that’s how they count voters.

[GOPyouth]

[oldtimer]

...dead, felons, etc., and that is ACORN’s business.