Profit Before Protection

A house bill to combine several levee districts was killed in the special session yesterday according to the TP today. The bill consolidated boards all around New Orleans but, left the New Orleans board alone. Why? Who are they scared of?

The Orleans Levee Board is a joke. They have their own police force for Pete's sake!! Is that really necessary? They own an airport and two marinas. They spent 2.5million dollars on a fountain. Spent millions getting overpasses built so they could lease land to a casino that now funds most of their projects. So what do they have to do with the levees really? Does anyone on the board have any expertise in the area of levee protection? No. Why you may ask? Because they are for profit before protection............

Here's a quote..........

October 27, 2005 ... "As long as any flood control or hurricane protection work is left undone, I will reassess any project not directly related to those objectives. For the levee board to spend money on other projects can pose a grave danger to residents of New Orleans." --William Nungesser, Former Orleans Parish Levee Board President, 22 April 1996.

Mr. Nungesser was replaced.

Sell off the assets of the levee board, dissolve it and put experts in control of our hurricane protection systems. We knew it was happening and it was still allowed to go on. We are all to blame for falling asleep at the wheel. I hope being held underwater for three weeks woke us all up.