Relief workers who spent the last 18 months helping Asian Tsunami victims are shocked at how poorly the Katrina recovery is going. The Wet Bank Guide has the story and the link.
You read correctly: People who've seen the effects of a tsunami that was a hundred times deadlier than the Katrina aftermath are flabbergasted by the feeble recovery in parts of New Orleans. These are folks who've just come from impoverished Asian countries which endured one of the worst natural catastrophes in human history. And these humanitarians have this to say about New Orleans: "The fact that the relief and the support for people who live here is so minimal even though there is so much money in this country, it's really shocking."
Thursday, June 29, 2006
"I think you should have done much, much faster."
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Who's holding up the money?
The housing money?
Well, let's review: after President Bush made expansive promises to the region in September, LA's senators proposed a comprehensive package that was nearly laughed out of Congress for being too exhorbitant. Then, the White House strung along Rep Baker for another few months before submarining his legislation at the last minute in January. Then, after the President's pitiful State of the Union address, back-channel negotiations occurred between the LRA's Sean O'Reilly and Donald Powell in order to see what the Administration would support. Ultimately $4.2 billion in additional housing money was agreed to. In March, Bush voiced his support for LA getting $4.2 billion in block grants, and that amount was attached to one of the neverending Iraq War "emergency" supplementals. This took two months to get through the House and the Senate and the reconciliation committee, and was finally signed by Bush on June 15th.
So, clearly Governor Blanco is to blame for the hold up.