Why Is Jindal Taking Our Money?

I just read two news reports that share an interesting common thread. The first story involves the dissolution of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, formed after Katrina to guide the state in its expenditure of federal recovery dollars:

HB1173 would have required legislative approval of proposals and contracts for the use of more than $50,000 in recovery dollars while HB1175 would have allowed parishes to seek alternative uses for allocated recovery funds. Under opposition from the Jindal administration, neither bill won final passage.[Louisiana New Link].

With the dissolution of the LRA, the Jindal administration essentially is allowed to write a blank check on the remaining funds"[2theadvocate.com]

The second story is about how Jindal wants to hold on to the money the state has gotten from BP and prefers that the affected coastal parishes go obtain any money BP owes them on their own.:

Gov. Bobby Jindal unleashed his veto pen late Friday, nixing lawmakers’ attempt to direct $24.9 million to parishes and small towns affected by the oil leak...In his veto message, Jindal said BP should pay the municipalities directly for the impact of the April 20 rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.

Left unnoted in Jindal’s veto message was the fact that the money legislators wanted to give to the municipalities comes from a fund fattened by a grant from BP. The Jindal administration wants state agencies to have use of the money. “If it’s acceptable use for state government, then why isn’t acceptable for local governments?” said state Rep. Sam Jones, D-Franklin, who co-sponsored the amendment that would have diverted much of the BP money in the state’s Oil Spill Contingency Fund to help 11 coastal parishes and the towns of Lafitte and Grand Isle. [2theadvocate.com]

Fuzzy Math?

OK, let me see if I got this straight. The LRA is giving $40 million to private schools to cover rebuilding costs...and the 188,251 households of N.O. get to split $116 million to rebuild? I can be a bit slow at times, but that seems a little lopsided.

Also, I wonder if the private schools have to submit rebuilding plans before they get this money.

And why is New Orleans only getting $116 million when there is over $445 million left to distribute? It still wouldn't be enough, but it'd be 4x as much as 116 mil.

Moreover, why are we getting $116 million to rebuild neighborhoods that are to last longer than our lifetime when ICF is get $750 million to fuck up for a year?

ICF International Wouldn't Lie to Us, Would They?

Today's Times-Picayune featured an article on the slow progress of the Road Home Program stating: "In its proposal, ICF boasted that [it] would provide the kind of 'surge capacity' that would enable the company to quickly process applications and get relief to weary homeowners." However, "while more than 90,000 homeowners have applied for a Road Home grant in the past four months, as of last Thursday just 94 families had received money."

Michael Byrne, an ICF senior vice president and chief program executive defended the company, saying the state's demands changed after the job began:

"We had enough people for the model we built, based on what we thought we needed to be doing," Byrne said. "But the perception of what we needed to deliver changed." [Times-Picayune, December 24, 2006]

Really?
In that case, I think ICF should explain the discrepancy in the above statement with their June 30, 2006 Press Release:

"The Road Home housing registry already exceeds 90,000 applicants, with more than 30,000 additional applicants who have not yet registered but are expected to qualify."

Oh and this one one too, from October 19, 2006:

"The State estimates that nearly 123,000 residents are eligible for the rebuilding grant monies allocated for homeowners. In the second and third phases, we expect to double local hiring and team with an even greater number of local firms."

OH, annnnnnnd this one:

"We met or exceeded the deadlines established for the first phase of the Program and are pleased that we were able to accomplish our goals..." October 19, 2006

Not to nit pick, but that sounds a little different from the state's view of things: "By not having enough advisers, ICF was unable to reach its goal of conducting 1,000 initial interviews per day by Oct. 31, Jones [state official and mayor of Franklin, LA for 23 years] said. That goal wasn't reached until Nov. 16, records show." T-P December 24, 2006

What's the Rush?

I'm not even getting Road Home money, but I just about blew my top when I read this. If this ain't a way for another company to get money that could be going to actual rebuilding, I'll go St. Louis Cathedral for Mass Sunday dressed as the Pope -- in a cocktail dress.

From www.wwltv.com:
"Those waiting for money from the Louisiana Road Home program will have to wait a bit longer to get the actual cash as the group disbursing the funds is requiring that they be made to a bank or mortgage company, which will then dole it out in three payments as work is done on your home or when you purchase a new one.

The requirement that the money go to a mortgage company or a bank first, even extends to those who have already paid off their mortgages.

Susan Elkins of the State Office of Community Development says that negotiations are underway with a mortgage company that will disburse funds to people who have completely paid off their home loans."

Are these people fucking allergic to actually HELPING anyone?!