[madison10]

I have heard many leftists say that Bush slashed $20 million from FEMA funds that would have been used to reinforce the levee system in New Orleans.

The whole premise is wrong. He didn't cut back any money. Bill Clinton did not sign for the improvements & money requested by the Army Corp of Engineers & LA to make them. Source: Somewhere on a post I read.

[Howlin]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1474591/posts?page=77#77

[Thud]

The multiple corrupt, incompetent, local political machines which Louisiana law REQUIRES would not have let federal money make a difference. There are mammoth pumps rusting away unused in storage containers now underwater near those levees which the New Orleans levee control boards wouldn't let be installed until they had finished making their deals as to who got what bribe or rakeoff.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/05_08_28_corner-archive.asp#075067

"A LESSON IN NO GOVERNANCE [Rich Lowry] E-mail:

Mr. Lowry

I teach history at a small liberal arts denominational college in central Louisiana, and spend too much time on NRO every day. Among the classes I teach is one on Louisiana Politics and Government, and thought you mind the following interesting and useful.

Regarding the levee system in New Orleans, one cannot truly understand how lucky the city was just have the system that was in place without understanding the truly Byzantine structure of New Orleans politics, which requires separate governing boards for each levee that is built.

Rather one agency that is in charge of flood prevention, there are scores. Building in redundancies would have required more boards, which would have lessened the political power of those on the existing boards. I seriously doubt that even now, after this catastrophe, that we in Louisiana will see this system change because the structure is mandated by the Louisiana Constitution. Any change requires not just statewide approval, but must also be approved by a majority of voter in Orleans Parish. Given how many local politicians whose fiefdoms would disappear, that will not happen, and so we will see this disaster occur again."

http://corner.nationalreview.com/05_08_28_corner-archive.asp#075070 V

RE: NO GOVERNANCE [Cliff May]
Rich, your history teach has answered my question.

So now a question for the MSM: Why have there not been stories on the “Byzantine structure of New Orleans politics, which requires separate governing boards for each levee that is built.”?

Some of those boards obviously failed to do their jobs and, more to the point, this was obviously a flawed system that the political elites of New Orleans and Louisiana should have fixed long ago.

Could it be that it’s so much more gratifying to blame Bush and “Global Warming” and other usual suspects than to fault local machines which -- I assume – comprised almost exclusively of Democrats)?
Posted at 03:53 PM"