Americans now understand that the majority of the destruction in New Orleans two years ago was due to the failure of the federally built levees which, by the US Army Corps’ own admission, should have withstood Katrina’s storm surge.
Which makes presidential hopeful Tom Tancredo’s comments quite odd. Last Friday, the Colorado Congressman said it’s “time the taxpayer gravy train left the New Orleans station…” citing $1 billion of aid wasted in fraud and abuse at all levels of government.
The citizens of New Orleans due to no fault of theirs (beyond trusting the Army Corps to build levees that work) are struggling mightily to rebuild their homes and lives. Meanwhile, it has become conventional wisdom that had the US Army Corps done their job, the people of New Orleans would be well on their way to recovery.
Perhaps if Mr. Tancredo had visited New Orleans after the flood, he would have discovered this on his own.
I wonder who is looking at where all the money went to keep the levies in New Orleans maintained? Everyone is quick to blame the President and the Corps of Engineers, but it takes dollars and lots of them to keep the levies in good order. Lets put some of the blame where it belongs and that is with the New Orleans and Louisana governments. Corruption runs closer to home as well!!
Tom infers that blame belongs on local sponsors that cut the grass on the C.O.E. designed and built levees. I suggest to him that when Louisiana residents send their hard earned tax dollars to washington they expect as does every American to receive what they pay for. If the rest of the country is not interested in returning our tax dollars as required then don’t accept them. We will gladly keep our tax dollars here and take care of our own problems without federal oversight and corruption. Louisiana has the #1 port system in the world, supplies fully 1/3 of the nations energy supply, is one of the nations largest seafood producer, and #1 football team in the nation LSU. This nation went to France to purchase NEW ORLEANS because of it’s national importance. The rest was lagnaippe.