"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Saturday, September 01, 2007

The Big Easy's Billion Dollar Boondoggle

Excerpt:

Here's a pop quiz: How much money has Uncle Sam spent on New Orleans and the Gulf region since Hurricane Katrina ripped the place apart? I'll give you the answer because you'll never guess it. The grand total is $127 billion (including tax relief). That's right: a monstrous $127 billion. Of course, not a single media story has highlighted this gargantuan government-spending figure. But that number came straight from the White House in a fact sheet subtitled, "The Federal Government Is Fulfilling Its Commitment to Help the People of the Gulf Coast Rebuild."

Perhaps all this money should've been directly deposited in the bank accounts of the 300,000 people living in New Orleans. All divvied up, that $127 billion would come to $425,000 per person! After thanking Uncle Sam for their sudden windfall, residents could head to Southern California and buy homes that are now on sale thanks to the sub-prime mortgage crisis and bid up the sagging house prices in the state.

Meanwhile, according to an article by Nicole Gelinas at the Manhattan Institute, New Orleans has earned the distinct honor of becoming the murder capital of the world. The murder rate is 40 percent higher than before Katrina, and twice as high as other dangerous cities like Detroit, Newark, and Washington, D.C.

Think of this: The idea of using federal money to rebuild cities is the quintessential liberal vision. And given the dreadful results in New Orleans, we can say that the government's $127 billion check represents the quintessential failure of that liberal vision. Hillary Clinton calls this sort of reckless spending "government investment." And that's just what's in store for America if she wins the White House next year.

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2 comments:

miriam sawyer said...

They couldn't afford houses in California. Try New Jersey.

Reliapundit said...

the big saying during mardi gras - besides show me your titties - is THROW ME SOMETHING MISTER!.

which is what they have been saying ever since:

they want handouts, and bush, who is as liberal as they come - obliged.

he should have JUST given the region big tax breaks.

or even used that dreadful kelo ruling and condemn vast tracts of the region and sell it top private developers.

the AL and NOLA govts are too to do anything well.