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- Go to Headline: “Brown Says White House Knew About Katrina Levees.” So what?
Welcome, nakedsky!
Thanks for joining in. You, like Glenn B who has also accused me of being on the take, are paying me to write this stuff; go take a gander at how Blogit pays its writers. Thanks for the financial support! 
Sarooster, it should be mentioned that Hugo hit during the Bubba regime. Was there as much criticism of FEMA then? Hardly.
Scoop touches on what I pointe out in the comment below about the history of the levee design. And, thanks for the info about which levees broke, and their condition. Any info on just where in the Corps of Engineers budget the cuts were requested? The Corps of Engineers is involved in far more than New Orleans flood protection. Also, as has been explained before, Senators earmark Corps of Engineers funds for pet projects, hence Senator Landrieu earmarking funds for a pork-barrel navigation project instead of levee construction and maintenance.
posted by
WriterofLight
on February 12, 2006 at 9:08 PM
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Hey, everyone, Glenn B's back!
You have been missed, my friend. It's always quiet around here when you take a hiatus. As I have explained elsewhere, reponsibility for the levee problems goes back decades, clear to FDR and the Mississippi River levee program he authroized. The levees were inadequate for Category Five flooding then, and they are now. At least President Bush has taken the problem on and is doing something about it (contrary to the Professor's claim), unlike the complete inaction of his predecessors. And this is not to mention that the local levee boards are responsible for the upkeep of the levees, Senator Landrieu diverted funds from levees to useless pork-barrel navigation projects, and the list goes on.
posted by
WriterofLight
on February 12, 2006 at 8:59 PM
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Scoop
That is a good point about the city only being protected by levees designed to handle a Category 3 storm. I have surveyed some of the areas talked about and the Corps of Engineers never gets the money they need to totally do a job. They get it allocated each and every year. So the construction work is done in phases. The storm hit, and even though some things could have been done better, and the levees did just about what they were expected to do.
posted by
sarooster
on February 11, 2006 at 9:15 AM
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Someone is to blame
We keep hearing Clinton was to blame for 9/11.
Bush was to blame for the Katrina.
So what gives who is to blame?
Here is a news item on the subject.
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that a lack of funding for hurricane-protection projects around New Orleans did not contribute to the disastrous flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina.
In a telephone interview with reporters, corps officials said that although portions of the flood-protection levees remain incomplete, the levees near Lake Pontchartrain that gave way--inundating much of the city--were completed and in good condition before the hurricane.
However, they noted that the levees were designed for a Category 3 hurricane and couldn't handle the ferocious winds and raging waters from Hurricane Katrina, which was a Category 4 storm when it hit the coastline. The decision to build levees for a Category 3 hurricane was made decades ago based on a cost-benefit analysis.
And now Bush has cut 11.7% from the Army Corps of Engineers in his 2007 budget.
OK who do we blame now, Valarie Plame?
posted by
scoop
on February 11, 2006 at 8:59 AM
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Writer makes some good points about the first response
and the local, governor and mayor, being a bit derelict in their duty. The evacuation of an area is handled by the locals. We can't blame FEMA for that. Security is handled locally also. There is no denying those facts. FEMA came to the aid of people on the East Coast twelve days after Hurricane Hugo hit the area. So these people are not supposed to be first responders. Did they do badly in this situation? Yes, they did along with the local and state officials.
President Bush called Governor Blanco before the storm and she did nothing. Mayor Nagin was clueless also. So to try and bash President Bush over this again does not hold much water. Yes, there were some things done wrong, by him, but the governor and mayor could have done much better also and averted a small part of this disaster.
The bottom line in all of this is that a disaster of these proportions can't be stopped by anyone. It's just unfortunate and we have to deal with this from time to time.
posted by
sarooster
on February 11, 2006 at 8:42 AM
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You're Right! Bush Is An Idiot!
Or rather a sneaky incompetent at best. He and his Dad are both sneaky control freaks in bed with the CIA. Who pays you to write such crappy Bushit?
posted by
nakedsky
on February 11, 2006 at 1:01 AM
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I agree GlenB
I sure hope the river of de-Nile never floods. We'll all be ass deep in alligators then!
Even when their own peeps say it's their fault, the Bushbots won't accept responsibility!
posted by
Professor_Peabody
on February 10, 2006 at 10:24 PM
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WriterofLight,
You are a sad case! Why this running commentary if "ole" W were not the problem? Are we really to believe that Bill Clinton is the reason? I hope you have perched yourself high enough above responsibility to avoid your own madness!
posted by
Glennb
on February 10, 2006 at 9:23 PM
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