Yesterday in a speech to the American Association for Public Opinion Research, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin cracked that the best way to deal with the homeless problem was to “find some bus tickets. We’ll see, one way.” What kind of solution is this? Homelessness is a very serious issue that needs to be addressed. It is a catastrophe that 12,000 people are living on the streets of New Orleans. The problem has only gotten worse during the Nagin administration. Remember in the immediate aftermath of Katrina, Nagin called on people to return to New Orleans, even though the housing stock was not restored. Certainly Nagin contributed to the problem the city is facing today. His lack of leadership on the issue has been apparent. For months, Nagin has promised to address the growing homeless population encamped at the intersection of Canal and Claiborne Avenues; however, he has failed to take effective action. The homeless problem cannot be solved with one-way tickets out of town, but it does need to be addressed.
The fact that Nagin would joke about the homeless problem should not be a big surprise for the Mayor fancies himself as a real jokester. Remember just a few months ago he was joking that he was “vagina friendly.” This was his unusual way of welcoming the Vagina Monologues to the city of New Orleans. However, the real joke is Mayor Ray Nagin. His administration has stopped functioning, not that it ever did function properly.
Currently, New Orleans has a surging crime problem, a homeless crisis, a stalled recovery and much more. Nagin is so immature that he does not deal with tough questions from the media and has stopped interacting with WWL TV, Channel 4 because the station had the audacity to investigate his lax work schedule.
The New Orleans City Council has become so frustrated with the administration that they are threatening subpoenas. The administration has refused to comply with requests for information on the 311 phone system and the crime cameras. While crime is surging, the majority of these cameras are inoperable. What is especially infuriating is that crimes are being committed right underneath the inoperable cameras.
In recent days, Nagin’s chief aides have been exposed spending thousands of dollars on lavish meals entertaining politicians. Government watchdogs have rightfully criticized lobbyists for spending too much money wining and dining politicians. In my view, it is even worse for government bureaucrats to waste taxpayer dollars on political operatives and power brokers. The Mayor has not appropriately responded to questions about why tax dollars should be used to pay for lavish meals at expensive restaurants such as Morton’s Steakhouse.
With all of these controversies swirling around, Nagin seems unconcerned and more interested in joke telling and building his national profile. His city will not recover until Nagin leaves office when someone with some leadership ability can try to reorganize City Hall and manage the many problems facing the city.
Nagin is an embarrassment, but the people of New Orleans have no one to blame but themselves, for they voted for him. For many years to come, they will continue to suffer the negative consequences of that horrible decision.
Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com
Yeah, wutever, they are both the same.... Are you trying to say that Landreau was or is the lesser of two evils? Written by
on 5/16/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
Don't blame me, I voted for Landrieu and so did my wife.
I'd like to know how the people who were bussed into New Orleans from Houston and Atlanta voted since their votes would show up as their old neighborhoods where they no longer live. With only 5,000 votes separating winning and losing, they surely mattered, and I have little confidence they could see C. Ray's republican roots showing instead of the color of his skin. Written by IcedCoffee
on 5/16/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
With the number of crimes at a record high, maybe C. Ray will be the next victim of one, thus giving the citizens of New Orleans a well-deserved break! Sorry, Ray, but you've earned this one! Written by Deon
on 5/16/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
GIve him his due. He came back to town early this year to get those poor people moved from Duncan Plaza so that he won't need to see them. Perhaps he could have traded deals with Home Depot to find them jobs or living, rather than big bucks for himself and his family. Written by noladude
on 5/16/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
In its worst form, crony capitalism can devolve into simple corruption, where any pretense of a free market is dispensed with. Bribes to government officials are considered de rigueur and tax evasion is common; this is seen in many parts of Africa, for instance. This is sometimes called plutocracy (rule by wealth) or kleptocracy (rule by theft). Corrupt governments may favor one set of business owners who have close ties to the government over others, as in the Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship. This may also be done with racial, religious, or ethnic favoritsm; for instance, Alawites in Syria have a disproportionate share of power in the government and business there. (President Assad is an Alawite.) Theoretically, this can be explained by considering personal relationships as a social network. As government and business leaders try to accomplish various things, they naturally turn to other powerful people for support in their endeavors. These people form hubs in the network. In a developing country those hubs may be very few, thus concentrating economic and political power in a small interlocking group. In a fully developed country, the processes of capitalism have already concentrated wealth into the possession of a small group, with the same result: reduction of the number of hubs. Normally, this will be untenable to maintain in business; new entrants will affect the market. However, if business and government are entwined, then the government can maintain the small-hub network.
Written by
on 5/16/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
Yesterday in a speech to the American Association for Public Opinion Research, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin cracked that the best way to deal with the homeless problem was to “find some bus tickets. We’ll see, one way.” What kind of solution is this? Homelessness is a very serious issue that needs to be addressed. It is a catastrophe that 12,000 people are living on the streets of 
