http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9342186 This is from a liberal website or at least a Bush Bashing network. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The unveiling of the Mardi Gras Fountain was celebrated this year in typical New Orleans style. The cost of $2.4 million was paid by the Orleans Levee Board, the state agency whose main job is to protect the levees surrounding New Orleans — the same levees that failed after Katrina hit. "They misspent the money," says Billy Nungesser, a former top Republican official who was briefly president of the Levee Board. "Any dollar they wasted was a dollar that could have went in the levees." Nungesser says he lost his job because he targeted wasteful spending. "A cesspool of politics, that’s all it was," says Nungesser. "[Its purpose was to] provide jobs for people." In fact, NBC News has uncovered a pattern of what critics call questionable spending practices by the Levee Board — a board which, at one point, was accused by a state inspector general of "a long-standing and continuing disregard of the public interest." Beyond the fountain, there's the $15 million spent on two overpasses that helped gamblers get to Bally's riverboat casino. Critics tried and failed to put some of that money into flood protection. There was also $45,000 for private investigators to dig up dirt on radio host and board critic Robert Namer. "They hired a private eye for nine months to find something to make me look wacko, to make me look crazy or bad." says Namer. "They couldn’t find anything." Namer sued and the board then spent another $45,000 to settle. Critics charge, for years, the board has paid more attention to marinas, gambling and business than to maintaining the levees. As an example: of 11 construction projects now on the board's Web site, only two are related to flood control. "I assure you," says Levee Board President Jim Huey, "that you will find that all of our money was appropriately expended." Huey says money for the levees comes from a different account than money for business activities and that part of the board’s job is providing recreational opportunities. And despite the catastrophic flooding, Huey says, "As far as the overall flood protection system, it's intact, it's there today, it worked. In 239 miles of levees, 152 floodgates, and canals throughout this entire city, there was only two areas." But those two critical areas were major canals and their collapse contributed to hundreds of deaths and widespread destruction
Nice article Sour. I think that about sums up the entire city and state if you ask me. Just a cesspool of misallocated resources and corruption.
Its funny, LSUsuperfan thinks i'm sticking my middle finger up at Louisianan's. Some kind of perspective that dude has! :hihi:
If it's called "THE LEVEE BOARD" don't ya think they should focus their efforts on the damned LEVEE!!?!?! And this: I HATE it when people save "could have went." I know we've got a lot of coonasses on this board, so I keep most of these comments to myself, but this is a freaking "former top Republican official."
Even if every penny was properly spent, it still would have been a problem. Remember, we built a CAT 3 levee and floodwall system. This is Louisiana, the land of corrupt politicians. Party doesn't matter ... they all have their hand in our pockets. And this will continue as long as we are an uneducated state. Wait till all this federal money flows into this state to rebuild ... the corruption will be even worse than before.
The levee was well maintained.. it was simple inadequete, and the entire state budget for a year wouldnt have been enough to rebuild the levees to withstand a cat 5... because no levee can withstand a cat 5.. the entire city should be surround by a seawall... picture it, a 20 foot seawall on the lake... make the wall extend into a boardwalk type area with shops and restaurants and such..
