[QuikMike]

Don't know about you guys, but I find this study to be extremely disappointing on all levels(not the study itself, but the lack of action taken).....Take a look at this link

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...a-levees_x.htm

I am not one of the "it was all Bush's fault" type of people, but I think all levels of government failed here...If the local leaders knew about this some 20 odd years ago that a failure was imminent, why not take some action?? What kind of action could've been forced down from the state level? National/federal level? Instead, nothing was done and the end result is that a lot of folks lost their lives, homes, loved ones, etc....Geez, that's pretty sad....

[phobiaphobe]

They've been predicting for decades that most of the west coast could be lost to catastophic earthquakes or tsunamis, but people still choose to live on a fault line because they can ride their motorcycles year round and gloat on message boards. Risk VS reward I guess. I'm sure that people in new Orleans knew that they were living in a sink.

[luvtolean]

QuikMike, the federal government has been giving New Orleans millions, if not billions, of dollars to fix their levees.

The corruption around the fact that the money didn't go to the levees is widespread, and well documented.

If Nagin, or any of the other incompetents in NOLA had been communicating to the fed gov't that they had an imminent problem...we'd have already seen these documents.

[sheepofblue]

There is a fellow in Texas that could make them for you. As long as MS Word still runs. Oops that is right he has to search the archives for them.

[Mo Noyz]

Originally Posted by luvtolean

QuikMike, the federal government has been giving New Orleans millions, if not billions, of dollars to fix their levees.

The corruption around the fact that the money didn't go to the levees is widespread, and well documented.

If Nagin, or any of the other incompetents in NOLA had been communicating to the fed gov't that they had an imminent problem...we'd have already seen these documents.

Your sad attempt to deflect blame from President Bush(who is really the only one at fault here)is sickening.

[luvtolean]

Originally Posted by Mo Noyz

Your sad attempt to deflect blame from President Bush(who is really the only one at fault here)is sickening.

It's only cuz everyone knows how much I like Bush's policies.

[Hammer]

Originally Posted by luvtolean

QuikMike, the federal government has been giving New Orleans millions, if not billions, of dollars to fix their levees.

The corruption around the fact that the money didn't go to the levees is widespread, and well documented.

If Nagin, or any of the other incompetents in NOLA had been communicating to the fed gov't that they had an imminent problem...we'd have already seen these documents.

And you actually believe that?

Granted the levee situation did not start overnight and was known about, for a very long time (over 20 years). La. was a poor state as with all the other southern states for some time. The recent improvements have just come in the past 5 to 10 years. I mooved out of La. in 1994 and know first hand that the feds would rather divert the money elsewhere than to louisiana. This has been an ongoing problem, far longer than any current state of federal officer.

[Chekman]

Originally Posted by Hammer

And you actually believe that?

Granted the levee situation did not start overnight and was known about for a very long time (over 20 years). La. was apoor state as withy all the other southern states for some time. The recent improvements have just come in the past 5 to 10 years. I mooved out of La. in 1994 and know first hand that the feds would rather divert the money elsewhare that to louisiana. This has been an ongoing far longer than any current state of federal officer.

[luvtolean]

What are you +1'ing?

That post is confusing as hell to me.

[Hammer]

I was typing without the light on. I edited the post for some errors, but you can get my point.

[Mo Noyz]

Originally Posted by luvtolean

What are you +1'ing?

That post is confusing as hell to me.

Hammer, can you provide any documentation to back up what you're saying?

[Hammer]

Yea sure, let me call the Persident Bush and tell him to fax over all the reports.

I lived there for 25 years, in that time frame you get a feel for what's going on.

Can anybody provide proof that the feds give Louisiana the money to fix the levees. If they sent any, I bet it would not add up to the aid sent fron the US to the tsunami efforts.

I am not saying that Louisiana is free from blame, but the levee situation was a known fact.

[Mo Noyz]

Federal money is left to the state to divide and distribute.

I'm not denying what you learned in your 25 years there, trust me, it's frustrating enough for me arguing with people about Hurricanes that have never lived where they are a threat.

But the federal expenditure for LA is $1.47. That's a lot of money per tax dollar collected by the fed.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0923084.html

Unfortunately, the fed cannot tell the state how to spend that money.

