Friday, August 31, 2007

The $127 Billion Federal Bill (So Far) for Katrina


Here's a pop quiz: How much money has Uncle Sam spent on New Orleans and the Gulf region since Hurricane Katrina ripped the place apart?...I'll give you the answer...The grand total is $127 billion (including tax relief)...Of course, not a single media story has highlighted this gargantuan government-spending figure...This is an outrage. The entire GDP of the state of Louisiana is only $141 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. So the cash spent there nearly matches the entire state gross GDP. That's simply unbelievable. And to make matters worse, by all accounts New Orleans ain't even fixed!...You might be asking: Where in the hell did all this money go? The Big Easy's Billion Dollar Boondoggle, Lawrence Kudlow, RealClearPolitics.com, 8/31/2007

Being surprised by theft of federal, state, or local money in Louisiana is about like being surprised to find out that your parents had sex. Kudlow, who published this in the NY Sun as well, should be congratulated for telling the truth. But, the larger truth remains hidden, that, until the political establishment in Louisiana (including New Orleans), is tossed out on its ass, money will disappear faster from U.S. taxpayers (that's us) than a politician asked to comment on Hillary Clinton's Chinese government campaign funding.

Louisianans would do well to study the rise of Huey Long and the populists after another great flood in the 1920s. It took what amounted to a revolution to get rid of the bastards who let New Orleans go to hell then. It will take the same now. Democrats are truly stupid to get themselves in on this as advocates of the local mayor, governor, or legislators. But, on second thought, it's nothing new for Democrats to advocate on behalf of murderers, thugs, and political villains. Going back to the Civil War, they always seem to be on the wrong side until either events or enraged mobs force them in another direction.

Luther

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