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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (43087)	9/8/2005 9:29:18 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93284

Yet after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA dropped to a trickle. The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars. Newhouse News Service, in an article posted late Tuesday night at The Times-Picayune Web site, reported: "No one can say they didn't see it coming. ... Now in the wake of one of the worst storms ever, serious questions are being asked about the lack of preparation." In early 2004, as the cost of the conflict in Iraq soared, President Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps said was needed for Lake Pontchartrain, according to a Feb. 16, 2004, article, in New Orleans CityBusiness. On June 8, 2004, Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; told the Times-Picayune: "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can't be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us." editorandpublisher.com

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (43087)	9/8/2005 11:33:29 PM
From: ChinuSFO	Respond to of 93284

Hi Mr. Love thy Troops you are hanging out here now. Here you go. I fire another salvo at you. BOOM. America takes a bite of humble pie September 7, 2005 BY CINDY RICHARDS Evacuees. Humanitarian crisis. Terrorism. Failure of leadership. We Americans have become citizens of the world. No longer can we stand aloof, conjuring pity and donations for the wretched souls of other lands who suffer the indignity of losing everything. This new millennium has shown us we are just as vulnerable to the ills of our modern world as any impoverished African nation. Terrorism on our shores? Never, we thought. We were insulated on two sides by friendly neighbors and on two other sides by huge expanses of water. Terrorism was something that happened in the neighborhoods of Jerusalem or the subways of London. But that hole in the ground in Manhattan is ongoing proof that we are no longer insulated from anything. Evacuees in America? Never, we thought. Those poor misfortunates were to be found in the fetid, disease-infected backwaters of some war-torn Third World nation that we could not even find on a map. Now we know they also can be found in the Superdome, a place we thought was only for fun and games. Humanitarian crisis in America? Never, we thought. That was what we called it once the evacuees of those war-torn Third World nations had overrun the neighbors willing to help. By the time the evacuees had become a humanitarian crisis, people already were dying from starvation and disease that easily could have been prevented with a few antibiotics and some clean drinking water. Now we know that people without food, water and sanitation are just as likely to die in a waterlogged city in America awaiting help that never comes as they are in a waterlogged village in Thailand. Humanitarian aid to America? Never, we thought. That was something we offered, not something we asked for. Show us a humanitarian crisis on the five o'clock news and watch as Congress debates how much money to send and whether the country is worthy of our help. Now Sri Lanka is sending us $25,000 to help us dig out from our own disaster. Failure of leadership? Not here, we thought, at least not when the stakes were this high. That was what happened in other countries, where the leaders made themselves and their friends wealthy while the poor suffered, where the government was disorganized and unable or unwilling to respond. Now we have proof that it is happening here as well. Before Katrina, we Americans had always come through for our own. There always was money and manpower and political will to mobilize help where it was needed most. But the Bush administration has different priorities. He has spent our money and manpower and political will in Iraq fighting a war of his choosing. Even at home, he has acted more like one of those Third World dictators who enriches himself and his friends while impoverishing his country. President Bush's tax cuts -- which went primarily to the wealthiest Americans, including Bush and his pals -- left little for the poor people who live in the inner cities of New Orleans and the rural areas of Mississippi. They were left to wallow in abject poverty, just one natural disaster away from destitution, starvation and helplessness. Now that the troops have rolled into New Orleans and the levy repairs have begun, we have turned to another uniquely American pursuit -- ruminating on the causes of this national embarrassment. Was the response so slow because the victims were overwhelmingly black and poor? Was it because the people and money we needed were in Iraq rather than America? How will we ensure it never happens again? It will take years to fully answer those questions. But we Americans already have learned some cruel lessons this millennium. Some have made us angry, others have bolstered our resolve. Learning that we are no better at taking care of our own than some impoverished Third World country may be the most humbling of all. suntimes.com

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (43087)	9/8/2005 11:41:01 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93284

From the ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS SITE: The President’s budget for fiscal year 2005 was $3.9 million. Congress increased it to $5.5 million. This was insufficient to fund new construction contracts. Engineering design, and construction supervision and inspection efforts are also included. Seven contracts are being delayed due to lack funds. They include the floodgate at the Canadian National Railroad and the Gulf South Floodwall and Reach 2A and 2B levee enlargement, all in St. Charles Parish; Reach 1 and Reach 4 Levee Enlargements in Jefferson Parish; Pump Station No. 3 Fronting Protection, Robert E. Lee Bridge replacement and the New Orleans East Back Levee enlargement, all in Orleans Parish; and the Bienvenu to Dupre Levee Enlargement in St. Bernard Parish. The Pontchartrain Levee District is providing funds to construct the Gulf South Pipeline floodwall in St. Charles Parish. The East Jefferson Levee District is providing funds to construct the Reach 1 and Reach 4 levee enlargements in Jefferson Parish. Louis Armstrong International Airport is funding the Canadian National Railroad floodgate as part of the rehabilitation of the east-west runway. mvn.usace.army.mil