Hey, Whatever Happened To That New Orleans Place?
Hey, remember last month when President Bush gave that big speech in New Orleans promising "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen"? And that we will "not just rebuild, we will build higher and better"? And promising the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone, Worker Recovery Accounts, and an Urban Homesteading Act? So. How's... that... going? I mean that's still a priority, right? Surely the White House isn't letting their self-inflicted crises like the Harriet Miers nomination or Plamegate indictments get in the way of the all-important work of rebuilding the Gulf Coast which lost entire cities, thousands of jobs and businesses, and many lives. Just asking. Because I'm sure after all that talk last month about the President taking responsibility for the aftermath of the storm and the talk about learning the lessons of Katrina (more effective government, actively combating poverty), I'm sure the Bush administration wouldn't just forget about that.
Hey, remember in 2001 when President Bush gave lots of big speeches and promised billions of dollars to New York City and that the federal government would help rebuild Ground Zero? How's that going so far.... Oh.
Hmmm, maybe they would forget about that.
I guess New Orleans is soooo last month.
A related article: Much of Katrina Aid Remains Unspent-
Louisiana Governor Raises Questions About Slow Dispersal of Huge Relief Package
And a great editorial on the issue: A Profile in Cowardice
posted by BlueDuck @ 8:48 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Rome wasn't built in a day...and New Orleans, Mississippi, and the Alabama coasts won't be rebuilt in a day either. It's going to take a lot of time. A Lot.
However it would probably go quicker if Democrats, liberal Republicans, and their supporters in the unions stopped letting their interests get in the way of work being conducted.
The administration issued a bunch of no-bid contracts to companies that can get the job done...and fast.
But nooooooo! We aren't giving enough contracts to minority owned companies, to local companies, etc. We need prevailing wage laws that pay at a much higher scale than necessary.
So now the contracts will be pulled and a bidding process will have to take place. Progress has been put on hold so that the special interests can get their slice of the government pie.
Look at the in-fighting that is taking place at the WTC site. Four years and still nothing. Here's your future New Orleans. Enjoy dining at the pigs trough.
[Stupid Blogger not letting you reply to comments *shakes fist*]
Anyway, I think you're missing my point here. I am not complaining that New Orleans isn't rebuild yet or about the time factor at all. To the contrary, I'd prefer them to take a slow, thought-out approach to rebuilding and making sure it's done right and not rushed.
My main point here in this entry was that President Bush was talking a BIG game in that speech last month (unless "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen" was just hyperbole), as many commentators noted, trying to sound like Franklin Roosevelt. But he hasn't said much since. He hasn't given one major speech on New Orleans all month that I have seen. Surely it's a priority? He's so busy dealing with his self-made crises (ie. Plamegate, Miers), when he should be using his "executive" power to keep things moving. And maybe mention it every now and then, so we know if he still means what he said. He promised New York a lot 4 years ago and he hasn't followed through, leaving us to fend on our own (and as you noted, that hasn't been going well).
Regarding time again, I would like it to thought-out and not rushed. So I can't support no-bid contracts, especially if they're given to the same ol' crony companies (ya know, the ones who have admitted to just 'losing' billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in Iraq. OOPS!). The contracts should be put out for bid, or at least discussed openly. According to the Houston Chronicle, Halliburton was given the rebuilding contract on September 1st without any official announcement. It was just... done. The Halliburton part doesn't bother me as much as the fact that it was done right away on the 1st... when Bush was still flying around trying to figure out what to do, when Brownie was too busy eating dinner to worry about the Superdome, and when no one but the media seemed openly concerned about the dying. Yet already a contract for Halliburton was secured. Priorities.
As for paying prevailing wages, why is that bad? It's wrong to treat people with dignity and pay them a living wage? Pay at a much high scale than necessary? I know you know people in the construction business and you know they earn their pay and deserve fair wages, especially for a major project like this. Was President Bush wrong then to reinstate the wages? Bush himself admitted New Orleans suffered because of a systematic history of poverty... best to err on the side of generosity so we can correct that.
Blaming it on the liberals may be fun too, but it's also not the case.
Remember that, unless I am mistaken, the Republicans control both houses of Congress and thus are the ones in charge of doling out the relief money. And no one has been more generous to special interests the past few years than the current crop of deficit no-tax-but-lotsa-spend conservatives, so I wouldn't look to the out of power Democrats as the source of this mess.
The bottom line is that Bush talked the talk last month in New Orleans, all I want him to do is walk the walk.
Agreeded.
I was speaking to exactly what, in my opinion, was holding up the rebuilding effort.
There should be some governemntal oversite...to make sure there is no overcharges and waste. However, nothing will ever get done if FEMA or whoever is in charge of the rebuilding process lets it get bogged down in a bidding war or union wage fights.
Here's a novel idea: dangle incentives to work faster; i.e. bonuses for finishing a head of schedule; tax breaks for companies that do the work.
Having the unions set the wage just makes it more expensive to conduct business because they artifically set the payment high, not the market conditions are. But I guess that doesn't matter when the government is footing the bill.(many Republicans do take that attitude, look at the pork laden highway bill).
As for generosity to end poverty...still hasn't worked. In the 60 years of dumping billions upon billions into New Orleans, has poverty been eraticated? Even if the government used displaced residents of New Orleans, what happens when the rebuilding is done? They slide back into the poverty and joblessness that plagued the city before Katrina.
At this point the only thing Bush can do is complain that the rebuilding is not taking place fast enough. What will that accomplish? It's out of his hands. The process has ground to a halt and until the bidding war is over nothing is going to get built.
At this point the only thing Bush can do is complain that the rebuilding is not taking place fast enough. What will that accomplish? It's out of his hands.
True.
It's all very frustrating nonetheless and I hope it remains a priority with everything else coming down now.
Post a Comment
<< Home