Money – Imagine that your home was reduced to mold-covered wood framing by Hurricane Katrina. Desperate for money to rebuild, you engage in a frustrating bureaucratic process, and after months of living in a government provided-trailer that gives off formaldehyde fumes you finally win a federal grant.
I wouldn't be surprised if Katrina victims do some ranting at church... (if they still have a church to go to).
They had better be careful, Church ranting could get them in more deep sh!t.. Seems that's tabu now.
No, just what the ranting says. Say g-d damn George Bush and his administration not America in general. There is a lot of good in America we just need to be a bit more specific about the bad and continue to praise the good. When we forget the good, good people and good deads they do then we all become demoralized. Our hearts, souls and minds need to be reminded of the good.
Hopeless, confused, battered people with there lives destroyed look toward a gov't seeking anyway to get there lives back together and probably not thinking very clearly at the time. Guess what?
And now, This so called federal EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Agency is wanting money back?Besides the usual, my question is this. For most people, pay it back with what?Oh what the heck, let's throw them back out in the mud again.
Here's one to check out before you brag about capitalism again: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/25/walmart.insura...
Since we KNOW that this group made LOTS of money by administering this grant, I think they should be the ones that pay for the problem.
Since we have YET to see anyone associated with this administration who HASN'T made more money for themselves then they've made available to the people they are suppose to be helping (Blackwater, KBR etc) there really shouldn;t be a problem.
Hey, the government was trying to speed along the lives of Katrina victims after their horrible fate was sealed by the storm. If not for the trailers being discovered to have formaldehyde, people might yet be living in them. I think it is FEMA's way of controlling the population in the event of another hurricane. Funny how people like Senator Trent Lott was able to rebuild rapidly, probably with government help, but the po' folks are forced to suffer. Way to go Brownie!
david nwpa ~
Missisippi is still suffering but they did have more
going for them - at least in this current political
climate............Republican Gov. Haley Barber, former
head of the RNC. Yeah - and I saw old Trent crying on
the tube about his loss - never heard the right wing
tell him to stop whining - did you?
What's funny is how when you've been down SO long -
you actually begin to admire and look up to those
who have been keeping you down. What's that called
when the hostage/prisoner starts to relate to their
captors - the Stockholm Syndrome?? I think the wannabe
rich - better known as the middle class - has an
acute case.
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107)
FTA:
The bid invitation said: "The average amount to be collected is estimated to be approximately $35,000, but in some cases may be as high as $100,000 to $150,000."
The biggest grant amount allowed by the Road Home program is $150,000, so ICF believes it paid some recipients the maximum when they should not have received a penny. If ICF's highest estimate of 5,000 collection cases � overpaid by an average of $35,000 � proves to be true, that means applicants will have to pay back a total of $175 million.
Heck of a job Brownie!
Will the nightmare for these poor people ever end? Certainly doesn't seem so.
Bail out the big guys, but help the little guy-- for get about it. This administration can go to hell. Bush vetoed the money required to repair the levies. Every dime should come from him and his cohorts!!
NEVER a dime for the little guy, or the poor, bleed them as dry as you can, then make a run for the border, install electric fences, and count your spoils. That's the Bush way, heck of a job!
Weh are they even trying to take the money back...enough already. What a mess, this is just disgusting!
How much do you want to bet that the cost of the collections contract is equal to or greater than the amount to be collected?
Have these people not suffered ENOUGH!???
Hey, Engineer, I like your hutzbah my cool friend. My post below might remind you of what the cool Army Corps of Engineers did for the great city of New Orleans. Ahh, le Veal Carrie', the French Quarter (Creole). That levee stood for many, many years, and was scheduled for retro-fitting; that is, until our beloved jerk-offs in the Whitehouse decided to send their money to Iraq. I conur with you, my wise friend. But he sure didn't waste any time sending that surplus to his rich pals. Bush Whacker said it would stimulate our economy. What it did was to create the conditions ripe for a recession.
History is my guide!!! Hey dude, you are my kind of friend!
Oh for crying out loud, it was the LA GOVERNOR!!! (a democratic woman) who put these guys in charge!
