AP: Study: Katrina Aid From Abroad Was Lost

[Newsjock]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/04/06/national/w071259D70.DTL

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal auditors laid out a scenario of omissions, missteps and bureaucratic nightmares that caused the loss of money and other donations sent from abroad to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The Government Accountability Office attributed the errors, which involved as many as eight government agencies, to the United States' lack of experience as a recipient of huge amounts of aid from others.

... The agency said $126 million in cash came in from 36 countries after the Aug. 29 hurricane devastated New Orleans and much of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Without a plan for dealing with such a large-scale influx, legal restrictions kicked in that required almost half the cash to be held in accounts that paid no interest, resulting in a loss of almost $1 million and diminished buying power for eventual hurricane relief.

... "We want to find out if our government, in effect, looked this generous gift horse of foreign aid in the mouth," Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., said of the hearing before his House Government Reform Committee. "It does no good to be offered money, or water, or food, or potentially lifesaving medical supplies if we don't get those donations into the hands of the people who need them."

[WindRavenX]

1. wow

I'd laugh at the level of sheer incompetence that has followed the Katrina recovery process, but I'm too sad :cry:

[Betsy Ross]

7. How many house could have been built with $126M?

We know *Co didn't want the money spent to actually help the victims of Katrina.

[juajen]

13. Ah, FEMA, the Red Cross, and now this!

This is why Gov. Blanco set up Louisiana's own fund. Please donate directly to the State of Louisiana.gov.

[kenny blankenship]

2. No more foreign handouts to the United States of America!

all the money given to the government to help people there just disappears down the million-forked rathole of corruption in D.C. and never gets to the intended recipients on the Gulf coast. It probably went to buy rocket propelled grenades for Kurdish separatists and to feather Tom Delay's vacation nest in the south seas islands.

[MissWaverly]

33. it was probably funneled in as "campaign contributions"

Of course, and they are always bragging how they get more donations than the Dems

[shrike]

3. Jesus H. Christ

What else are these incompetent f*ckers going to f*ck up next?

[AndyA]

4. Good God - the kids from Romper Room could do a better job

running this country than the current administration.

The incompetence is incredible.

That alone should warrant impeachment. The country is being run in to the ground financially, and the president is doing nothing to live up to his fiscal responsibilities.

[AuntiBush]

17. My Dog Would Do Better!

[Iblis]

5. Are you effing kidding me?

I'm a devotee of Mata Amritanandamayi Math (aka "Amma"), she donated millions of dollars to victims of the tsunami last year and helped to build thousands of homes and provide relief. Naturally, when Katrina struck I thought "Wow, I wonder if Amma will get involved." When I brought up the question in an internet forum, other devotees stated flatly that they were afraid that any donation would get tied up in red tape or lost to corruption.

Amma's organization donated $1 million, probably the largest from any foreign, non-government entity.

I wonder where the money went.

------

"The United States' lack of experience as a recipient of huge amounts of aid from others."
"Without a plan for dealing with such a large-scale influx, legal restrictions kicked in that required almost half the cash to be held in accounts that paid no interest, resulting in a loss of almost $1 million and diminished buying power for eventual hurricane relief."

This is the biggest, bitter laugh of all. Like the US goverment is not used to getting big bills and didn't know what to do with them.

RRRRRrrrrrrggh!!

:cry:

[Judi Lynn]

6. Shouldn't it be the government's obligation to track down where the money

went, and FIX IT? Jeezus H. Christ.

I think we can easily imagine it got handed to the people who need it the very least, as per _Bush's patterns established at the first.

[SmokingJacket]

8. That's what happens in a kleptocracy. nt

[Pacifist Patriot]

26. Oooo, good word. First I've seen it.

[Blue_Tires]

32. roger that nt

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. LOST? - I don't think so . . .

.
.
.

Check the PNACers pockets.

And no plan for accepting aid from other countries in a crisis?

Ah right . . .

The USA doesn't need help from anybody.

Ever.

[shanti]

10. Lost?????

yeah right! :(

[DUHandle]

27. Someone probably had good reason

not too look very hard.

[baby_mouse]

11. Lost, huh?

Yeah, *I* could "lose" some cash, too, bub.

[geomon666]

12. This country reflects its leader.

Inept in every way possible.

[kiraboo]

14. I don't believe it. Lost, my ass. n't

[Miss Chybil]

21. I bet, if they looked into Tom Delay's legal defense fund,

they might find it there.

[Janice325]

15. Jeeez!!!

Why am I not surprised.
Fucking bastards!!!:puke::banghead:

[Swede]

16. Did they look under the cushions of the couch?

Under the bed,maybe?

[Az_lefty]

18. I want an audit !!!!

in fact, I want everything the bush cartel laid their hands on audited. This is without a doubt, the most corrupt administration in the history of this coutry.
:grr:

[AuntiBush]

19. Incompetence or ...

I really trust my govt. :sarcasm:

[Kurovski]

23. Exactly. After watching BushCo sit around for 6 days while

The Gulf Coast was washed away, it is not at all unfair to speculate on whether this too was also a willful error.

[Miss Chybil]

20. Who are we, again?

Certainly not people who live under a corrupt government in a country on its way to second worldness, right?

[Janice325]

22. Today my girlfriend's 89 year old father (who is a long time

Republican, by the way) made a comment while I was driving him to the doctor. He said something to the effect of "people have control of their government." I was so sorely tempted to come back with a factual, but smartass comment, but I kept my mouth shut and fumed internally.
There are so many people in this country who are so out of touch with is really going on. They just watch Fox News and read the newspaper. :cry:

[klook]

24. And they spent the rest of it on crap like those damned trailers

that are sitting unused in Hope, Ark.

[young_at_heart]

25. Shall we blame this on "Brownie" again?

Someone is responible for this mess.......I'd like to know who!

[Blaze Diem]

28. Paid Brownie's Salary ..Haliburton involved in Katrina aftermath?

Paid for Trent Lotts new home?
-----------
I hope to god someone will demand a trail as to where this money went..
Money comes in and money goes out..unless its a cash deal there must be a paper trail somewhere.
Its one corrupt thing after the next..every damn day!!
BushCo needs to be stopped from handling ANYTHING relating to the business of our Nation.

-------
Would someone take away the checkbook and the ATM cards please.

[NYC]

29. Time to build $126 million of housing in the poor section

of New Orleans.

[superconnected]

30. Money like that doesn't get lost, it gets stolen.

Someone has it.

[seafan]

31. Still withholding funds from poor people on the Gulf Coast, are they?

It's probably in the same pot as the $100 Million from the UAE.


All funds lead directly into the White House. We can take that to the bank.


The * White House is nothing but a giant money laundering facility. And the people never see a dime of it.

Have we had enough yet?


Sibel Edmonds needs to start talking. Gag orders won't keep this from exploding.

[skids]

34. Not to mention that which was turned down...

...but as we all know, Condi was too busy buying shoes to expedite the acceptance of non-currency forms of aid.

[Mnemosyne]

35. This is spitting in the faces of every person overseas

that contributed for Katrina survivors. It is spitting, once again, in the face of each and every survivor of Katrina.

Our country is run by treasonous ingrates, people with no honor or conscience. No wonder the rest of the world is so disgusted.

I certainly have moved beyond disgust into a surreal abhorrence.

:puke: