WP: Levee Repair Costs Triple

[deminks]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/30/AR2006033001912.html?nav=rss_nation

By Peter Whoriskey and Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, March 31, 2006; Page A01

The Bush administration said yesterday that the cost of rebuilding New Orleans's levees to federal standards has nearly tripled to $10 billion and that there may not be enough money to fully protect the entire region.

Donald E. Powell, the administration's rebuilding coordinator, said some areas may be left without the protection of levees strong enough to meet requirements of the national flood insurance program. Those areas probably would face enormous obstacles in attracting home buyers and investors willing to build there.

The news represents a shift for the administration; President Bush had pledged in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina to rebuild New Orleans "higher and better." Now, some areas may lose out as they compete for levee protection. Powell's announcement, in a conference call with reporters, prompted denunciations from state and local officials who said the federal government is reneging on promises to rebuild the entire region.

"This monumental miscalculation is an outrage," said Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). "This means that, just two months before hurricane season, the Corps of Engineers informs us they cannot ensure even the minimum safety of southeastern Louisiana. This is totally unacceptable."

[babylonsister]

1. How much has the price escalated since strengthening the levees

should have been done in the first place? :grr: :grr:

[w4rma]

2. Their priority are things that they want destroyed and built in Iraq (nt)

[FloridaPat]

3. What's the price if Hallibutron doesn't build it?

Let's see - $10 billion is 5 weeks in in Iraq. Hmmmm

[MountainLaurel]

7. I think you've hit the nail on the head

It's all about priorities in this country, as well as who profits from the expenditure.

:cry:

[OneBlueSky]

4. what's wrong with this picture? . . .

Their Levees - Our Levees
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0112-15.htm

Here's how the British hold back the waters from flooding London:


And the Dutch solution to protecting an entire nation that mostly rests below sea level:


The Italians are defending their city on the sea, Venice:


And...
Here's how the richest, most powerful and technologically advanced
nation on earth protected against the long-forecasted flooding of New Orleans:

[Lindacooks]

5. That's chimpy's MO

Make a big fat lying speech about how great everything is going to be and how his misadministration is going to fix everything, then renege. Happens over and over and over again.

[gratuitous]

8. Yep; you think the folks in Louisiana will catch on now?

Or will they keep voting Republican while they continue to get screwed over?

Ten billion dollars. Hmmm. Maybe if we shut down the Pentagon for a week, we could afford that. Naaaaah! Them soldiers is pertecktin' our freedom, even though I don't see them busting folks out of First Amendment Zones or stopping FBI snoops from going into libraries.

[pitohui]

9. new orleans votes dem -- why don't YOU catch on?

you know what, i'm really sick and tired of people still showing their ass 7 months after the storm

if anyone don't know by now that louisiana has a democratic governor, a democratic senator, and that new orleans/orleans parish voted overwhelmingly for john kerry in 2004, it is because the know-nothing is deliberately being a butthead

the blame the victim crap isn't just ugly and mean-spirited

it is dishonest

[gratuitous]

11. I was talking about Louisiana

Please re-read my post. Then check the statistics:

http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/states/la.htm

Louisiana, as a state, has nearly 1.5 million registered Democrats and a shade over 600,000 registered Republicans, yet their state Democratic party can't do any better than this: Louisiana, as a state, went for Bush in 2000 and 2004; Louisiana, as a state, has five out of seven Representatives in the Republican party; Louisiana, as a state, has indeed elected two Democratic Senators, but they freely cross the aisle to vote with Republicans on a host of important issues.

[Trillo]

6. If these costs have tripled,

then why are the official inflation statistics so very low? It looks like 2006 in January and February have slightly increased from prior year increases, but it is no where near a tripling from the prior year.

ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/cpi/cpiai.txt

Have other government projects been creatively padded into the 'rebuild New Orleans' numbers?

[pitohui]

10. official inflation stats have been faked for years

even my pet parrot knows that we've "enjoyed" double digit inflation in such necessary areas as health care while gov't has since the early 80s claimed that inflation is under control

come down here, look at what is being done, or rather what is not being done, and tell me to my face that we are padding

cost of materials is through the roof as result of the war in iraq, in 2003 the price of osb and plywood soared specifically because of these materials going to iraq

and if you haven't noticed the double digit inflation in the price of fuel in the past year then i honestly cannot help you

the price of materials and labor for construction are at all-time highs

but by all means don't let a little thing like "fact" get in your way of crapping on us!

[Trillo]

12. Your ideas are idiotic, Bush.

Are you a rebublican in control of the executive branch? The articles states "the bush administration said yesterday ..."

I'd love to tell you to your face everything I have ever written on democratic underground.

Your ideas are idiotic, Bush.

You wrote: "but by all means don't let a little thing like "fact" get in your way of crapping on us!"

Like I'm supposed to believe what comes out of the mouth of the Bush administration. What a moronic idea.