Project Katrina

Well this is just a wonderful thing to say by current Education Secretary Arne Duncan:

I’ve spent a lot of time in New Orleans and this is a tough thing to say but I’m going to be really honest. The best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina. That education system was a disaster. And it took Hurricane Katrina to wake up the community to say that we have to do better. And the progress that it made in four years since the hurricane, is unbelievable.

It seems now folks in both the Bush and Obama administration seem to think Katrina was in some way a net benefit for New Orleans. Kind of stunning.

I don’t have a lot of praise myself for Obama’s early efforts, but it would seem the Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal has more then a few nice things to say:

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama pledged to right the wrongs he said bogged down efforts to rebuild the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Seven months into the job, he’s earning high praise from some unlikely places.

Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., says Obama’s team has brought a more practical and flexible approach. Many local officials offer similar reviews. Even Doug O’Dell, former President George W. Bush’s recovery coordinator, says the Obama administration’s “new vision” appears to be turning things around.

Not too long ago, Jindal said in a telephone interview, Louisiana governors didn’t have “very many positive things” to say about the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But Jindal said he had a lot of respect for the current FEMA chief, Craig Fugate, and his team. “There is a sense of momentum and a desire to get things done,” the governor said.

Politifact is a site run by the St. Petersburg Times. They have complied a detailed checklist of  all Barack Obama’s statements on the needs of New Orleans and the Southern Louisiana and his promises to help meet those needs, measured against what he’s actually proposed and/or done.

If the 16 promises about Katrina Obama has 15 “No Action” and one “Compromise.”

The farther we get into this administration, the clearer it becomes to me that New Orleans is now enjoying its second strat White House that just doesn’t give a shit about fixing what the Federal government broke in the first place.

Well it would appear this is the start of the 2012 presidential campaign.

Saying that it could lead to a tax increase on state businesses, Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Friday that the state plans to reject as much as $98 million in federal unemployment assistance in the economic stimulus package.

Jindal, who has emerged as a leading Republican critic of the $787 billion spending and tax-cut bill signed into law this week by President Barack Obama, said the state would accept federal dollars for transportation projects and would not quarrel with a $25-per-week increase in unemployment benefits.

Both of those items are financed entirely with federal dollars and require the state only to accept the money. The part that Jindal rejected would require permanent changes in state law that the governor said makes it unacceptable. [...]

But U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., disputed the governor’s interpretation and said the new unemployment benefits are designed to be temporary. “This bill is an emergency measure designed to provide extra help during these extraordinarily tough times,” Landrieu said. “To characterize this provision as a ‘tax increase on Louisiana businesses’ is inaccurate.”

I’ve read multiple stories on this topics and the best I can tel is that Jindal’s position is he’d rather limit unemployed assistance now than worry about a possible tax increase on businesses three years from now.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release February 20, 2009

Obama Extends Gulf Coast Rebuilding Office; Sends Cabinet Members to Gulf Coast and New Orleans

Washington, D.C. – President Barack Obama Friday signed an executive order extending the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding. The President also announced that he has asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to tour the Gulf Coast and New Orleans in early March.

The executive order that established the office was set to expire on February 28. President Obama extended the office through the end of the fiscal year, September 30, 2009.

“The residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast who are helping rebuild are heroes who believe in their communities and they are succeeding despite the fact that they have not always received the support they deserve from the Federal government,” President Obama said. “This executive order is a first step of a sustained commitment by my Administration to rebuild now, stronger than ever.”

Demonstrating the Obama Administration’s commitment to rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, the President also announced that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan would tour the Gulf Coast on March 5 and 6 to assess rebuilding efforts.

“In the coming weeks, I will dispatch Secretaries Napolitano and Donovan to see first-hand the progress made in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and report back on the needs they see in the region. We must ensure that the failures of the past are never repeated. My Administration is committed to strengthening our preparedness, response, and recovery efforts,” President Obama said.

The mission of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding is to identify and help address the priority needs for long-term rebuilding by working with the people on the ground and with decision makers in Washington.

From today’s Times-Picayune:

The giant economic stimulus bill signed into law this week by President Barack Obama will provide $3.8 billion in financing and tax cuts for Louisiana, but none of it is earmarked specifically for hurricane recovery.

Louisiana officials, who were sharply critical of what they considered a lack of financial support for hurricane recovery from President George W. Bush, are holding their fire on the new president, whose administration put together much of the stimulus package.

“We’re not playing nice; the new administration is playing smart,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who praised the administration for supporting language in the stimulus bill that will expedite the arbitration process to free $1.4 billion in hurricane recovery money stalled for years because of disputes between FEMA and local governments.

Not good news, but I hear more news will be forthcoming from the White House later today on more direct aid to New Orleans.

Louisiana faces an estimated $2 billion budget shortfall next year while the state is being hit hard by unemployment. Yet Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), rumored to be a future presidential candidate, said last weekend that he may turn down the roughly $3.8 billion for the state in the economy recovery package, which is expected to create more than 50,000 jobs:

We’ll have to review each program, each new dollar to make sure that we understand what are the conditions, what are the strings and see whether it’s beneficial for Louisiana to use those dollars,” Jindal said.

Jindal seems to be taking an even harder line than his colleagues Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), who while opposing the stimulus legislation, has said he will take the money. It may be important to note at this point that Jindal is scheduled to give the offical GOP response to President Obama’s address next Tuesday.

Under the “Agenda” section of the site regarding Katrina, it reads:

President Obama will keep the broken promises made by President Bush to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. He and Vice President Biden will take steps to ensure that the federal government will never again allow such catastrophic failures in emergency planning and response to occur.

President Obama swiftly responded to Hurricane Katrina. Citing the Bush Administration’s “unconscionable ineptitude” in responding to Hurricane Katrina, then-Senator Obama introduced legislation requiring disaster planners to take into account the specific needs of low-income hurricane victims. Obama visited thousands of Hurricane survivors in the Houston Convention Center and later took three more trips to the region. He worked with members of the Congressional Black Caucus to introduce legislation to address the immediate income, employment, business, and housing needs of Gulf Coast communities.

Obama’s statement on how you can help residents in the path of Hurricane Gustav:

As Hurricane Gustav approaches and Gulf Coast residents evacuate their communities, our thoughts and prayers go out to those who are affected by this situation.

Mayor Ray Nagin has announced a mandatory evacuation for the City of New Orleans today, Sunday, August 31st. If you are in the New Orleans area, please contact the state emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 if you need more information or go to the State of Louisiana site for an updated list of evacuations by parish.

If you are a Mississippi resident, please click here for information.

State and local government officials are working hard to ensure the safety and well-being of the people of the region, and many of you have asked how you can help too.

Please find out how you can help by visiting the American Red Cross or Save The Children today.

If disaster strikes, your support will be vital to those organizations that work to help our communities get back to their feet.

Stay tuned for updates and more information on how you can help.