And... it sounds as if they are looking to get money back from people who TOOK the grant money EVEN THOUGH they had insurance that also paid them for the same damage. By taking grant money for damage that they were going to be reimbursed for anyway, who are the ones REALLY ripping off the those who legitimately need the help, but haven't gotten it yet.
You guys are so intent on bashing the republicans, you don't even really pay attention to what's really being said.
I was appalled at the headline. I hope they use sensitivity and common sense to determine who should have to pay money back, but I don't see why those who have the means (insurance) to repair their own houses should be getting a handout.
It is federal money, which suggests that the Federal government also had a say in the arrangement.
As I recall the excuse for using contractors to a lot of things the government is supposed to do was that private companies are more efficient. I don't see how this is any more efficient then have bureaucrats take care of things, after the four percent mistake they still have to make sure the company makes massive profits.
and, if you read the article, it was the Louisiana governor who paid that last $150mm to that contractor.
But, again, it appears that the money that they are trying to recoup were payments that were made "in error" -- I'm thinking that some of this might have been out and out fraud on the part of the recipients. If I have insurance, why should I get paid twice for the same damage.
Although, to bring it one step further, if I'm living below sea-level, why don't I have flood insurance myself? People who owned the structures should have been insured. Renters have a case for why they don't have flood insurance -- there are restrictions on who can buy it.
because the insurance companies wont insure homes below sea level for flood insurance since it is almost guaranteed to happen at some point.
Oh for crying out loud, it was the LA GOVERNOR!!! (a democratic woman) who put these guys in charge!. Thank you Amazed.
Right on Grancher!
The CURRENT administration ie: federal government has sold out the American people to the concept of privatization. Republicans do not want the government running anything they want everything contracted out to for profit corporations. These private contractors skim off billions of dollars to feed their coffers when these monies should have went directly to the people. We the people are the government and our tax dollars are being stolen by corporations. The government has the ability to manage all of its programs - but the Republicans would have you believe
the government of the people isn't capable of managing the will of the people and their monies. You can't get anymore anti-American or anti-patriotic than that.
earth to mxxxxxxxxxxxxx--- the Louisiana gov't (democrats) have consistently refused to cooperate with the federal gov't all the while accusing them of incompetence and trying to lay the blame solely at the fed's feet. If this is the case, why aren't Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle which were also decimated by Katrina (and in the case of FL, a few other hurricanes as well) in just as bad shape? Because THEIR gov't's are not the corrupt, incompetent morass of Louisiana and New Orleans. It was NOT George Bush or Brownie who left town a couple of days before the hurricane hit. It was not GWB who allowed thousands of buses to get flooded out rather than loading them up and evacuating the city. That would be their mayor. The fed gov't nearly BEGGED the gov. to declare an emergency and request the Nat'l Guard and fed assistance BEFORE the hurricane hit, but she refused.
But, yeah, it's all Bush's fault.
Thank you, amazed. It can't be said enough.
And the question is why are the La democrats refusing to cooperate with the CURRENT feds- because they operate by using every opportunity to funnel money to corporatations NOT the people through privatization and for profit business contracts. If corporate interests had their way the 9th district would be leveled and replaced with high income housing.
Comparing the states impacted - the majority of people effected in La were poor. They did not have the same resources.
You are arguing about prevention. Anytime there is a crisis with victims people start pointing the finger to see who to blame. And it is always the victim that gets blamed for not having done a better job of preventing the situation. The fact is it happened and things could have been done to minimize the impact, but the far greater tragedy is having a federal government who funnels money to corporations to take advantage of people who are in desperate need.
Nope it was Bush who decided he had to play golf at a fund raiser instead of handling the problems, it was Bush who sent LA natl guards troops to Iraq so they weren't avail, and it was Bush who claimed he knew nothing of the impending breeches when he was oinformed before it happened and that meeting was taped, it was BUSH who ignored a request from the LA governor for help in handling the impending crisis (had to play golf ) and it was FEMA (F=Federal) that screwed the pooch on handling emergency services. ROFLMAO, the spin is amazing when you listen to the REPUBLICANS whining about they didnt mess up anything.
amazed ~
It clearly states that the $11 BILLION the ICF got were
FEDERAL funds. Of which they have only dispersed one-third?
And now it seems they have enough money HIRE yet ANOTHER
firm to try and recover an estimated $175,000,000 from the
VICTIMS??
