Scumbags!
Pardon my French, but.... Hearing of what's going on causes me to ponder the meaning of evil. Evil exists and it can be startling to realize it can be found so close to home.
In New Orleans....national guardsmen and FEMA contractors arrested for looting homes they are 'supposedly' helping to clear out.
In Baton Rouge....Two FEMA contractors (one from Arkansas and one from Florida -- both high level contractors, one was head of a team helping family members find dead loved ones) arrested in one of our local parks for soliciting sex from undercover police officers. The thing that really gets me about this is -- how in the hell did these out-of-staters find out about this park so quickly??
7 (and counting) BR police and sherrif deputies resigning for falsifying documents to collect Red Cross/FEMA money.
And that my friends, is (hopefully) my last post on the negative aspects of life. At least for the holiday season.... There is enough good going on to fill my mind with. It's just that when crap happens so close to home, sometimes you just have to acknowledge it and then get on with life.
posted by ellesu at 1:51 PM
2 Comments:
I hope most of these FEMA people are good guys and not looters (for the most part). My husband said a lot of people are going there because there are a good number of FEMA jobs. Should those jobs go to people from the city itself?
I was reading in the New Yorker that Bush's statement that he'd rebuild the city and do "whatever it takes" is getting totally squashed by congress.
Are the musicians coming back? Are most people coming back? Who is going to buy bonds to fix that place up if there aren't people there to pay taxes? I'm no policy pro. Does somebody have a plan?
6:24 PM
I believe that, by far, most of the FEMA, Red Cross, Guard, and all the others who are there (and here) helping are VERY good guys. It's such an overwhelming situation that it's just going to take years to settle out. ...And how it's going to settle out is anyone's guess right now.
As for the job situation, I don't know what to think. I hear local people saying that they can't get FEMA contracts, that too many contracts are going to out-of-state people/businesses. Then.... FEMA will say that they have ongoing working relationships with these particular people/businesses.
And FEMA apparantly doesn't pay 'upfront'. I think payment is held for at least 6 months in order for the job performance to be checked and probably other stuff I'm unaware of. So unless a business can handle their payroll during this waiting period, they can't bid for any contracts.
New Orleans' businesses are having a heck of a time because they can't find enough employees. One of the malls opened up a couple of weeks ago, but most stores had limited business hours because they couldn't find enough employees. There just aren't enough places to live down there for those who want to go back. Baton Rouge has just started free bus service to and from New Orleans...shuttle busses that run 7 or so times a day. I don't know how long the state can keep paying for that though.
Even here in Baton Rouge it seems every place of business you see has 'help wanted' signs. In our newspapers, other states are running full-page ads for many occupations..especially heath professionals.
Personally, from what I'm hearing now, I think the city is being set up for the wealthy to return and.... be rewarded with higher property values. As for the displaced poor, well, my city, BR, likely will remain the largest in LA. Weird! We're even going to have Big Charity. ....A very dubious distinction.
There have been several benefits for the displaced musicians, here and other places like Memphis - where some have gone. Benefits to help them replace their instruments. They've got to come back, don't they??
But ya know....I wondering where all those displaced chefs have ended up! ;)
11:01 PM
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