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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (349072)	8/30/2007 9:47:22 AM
From: longnshort	Respond to of 1573994

Katrina collects a bundle By Audrey Hudson and Sean Lengell August 30, 2007 President Bush and first lady Laura Bush visited a new home in a housing development in New Orleans yesterday to mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The federal government has set aside more than $127 billion for the Gulf region to recover. The flow of federal dollars to the Gulf Coast two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the region already exceeds what the U.S. spent on the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War II. President Bush and Congress have committed more than $127 billion in resources and tax relief for the region — significantly more than inflation-adjusted $107.6 billion directed to 16 countries in Europe between 1947 and 1951. "We dumped billions into Europe, but it was prepared to deal with it and used it to create a viable new economy," said Fred L. Smith Jr., president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute. "At the moment, Louisiana's economy is very regulated and politicized; it's like pushing stones uphill while molasses flows downhill," Mr. Smith said. "The challenge is to make sure aid to Louisiana is matched or surpassed by their own self-help efforts, the need to incentivize and liberalize its economy and political rules." Residents in New Orleans and the Mississippi towns hardest hit by the storms have generally expressed gratitude for the outpouring of help from across the nation, but remain frustrated by the delays in rebuilding their communities. "I took a lot of heat from people who really expect the federal government to not just send help, but to make sure the help gets to the people who need it," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee after returning last night from a town meeting in New Orleans on the second anniversary of Katrina. "It's nice for people to come down here, but there is some resentment against all of the Washington people who come down here and give lip service, and go back to Washington and do nothing." More than $96 billion has been distributed or is currently available to states to rebuild houses and schools, repair damaged infrastructure and to provide shelter for hurricane victims, among other uses. Page 1 of 2 next >> \| Email \| Print \| Subscribe