Posted on 01/29/2006 6:51:06 AM PST by Uncle Sham
Louisiana is being told to help itself by most posters on this thread. Unlike many of the states where these posters live, Louisiana actually has the ability to do just that. It's gonna cost you either way. That's not extortion, it's simple economics of supply and demand.
By the actual definition you post here you are correct. I was discussing the issue as a criminal offense. I'm not sure there is any of that here. Also, going strictly by the definition of fraud there is some fraud I approve of. Is an undercover agent involved in some kind of trickery? Is he an imposter? If that is fraud then I approve of it in that case. Do you?
What does this proposed bill have to do with Nagin? He's not getting any of the money. It's not even a gift, but a loan to be repaid.
Cool, huh?
Louisiana has a plan. Washington will supply the money, Louisiana politicians will supply the pork.
The thing being called into question here is the ethics of the NO and LA government, and it is pretty clear it stinks. Our system falls apart without highly ethical people in positions of power - LA fails, and cannot be saved by the US government throwing money into this pit.
Money sent to NO or LA will be squandered and misdirected, as in the past, with the same bad actors in positions of power.
You make a valid point. I will say that the charity and federal aid committed to Louisiana was of a grand proportion and that many, myself included, feel that there should be a limit to which tax payers should be required to support rebuilding of KNOWN areas of hurricane activity. I wish for you the best....
I drive 60 miles every day to work at 5 AM and listen to WLW on the radio clear as a bell during the trip. What I hear is bitching about insurance payments, needing MORE budgeted money from the government, "I ain't got MY FEMA trailer", and all the crap left over from the hurricane and levee breaks that ain't cleaned but by whoever. What I very rarely hear is recounts of people telling of what THEY'VE done and are CURRENTLY doing to clean things up and move on.
Your governor and mayor HAVEN'T shown how and where they intend to spend what they've already been budgeted by Congress (other than calling the Baker Plan a plan for rebuilding). I don't call a plan to buy out every damn blown out, water-logged dwelling a plan; I call it what it is -- giveaway, plain and simple. I don't hear anything about what the residents of Louisiana have committed to do, only HOW MUCH money they want.
If I ever get to speak to my Congressman or Senator(s), I'm going to tell them to make sure that continue to do what they've been doing --demanding a realistic plan and accounting for the money Louisans's being given.....
We all know that. It's a REQUIRED advisement in every single home owners policy issued in this country.
A lot of the homes destroyed were in areas that were not considered flood zones
You can buy flood insurance on ANY PIECE OF LAND in this country.
so they were told by insurers and mortgage companies that flood insurance was not required.
Sorry, that's just not how it happens; people are advised that their home owners policy doesn't cover flooding and are INSTRUCTED where to go to get it.
Why don't you all stop pretending it's not your own fault? Everybody with a lick of sense new that entire deltar area was SUBJECT to flooding. Hell, I live in North Carolina and I knew it; why didn't you?
I give a lot of credit for this idea to some very astute politicians in the State of Lousiana.
I'm beginning to think that if the LA people are insisting that WE pay for this that WE should have a "national dialog" (liberals LOVE those, don't they?) about just how it should be rebuilt.
If we pay, we should have a say.
Exactly.
Snopes is a leftist site, this is the same site that said the Clinton Bodycount was false.
Bump.
Boy that will be real smart for your tourism industry, piss off the rest of the nation. And as energy industry well why do I have a feeling that the oil companies will move their refineries to lower tax states, close marginal fields and get their oil from cheaper places. At the very least when the next big hurricane comes, opps sorry but the rest of the nation may not help.
Has anyone heard if the enviromentalists or government will try to reverse the 1970's court decision preventing flood gates built on the lake by New Orleans? If those gates was built then chances are New Orleans would be much more safe even with the current levees.
Hey, Galveston Grl - how are the school buses doing in Galveston - you know, the ones used to evacuate those without cars when Rita was approaching?
I think a lot of places would fail your "highly ethical people in power test". Unless you think N.O. and Louisiana leaders and government are the only ones with ethical problems among our politicians. In fairness I don't think that is what you believe and frankly I don't trust most of them, no matter where they are from. I would urge the feds and anybody else to completely control where any money given to Louisiana is spent. Audit it till the cows come home as far as I'm concerned.
Which ones - the ones in office or the ones currently in prison?
Well, here's an idea from North Carolina: we can do the same thing for goods YOU need.
And if you insist on "blackmailing" the rest of us to rebuild your state, I'll lobby MY senators and congress people to vote against all the other money you want from the federal government.
See how that works?
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