[CBRVFR]

I predict that in 20 years several bridges will fail in Colorado. You heard it here first, folks. Don't say you weren't warned.

[luvtolean]

Originally Posted by Mo Noyz

But the federal expenditure for LA is $1.47. That's a lot of money per tax dollar collected by the fed.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0923084.html

Unfortunately, the fed cannot tell the state how to spend that money.

Aw come on, there's no way it's Louisiana's fault...clearly it's us rich boys out here in Cali, that are the people funding LA I might add.

As far as moneys spent, I don't know how in your 25 years you never heard of SELA.

"New Orleans had long known it was highly vulnerable to flooding and a direct hit from a hurricane. In fact, the federal government has been working with state and local officials in the region since the late 1960s on major hurricane and flood relief efforts. When flooding from a massive rainstorm in May 1995 killed six people, Congress authorized the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, or SELA.
Over the next 10 years, the Army Corps of Engineers, tasked with carrying out SELA, spent $430 million on shoring up levees and building pumping stations, with $50 million in local aid. But at least $250 million in crucial projects remained, even as hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin increased dramatically and the levees surrounding New Orleans continued to subside."

The fed government was spending almost 10:1 of what LA was contributing. That's 1/2 billion dollars (1/4 billion at least, already spent). And of course, since the fed gives LA $1.47 on the dollar....a large portion of that $50 million was also federal money.

http://www.selaprojects.com/

HOW ANYONE can say the Federal gov't wasn't helping is freakin' mind boggling. The Army Corps of Engineers were the only ones doing anything!!

People need to quit pointing at Bush and need to focus on the criminally negligent local, Chocolate City, and state politicians...

[luvtolean]

Originally Posted by CBRVFR

I predict that in 20 years several bridges will fail in Colorado. You heard it here first, folks. Don't say you weren't warned.

Clearly the dam that burst in Hawaii today was Bush's fault too.

[luvtolean]

And where has all that Fed money been going in LA?

Here is an article that gives you an idea of the corruption and pork barrel spending.

My favorite line for the poor forgotten state of Louisiana:

But over the five years of President Bush's administration, Louisiana has received far more money for Corps civil works projects than any other state, about $1.9 billion; California was a distant second with less than $1.4 billion, even though its population is more than seven times as large.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...62.html?sub=AR

[luvtolean]

Here's the United States Government Accountability Office report on the "Army Corps of Engineers: History of Lake Pontchartrain and Vincinity Hurricane Protection Project"

"When Hurricane Katrina struck, the project, including about 125 miles of levees, was estimated to be from 60-90 percent complete in different areas with an estimated completion date for the whole project of 2015. The floodwalls along the drainage canals that were breached were complete when the hurricane hit" (my italics)

"The pre-Katrina estimated cost of construction for the completed project was $738 million with the federal share being $528 million and the local share about $210 million. Federal allocations for the project were $458 million as of the enactment of the fiscal year 2005 federal appropriation. This represents 87 percent of the federal government's responsibility of $528 million with $70 million remaining to complete the project."

Also, this project didn't begin 5-10 years ago. It began before 1976.


The more I read, the more pissed off I get at these ****ing whiners blaming the feds...so I'll stop here.

[Mojave954]

Yeah, that was old news when OPAL hit the Emerald coast back in 95/96. People were sweatin' another big one back then remembering the last time a huge hurricane hit NO.

Just goes to show, it is not an issue till it becomes and issue to someone else.

[Mojave954]

Originally Posted by phobiaphobe

they can ride their motorcycles year round and gloat on message boards.

Whatch ya trynin' to say here Willis????

[luvtolean]

Originally Posted by Mojave954

Just goes to show, it is not an issue till it becomes and issue to someone else.

Or you have incompetent politicians trying to dodge blame landing where it squarely belongs.

[Mojave954]

Originally Posted by luvtolean

Or you have incompetent politicians trying to dodge blame landing where it squarely belongs.

True dat.....

Back in the mid 90's it was a fight on who should pay for it, the LA or the gov't? It appeared to John Q. the two got tired of bickering about and just let it die. Welp, it is not an issue now. It is a problem.