Mr. Bobby Jindal went to Washington on Monday and talked to President Bush about the urgent needs still facing Louisiana as Jindal, a Republican, is readying to take over the reigns of Louisiana Governorship.
Gov-elect Bobby Jindal said he used the opportunity of the “sit-down meeting” with President Bush to ask for help in speeding hurricane recovery aid to Louisiana and for additional dollars in those recovery efforts.
Jindal discussed more Gulf Coast Opportunity Zone (Go Zone) money so private projects could tap into the loan pool which funds are now almost exhausted.
The Governor-elect underscored the importance of money being a factor in homeowners deciding whether to return to Louisiana.
Jindal also underscored the infrastructure issue such as police and fire stations.Currently, federal money cannot be released until the improvements are already made, locally.
Jindal also expressed concern over federal flood protection grant-matching requirements by the parishes which current situation is a hardship on the individual parishes.Also, the incoming Governor discussed additional money that might be needed to complete the Road Home housing program.As the result of Saturday’s deadline on setting up a meeting with the Road Home program, the state now has a better idea how much money it might need to fill future shortfalls.
Jindal also discussed the cyber command center proposal at Barksdale Air Force Base in north Louisiana.That proposal is not a storm-related issue.
After the recent October election, Jindal had said that President Bush had called him to congratulate him.During a press conference the next week with Governor Blanco, Jindal and Blanco said that both individuals would be attending the meeting with President Bush.However, prior to the Jindal-Blanco press conference, President Bush took a swipe at Governor Blanco during the California fires as he indirectly compared her to the Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Blanco said at the news conference last month she did not particularly appreciate President Bush criticizing her. Governor Blanco was not at this particular meeting with President Bush at the White House.
Sid, are you serious? Don't you see the politics in this? Haley Barbour and Thad Cochran secured more money for Mississippi not for seeing past the politics, but for being part of the GOP machine. And maybe you're right about Jindal, but I'll believe it when I see it. The guy has an unbelievable PR machine and so everyone buys into this image they've manufactured for him, and everyone puts him on a pedestal. I fear he's just as much of a politico as the rest of them, else he wouldn't be governor at the young age of 36. He's not THAT brilliant for goodness' sakes. TW Written by Tee Dub
on 12/5/2007
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Politics or not you gotta have a plan and you gotta work together as a team for good of the people. Say what you want about this administration in the White House. We,represented by our politicians, in Louisiana did a piss poor job. It appears that Jindal as governor will put the people above politics which is something Blanco, Landrieu, Vitter, and the rest of the sorry lot did not do for us. say what you want about Mississippi but they put forth a unified front with their governor as spokesman. Written by Sid
on 12/5/2007
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Well... I am a bit ashamed about the "stupid" reference. However it does really tick me off that the taxpayers have to both carry flood insurance and pay for those who do not carry this insurance. So I guess I went on a bit of a rant. My bad. Written by kerry fox
on 12/5/2007
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Kerry, you’re effectively talking about relocating the city. Why not make sure the levees are competently designed and constructed, so they perform to spec? Is that unreasonable? They did not perform to spec with Katrina and that’s what put most of the city under water. We could have coped with street flooding - we always have. I don’t think people who live in New Orleans are any more ‘stupid’ than people who live in Amsterdam, for example. Few cities are loved by its residents (and visitors, for that matter) like New Orleans. It is an historical and cultural treasure. You don’t just abandon cities like New Orleans because there is a need to maintain critical infrastructure. You maintain that infrastructure. Written by Judith
on 12/4/2007
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Since there is only so much money available to help the poor, why not help those who are too poor for flood insurance move to areas that do not flood? That way we won't have to help them out after the next flood. If they wish to continue to live in flood prone areas when they cannot afford flood insurance, instead of calling them "poor" perhaps we should call them "stupid." Maybe... just maybe ... settling here in this bowl just wasn't a good idea, but if you mustlive here, then make sure you have flood insurance. If you cannot afford flood insurance, be poor on higher ground.... inland.... away from water... water which occasionally covers up all the land.... "flood prone areas" I believe it's called.... a good place to have flood insurance.... or a bad place to live if you cannot afford flood insurance. Those who do not understand this concept and also cannot afford flood insurance, need our help to move inland to higher ground, maybe we can find a movie star to help us to convince these unfortunate victims of flooding in flood prone areas to move to higher ground. Written by kerry fox
on 12/4/2007
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I wonder if they discussed the recent Washington Post article about the Mississippi approach to Katrina recovery, which was to prop up the casinos at the expense of ordinary citizens. I guess that's what a "business-friendly" government is all about: money that could go to rebuilding houses goes to rebuilding businesses; money that could go to education goes to roads; tax revenue that could come from businesses comes from individuals. After all, how much education do you need to be a janitor at a casino? See the article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/24/AR2007112400616.html Written by David (neither Vitter nor Duke)
on 12/4/2007
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Really, cute, Sid, like it would make a difference. This is the most politicized White House EVER - everything they do is done calculating the political effect it will have on the GOP. What a bunch of pond scum. 1-20-09, Baby. Can't come soon enough. TW Written by Tee Dub
on 12/4/2007
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How come he didn't write a letter like Ms. Blanco always did? Written by Sid
on 12/4/2007
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