Big problem in Big Easy

I spent much of the weekend in New Orleans attending a southern meeting of the Federalist Society. I was eager to visit this city as I had never done so before but also because of its additional notoriety since Katrina.

The youngish gregarious bellman at my hotel told me he had been rescued (he and his dog) from the roof of his house--he had never evacuated for a storm and seemed sort of proud that he didn't for Katrina.

It seemed every story on the evening news on Friday was related to bumbling efforts at recovery: five double-wide trailers designed for use as satellite hospital facilities had been sitting on a vacant lot for nine months because of ostensibly prohibitive zoning laws. The re-zoning happened on Friday night . . . the mayor would have to wait seven days to approve the change . . . and the zoning commissioner (?) said the trailers would be in place in 90-100 days. Is there no way to expedite such procedures?

In another report, something like 20 police officers were operating out of temporary precincts--20 persons sharing one computer and (not) using port-o-lets that hadn't been emptied in three months. The only thing keeping the precincts from being refurbished was New Orleans' inability to provide the 10% matching funds to access federal monies available for this purpose . . . Sen. Mary Landrieu is complaining that Republicans were unwilling to waive the 10% requirement. Why can't New Orleans be expected to pick up the cost of 10% of money spent on its recovery?

In addressing our group on Saturday, Sen. David Vitter explained that the "Road Home" program in Louisiana--which Bush said from the beginning would be implemented by the respective Katrina-affected states, had managed to distribute only 2% of Federal monies allotted. Gov. Blanco was somehow been hamstrung by circumstances and unable to effectively administer the program.

In light of the endemic (and inherently Liberal) characteristics that hindered an appropriate preparation and response to Katrina, and as a Republican and Conservative, I was bothered by anti-Bush, anti-Bush's-FEMA and pro-Nagin bumper stickers, t-shirts, etc. (even a clever cell-phone-looking gadget that plays memorable quotes from da mayor) I know that there is some element of playing to the crowd with all this stuff, but . . . It appears that the problematic entitlement ethic of this dysfunctional city has only been exacerbated by Katrina.

That being said, I felt compassion toward the city and sympathy for its plight. I feel drawn to the region as I do/did to fledgling 2nd-World countries after the fall of the Iron Curtain. But it seems that Democrats (who control the state and city) are expecting someone else to solve a problem only they (Dems) can solve.