What was Mr. Bush thinking?

[goldie]

February 7, 2005

Jefferson Press Release

“While we work to widen the Industrial Canal and provide hurricane protection for our coast, this budget cuts the New Orleans Army Corps of Engineers budget by over $53 million, providing zero funding for the Inner Harbor Lock Canal project and with a $26 million cut for Southeastern Louisiana hurricane protection and drainage projects. The total budget is cut to $289 million, down from $323 million for 2005.

“The federal budget is, at its core, an expression of our nation’s priorities. Once again, through this disappointing budget, this administration confirms that it is wholly out of touch with America’s values and the real needs of people in Louisiana and throughout the nation. Over the coming months, I will fight for a budget that reflects the needs of the people of New Orleans and Louisiana. A responsible budget is the first step towards building a future worthy of the trust of the American people, the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, and the aspirations of all of America’s children.”

Congressman William J. Jefferson
SECOND DISTRICT, LOUISIANA

Probably that La. could wait for the next administration to provide the finances to build newer/better levee systems?


I'm sure it doesn't give Mr. Jefferson or the citizens of La. any satisfaction to say they tried to tell Him so.


..sorry, i'm not normally a politically vocal person but this particular issue hit a nerve after the hurricane.

[theknife]

Originally Posted by goldie

..sorry, i'm not normally a politically vocal person but this particular issue hit a nerve after the hurricane.

yeah, me neither:

Originally Posted by theknife

...make the connection between a multi-billion dollar war and high taxes, underfunded schools, underpaid teachers, high college costs, reduced mental health services, reduced government aid programs, medicare cutbacks, projected Social Security bankruptcy, national parks cutbacks, rotting roads and bridges, etc etc

[albed]

So what does that have to do with Bush. Even a retarded congressman should know that money gets allocated by the legislative branch not the executive. Did he introduce any bills or amendments for more money?


This just sounds like the tired old political ploy where people who decide to live in flood zones and hurricane prone beaches try to get government money to subsidize their choice instead of paying their own way.

[Sinner]

These cuts went into effect 2 months ago, it has nothing to do with the situation going on in New Orleans right now. Two months is not enough time to see a monster storm coming and re-enforce the levees and improve pumps. I would say both parties, federal and local are at fault for not being prepared. That’s if you need someone to blame. Not a time to start pointing figures, visit this web site instead http://www.redcross.org/

[floydian slip]

Originally Posted by spinner

These cuts went into effect 2 months ago, it has nothing to do with the situation going on in New Orleans right now. Two months is not enough time to see a monster storm coming and re-enforce the levees and improve pumps.

well... maybe 2 years is enough then

Yet after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA dropped to a trickle. The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars. (Much of the research here is from Nexis, which is why some articles aren't linked.)

In early 2004, as the cost of the conflict in Iraq soared, President Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps said was needed for Lake Pontchartrain, according to this Feb. 16, 2004, article, in New Orleans CityBusiness:

[Sinner]

Originally Posted by floydian slip

well... maybe 2 years is enough then

So does this mean the left is done with the grieving mother for political gain?

A quote “We haven't even buried the dead yet, and they're trying to pin the untold lives and livelihoods lost on an opponent for political gain.”

And No two years is not enough, the levees are 15 feet high. The storm surge was about 22 feet high, do the math, are you having me believe that the Bush Administration purposefully underfunded the levees, and that this underfunding directly caused the catastrophe in New Orleans?

Now do some research and you learn New Orleans has spent $450,000,000 on the levees over the last ten years, that leaves at least $250,000,000 in crucial projects which has not been spent. They are spending about $45,000,000 per year, that gives them almost six years worth of crucial projects yet to be done. The money was reduced starting in 2004, so in fact no more than 1.5 years of the remaining six years worth of projects was incomplete due to funding cuts. All the rest wouldn't have been done yet anyway. But somehow, finishing 25% of the crucial projects remaining would have saved the city.


http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3332317

Engineers developed several possible scenarios for what might have caused the catastrophic breach in a levee, which is essentially an earthen berm topped by several feet of concrete.

Corps of Engineers officials said their analysis indicated that a limited amount of water washed over the top of the levee in waves, scouring and weakening the foundation on the levee's dry side.

Suhayda said that's possible. But another possibility is that, during the half-day floodwaters built up in Lake Pontchartrain and the canal, water may have percolated through the earthen part of the berm, undermining it.

That effect, combined with the cumulative pressure over time, may have caused a breakthrough.

"There's no question that those kind of conditions might have just reached the limit of what that particular levee could handle," said James "Bob" Bailey, a flood and wind hazard risk expert with ABS consulting in Houston.
It's also possible the levee was older and had degraded as all earthen and concrete structures do, he said.

A final possibility is that an unknown, massive chunk of debris struck the levee at some point during the night, causing a breach.

Today's breach came after New Orleans had, almost miraculously, survived a hurricane many engineers feared would send water gushing over the long, 15-foot levee that protects the city's north shore from Lake Pontchartrain."

In other words, even if the Federal government had sent trillions of dollars, it wouldn't have made a difference. A 15-foot wall doesn't contain a 22-foot surge. Once the water is over the levee in any quantity, it starts scouring the levee from the face of the earth.

Cont later…

[goldie]

this isn't the first storm that's been in the gulf.

the others were just warm-ups since that last big one in 1969.

mr. jefferson said he wouldn't stop trying and i'm sure he didn't. his cause just wasn't deemed important enough to the right people i fear.

go figure.

btw, i wouldn't give a dime to the red cross.

[Sinner]

Originally Posted by goldie

this isn't the first storm that's been in the gulf.

Really!!??

the others were just warm-ups since that last big one in 1969.

If you knew this for a fact why didn't you tell anybody? BTW what is your special technique to predict hurricanes?

mr. jefferson said he wouldn't stop trying and i'm sure he didn't. his cause just wasn't deemed important enough to the right people i fear.

go figure.

and what people are you talking about?

btw, i wouldn't give a dime to the red cross.

Then keep your money, no-one asked you too.

[floydian slip]

Originally Posted by goldie

btw, i wouldn't give a dime to the red cross.

same here... the red cross is a bureaucratic wasteland, the salvation army gets my donations

[multi]

i was just reading about this thing here

and sort of related metafilter story on Bunnatine
here


30 year itch