New Orleans Levee Board: Awash in Pork, page 1

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Topic started on 16-9-2005 @ 04:01 AM by djohnsto77

This is a must see article:

The unveiling of the Mardi Gras Fountain was celebrated this year in typical New Orleans style. The cost of $2.4 million was paid by the Orleans Levee Board, the state agency whose main job is to protect the levees surrounding New Orleans — the same levees that failed after Katrina hit.

"They misspent the money," says Billy Nungesser, a former top Republican official who was briefly president of the Levee Board. "Any dollar they wasted was a dollar that could have went in the levees."

Nungesser says he lost his job because he targeted wasteful spending.

"A cesspool of politics, that’s all it was," says Nungesser. "[Its purpose was to] provide jobs for people."

In fact, NBC News has uncovered a pattern of what critics call questionable spending practices by the Levee Board — a board which, at one point, was accused by a state inspector general of "a long-standing and continuing disregard of the public interest."

Full Story: MSNBC

This is a shocking example of the corruption that seems to permeate all levels of government in New Orleans. Why did they waste money on things totally unrelated to flood control when that was their primary purpose?

reply posted on 16-9-2005 @ 04:11 AM by BitRaiser

It's a sign of the times, I fear.

Just before *every* empire has fallen, it first went through a stage of coruption at ALL levels.

That's what's going to collapse things.
To blame it on Bush and Co alone, is foolish. The whole system is out of wack.

No single example of corruption can suprise me at this point.

reply posted on 16-9-2005 @ 04:29 AM by Ambient Sound

Originally posted by BitRaiser
No single example of corruption can suprise me at this point.

Agreed. In fact, I expect corruption now and am genuinely surprised when it isn't found (which is hardly ever).

$2 Million water fountain. Nice... For a small fraction of that they could have just paid someone to stand out there and throw water in the air all day. It would have made just about as much sense.

reply posted on 16-9-2005 @ 03:00 PM by djohnsto77

Originally posted by Ambient Sound
$2 Million water fountain. Nice... For a small fraction of that they could have just paid someone to stand out there and throw water in the air all day. It would have made just about as much sense.

Yeah, this is ridiculous. I'm sure the fountain is just one example....if they had been investing (or saving) this money, perhaps this NO disaster could have been prevented.

reply posted on 16-9-2005 @ 06:17 PM by darkelf

Originally posted by djohnsto77
This is a shocking example of the corruption that seems to permeate all levels of government in New Orleans. Why did they waste money on things totally unrelated to flood control when that was their primary purpose?

Corruption runs rampant in LA. I'm not surprised at this instance.

reply posted on 16-9-2005 @ 06:22 PM by StickyG

I love fountains, doesn't everyone? I can't stop the urge when I come across one to make a wish and toss some coins into it. How many years would it take collecting all the coins in the fountain to come up with 2 mil? Any pictures of this fountain floating around?

peace

reply posted on 16-9-2005 @ 06:51 PM by Benevolent Heretic

Seems it was just a restoration of the fountain that cost 2.5 mil. Who did it? Halliburton?

Earlier this year, the levee board did complete a $2.5 million restoration project. After months of delays, officials rolled away fencing to reveal the restored 1962 Mardi Gras fountain in a four-acre park featuring a new 600-foot plaza between famous Lakeshore Drive and the sea wall.

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