HumidCity

I do not have much time to write before leaving to go to work, but there are two issues that I ran across this morning that almost made me choke on my coffee. Acording to the Daily Advertiser our illustrious House of Representatives has voted for a bill authorizing raises for the Gov. and various other State Gov. officials. Have these lackwits earned a raise? In the Governor’s case a 40K raise pushing the job 10K above the national average for State Governors?

When the bill came up for a second vote Wednesday, 22 lawmakers who voted against it or were absent in May switched their votes and supported it 57-42. Another 13 who voted for it or were absent last month voted against the proposal.

The vote exchange puzzled even Speaker of the House Joe Salter, D-Florien, who said, “I can’t explain it.”"I don’t think some people knew what they were voting on,” said Rep. Monica Walker, D-Marksville, who with Rep. Kay Katz, R-Monroe, voted against the raise both times.

Katz agreed “some people weren’t paying attention.”

The bill, which now goes to the Senate for consideration, seeks to increase the governor’s salary from $95,000 to $135,000 and the salary of the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, commissioner of insurance and commissioner of agriculture from $85,000 to $115,000.

Does this seem like a well deserved raise? Does this seem like people who are supposed to be steering the state (HA!) were paying attention? Does it seem like a bad acid flashback? Is there any sanity left in Louisiana?Was there any to begin with? And what about Naomi?

So as I’m choking on my coffee reading this I get another jolt. I wish I could say it was a shock, but it was not. More like getting confirmation from your doctor that you have cancer…

The Corps. Deception. Corruption. Reckless endangerment of every life in New Orleans. Hardly new news, but the scope of things as revealed by their own internal investigation is something out of a delusional paranoid’s fantay world. The unfortunate thing is that it is not. I have leave and go t a contract job so I will steer you over to Fix The Pumps to get all the gory details from an actual engineer.

Top points
The Corps New Orleans District has lied to New Orleans and the nation for over a year.

• The pumps are far from ready.
• Millions of taxpayer dollars have been misspent or are unaccounted for.
• Multiple cover-ups have taken place.
• New Orleans remains nearly as vulnerable to flooding as it was immediately following Katrina.

His article includes excellent documentation and reasoning as well as a link to the Corps Report itself. Prepare to become nauseous as you read.

Big Hat Tip to Greg at Suspect Device for the info on the raises. Huge bow on bended knee to Matt at Fix The Pumps, our very own homegrown NOLA Sperhero!

Xposted on  the Livejournal New Orleans Community

Well, I cannot completely drop the vitriol, there is too much that is deserving of it. Instead I will mock the worst of it:

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” - Theodore Roosevelt

“Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly:–’Tis dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to set a proper price upon it’s goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as Freedom should be highly rated.” - Thomas Paine The American Crisis

“The clergy…believe that any portion of power confided to me [as President] will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough, too, in their opinion.” - Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Rush, 1800

More dirt digging on MWI, the Bush Cronies who gave us the failing pumps, soon!

Right now I am busier than MWI trying to cover its behind so this will be short.

The latest dangerous and deceitful actions by the Corps of Engineers continue to put the lives of New Orleans residents at risk. This cannot be tolerated! MWI, the politically connected company who installed these faulty pumps has already begun their attempt at damage control on the issue (See Spoko’s Brain for their lawyer’s response and in depth analysis) Lo and behold, they have associations with Jeb Bush! Sorry Jeb, the only Bush we tolerate here anymore is Reggie. You have your brother George W. to thank for that! As to J. David Eller (MWI’s owner and Jeb’s former business partner), your political cntributions will not shield you from the truth.

We cannot allow the hard facts presented to be spun for the media. Adherance to cold, hard facts is paramount to our continued existence. I strongly encourage all the bloggers out there to jump on this, and also to be prepard for the backlash. According to the original memo 50% have experienced catastrophic failure. That is straight from a memo whose authenticity has been verified by the Corps of Engineers!

Write your congressmen, senators and media. Make some noise, hold them accountable, and do not act like the invertebrates of the Democratic Party (show some backbone)! This is not partisan, it is life or death!

Fix The Pumps, it is requred reading. Facts are what we need and Matt McBride is providing them.