You hope they use sensitivity and common sense?........
Why change horses in the middle of the stream - this system
is working just fine for everyone BUT those in need - as planned!
AnteUp ~ CORRECTION
I do not enjoy being wrong - but I can't let ME get away
with this mistake - my apologies to all on the thread.
I was inaccurate about only one-third of the $11 billion
having ben dispersed. What the article does say:
"One-third of qualified applicants for Road Home help had
yet to receive any rebuilding check as of last week."
Maybe a poorly constructed sentence, but it indicates that
two-thirds have received rebuilding checks.
Forgive me?
amazed ~
You stated," I don't see why those who have the means (insurance) to repair their own houses should be getting a handout."
Come on - you appear to pay attention to the news. How many
insurance companies STILL have not made any settlement with
their clients? Well, you might say, we have a legal system to address such situations. Lost everything, you puny premium payer? Take big insurance to court! Oh yeah - with all your worldly belongings in a trash bag - it's a perfect time to go looking for a lawyer and (if it's still standing)
a courthouse to file the paperwork. The fact that you might have been relocated to Houston and you'd have to file in
New Orleans - where you now have NOTHING? No problem.
the point being, though, that those who HAVE gotten paid, shouldn't be getting these relief funds also.
"Brownie" had nothing to do with it. Interesting how Dems have run that state pretty much since it joined the Union and Dems have controlled congress for nearly two years and still haven't done zippo to fund levy construction or ease the plight of the "victims."
It's also interesting to note how these problems either aren't happening or aren't being reported in Mississippi or Alabama, which also were hit by hurricane Katrina.
Actually, you're right, libs. It was actually the contractor, ICF, who was doled the money out too fast:
"Brann said there was a sense of urgency in paying Road Home applicants, and ICF and the state knew applicants would have to return some money."
My question is, why send it out knowing the applicants are gonna have to turn right back around and pay it back? Why was he under such pressure? I do know they're investigating ICF AND Blanco:
"The prospect of Road Home grant collections comes less than two weeks after the Louisiana inspector general and the legislative auditor said they were investigating why former Gov. Kathleen Blanco paid ICF an extra $156 million in her waning days in office to administer the program."
What the hell is she doing?
How Bush destroyed New Orleans: II
"No one can say they didn't see it coming"
In 2001, FEMA warned that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. But the Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war
http://markcrispinmiller.blogspot.com/2005/09/h...
Bush had nothing to do with this! You people really should get it together.
Is Bush to Blame for New Orleans Flooding?
He did slash funding for levee projects. But the Army Corps of Engineers says Katrina was just too strong.
Summary
Some critics are suggesting President Bush was as least partly responsible for the flooding in New Orleans. In a widely quoted opinion piece, former Clinton aide Sidney Blumenthal says that "the damage wrought by the hurricane may not entirely be the result of an act of nature," and cites years of reduced funding for federal flood-control projects around New Orleans.
Continued:
Our fact-checking confirms that Bush indeed cut funding for projects specifically designed to strengthen levees. Indeed, local officials had been complaining about that for years.
It is not so clear whether the money Bush cut from levee projects would have made any difference, however, and we're not in a position to judge that. The Army Corps of Engineers â;; which is under the President's command and has its own reputation to defend â;; insists that Katrina was just too strong, and that even if the levee project had been completed it was only designed to withstand a category 3 hurricane.
http://www.factcheck.org/article344.html
As for other states such as Mississippi and Alabama, indeed they have been reported to still be facing considerable trouble. Many homes in Biloxi were condemned and torn down, with the rubble being hauled away. However, the infrastructure of that city has not recovered to its pre-Katrina condition. It may take another 10 years for that to happen. Incidentally, Katrina caused considerable flooding in New Orleans which was the key problem addressed by spkguy. With the funding cuts, the Corps of Engineers could not retrofit the levees that used to protect New Orleans. libsRfunny may think what he wants, but the people in Louisiana are still suffering from that storm. I wish them well with another season coming.
Dems, the feds/bush hasn't send the money he said he would he is too busy spending it in Iraq with his friends. Because they don't have an african american Mayor, so the good ol boys feel better sending the money to them!
Arlo Guthrie said it best in one of his songs "Im Changing My Name To Chrysler"