Sunday, May 20, 2007
Hillary Clinton comes to town
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton came to New Orleans to give some speeches and pass around the hat. The
T-P described it this way:
Calling the still-ravaged condition of post-Katrina New Orleans "a natural disaster that has become a national embarrassment and an international disgrace," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday delivered a scorching critique of the federal government's response to the storm and outlined a 10-point recovery program she promised to enact if voters send her to the White House next year.
If I may, Senator Clinton, here's a tip: your critique would be more "scorching" (and accurate) if you described post-Katrina New Orleans as a "
man-made disaster that has become a national embarrassment...". A
Federal Flood, if you will.
"Unfortunately, the federal government did not do its job," the New York Democrat said at Dillard University's commencement. "It did not uphold its end of the bargain... Rebuilding this city is not just an obligation of New Orleans or Louisiana. It is an American obligation."
Word.
Throughout her time in New Orleans, Clinton was adamant about the need to restore the city, saying: "The people who ask, 'Why rebuild New Orleans?' are offensive, insensitive and ignorant."
Amen, sister!
In addition to urging streamlined procedures to eliminate duplication and speed recovery, Clinton called for waiving the rule requiring the state to put up 10 percent of the cost of the federal aid for which it has applied.
Even though this requirement has been waived in 32 of 36 previous disasters, Clinton said, the Bush administration has refused to do so this time, a stance that she called "unbelievably unfair and mean-spirited."
I'm not a big fan of Hillary's, but I do wish I was there for that speech. Nicely done!
A couple days earlier, while Sen. Clinton was discussing her Gulf Coast "recovery agenda", the
T-P reported:
And recognizing that the city cannot thrive without adequate flood protection, Clinton said that as president, she would request a "stem-to-stern" review of all Army Corps of Engineers plans and demand the highest level of levee protection, though she stopped short of declaring a timeline.
"I believe we should order the corps to achieve Cat 5 protection over time," she said.
Even with the vague "timeline" loophole, Clinton's demand for the highest level of levee protection is more than we've gotten (or will get) from the current President. Again, good for her.
Labels: Federal Flood, Hillary
2 Comments:
Gulf Coast Recovery in on the front page of HillaryClinton.com right now.
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/katrina/
Here are two of the 10 items in her plan that I think most NOLA residents have a top priorities, CAT 5 levees and affordable housing.
4) Build a Reliable Hurricane Protection System So There Is Not Another Katrina
There are still clear gaps and deficiencies in the city’s hurricane defenses. Senator Clinton would immediately order an independent, stem-to-stern review of the Army Corps of Engineers’ plans and progress thus far. She would fully fund and expedite construction to ensure the city has reliable defenses this hurricane season, and would order the Corps to achieve Category 5 protection over time. And, because every 2 to 4 miles of wetlands reduces storm surges by a foot, she would require the Army Corps and other federal agencies to integrate a wetlands restoration plan as a vital component of hurricane protection efforts.
5) Expand Affordable Housing
In addition to addressing Road Home, Senator Clinton would pursue two specific policy initiatives. First, she would address the skyrocketing cost of insurance by: investigating insurance pricing and claims adjustment practices in the Gulf region; reforming the National Flood Insurance Program; reviewing the insurance industry’s antitrust exemption; and working with states to support their insurance programs. Second, she would expand the stock of affordable rental housing by: partnering with states and localities; funding new public housing developments; offering incentives to builders and developers; and providing direct assistance to residents who have lost their units, including those living in transitional housing.
One thing that Gulf Coast residents could do is press all the Senators campaigning for President to co-sponsor S. 292: Commission on Catastrophic Disaster Risk and Insurance Act of 2007, which Clinton, Obama, Dodd, Brownback, and Biden have all failed to do to date.
Here's Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on the bill:
As we know all too well, the last few years have brought a devastating cycle of natural catastrophes in the United States. In 2004 and 2005, we witnessed a series of powerful hurricanes that caused unthinkable human tragedy and property loss. In my own home State of Florida, eight catastrophic storms in 15 months caused more than $31 billion in insured damages. Now Florida is witnessing skyrocketing insurance rates, insurance companies are canceling hundreds of thousands of policies, and the State's catastrophe fund is depleted.
The inability of the private insurance markets to fully handle the fallout from these natural disasters has made our Nation's property and casualty insurance marketplace unstable. This instability has forced the Federal Government to absorb billions of dollars in uninsured losses, at a huge cost to all American taxpayers.
Let me be clear--these issues will not just affect Florida or the coastal States. Natural catastrophes can strike anywhere in our country. In the few decades, major disasters have been declared in almost every State. Congress has struggled with these issues time and time again, but nothing much has gotten accomplished. It's time for a comprehensive approach to solving our Nation's property and casualty insurance issues.
This bill would create a Federal commission--made up of a group of the best experts in the Nation--to quickly recommend to Congress the best approach to addressing catastrophic risk insurance. In the 1990s, when I was Insurance Commissioner for the State of Florida, I created a similar commission, and within months, the commission acted, and many of its key recommendations became State law.
We need a comprehensive approach that will make sure the United States is truly prepared for the financial fallout from natural disasters. I know this complicated process won't be easy for us--but let's roll up our shirtsleeves and get it done.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-292
Sounds reasonable enough. I wouldn't let these Senators just come and pay lip service to the region. Ask them to co-sponsor S.292 and get a vote on it THIS YEAR, not 2009.
"The people who ask, 'Why rebuild New Orleans?' are offensive, insensitive and ignorant."
AND
"I believe we should order the corps to achieve Cat 5 protection over time," she said.
Even has my somewhat conservative husband saying he'd vote for her.
'Course, I think she's da bomb already.
