I still want to know how they State spent our homeland security tax dollars.
I'd like to know how they spent that money too.
This comes from another freeper:
A HISTORY OF LEVEE NEGLECT--BROUGHT TO YOU BY LOUISIANA DEMOCRATS
1991-1995: New Orleans Levee Board allegedly undertakes a $140 million building campaign covering 41 projects to close "within four years" the gaps in New Orleans protection from floods.
1996: New Orleans Levee Board cited by Louisiana Legislative Auditor for the way "it awards contracts, spends money, and ignores public bid laws.
1996: The New Orleans newspaper, the Time-Picayune States Item reports the levee board is near bankruptcy and, quoting the Legislative Auditor, stated it "should not be allowed to refinance any bonds, or issue new ones, until it submitted an acceptable plan to achieve solvency.
1996: New Orleans Levee Board loses its authority to refinance its debts, jeopardizing the building campaign. Without the bond financing, the Levee Board is also unable to obtain Federal matching funds.
1998: Louisiana enacts a $2 billion construction budget. Only 0.1% is dedicated to levee improvements ($1.98 million). The construction budget does fund improvements to the Louisiana Supreme Court ($22 million), and the New Orleans Convention Center ($35 million).
1999: Louisiana appropriates $49.5 million for levee improvements, subject to allocation by the State Bond Commission. Levee improvements are designated "Priority 5"--projects "least likely to receive full or immediate funding". It is likely that no construction took place.
2001: The New Orleans Levee Board defers $3.7 million in capital improvements because local residents voted down a proposed tax increase to fund expanding operations by the Board. This will result in $47 million in work, covering 60 projects, to be deferred long term. The projects included work to shore up floodwalls.
2002: Louisiana allocates ZERO dollars to hurricane protection projects, leaving 65 percent Federal matching funds for such efforts untouched. State senator Francis Heitmeier (D-Algiers [the "West Bank" of New Orleans] would tell the Times-Picayune: "The problem is money is real tight in Baton Rouge right now; we have to do with what we can get."
2002: Louisiana Commissioner of Administration tells local officials (presumably Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines parishes) that they stood a higher chance of getting flood control projects funded if they reduced their requests to the state for money in less critical areas. There is no record of any discretionary funding requests being reduced or withdrawn.
2003 (October): St. Charles parish receives a Federal grant for $475,000 for levee construction--this is used to build a bike path on top of the levee.