According to Senator Mary Landrieu (D, LA), author
>> of the Louisiana bill, Louisiana will be rebuilt by
>> Louisianans. New Orleans will be rebuilt by New
>> Orleans. And the Southern Louisiana will be rebuilt
>> under the leadership of the people who call it home.
>> Yet, the bill waves the normal cost-sharing
>> requirements to shift the entire cost to the federal
>> government. In other words, Ms Landrieu is expecting
>> federal taxpayers to foot 100 percent of the bill.
>>
We are talking about a lot of money here. The $250
>> billion will cost $1,900 per American household.
>> (This ignores the progressivity of the income tax
>> which will make it much worse for some than others.)
>>
That being said, I thought it would be informative
>> to know what we are asked to pay for. A not so quick
>> read of the 440 page bill soon demonstrated that the
>> Louisiana lawmakers stuffed it with everything they
>> could think of including many items having nothing
>> to do with hurricane relief. The items include:
>>
a.. $35,000,000 for the Louisiana Seafood
>> Promotion and Marketing Board
>> b.. $8,000,000 for direct financial assistance to
>> alligator farmers
>> c.. $12,000,000 for the restoration of wildlife
>> management areas
>> d.. $25,490,073 to complete the Sugarcane Research
>> Laboratory
>> e.. $120,000,000 for a laboratory, facilities and
>> equipment at the Southern Regional Research Center
>> f.. $28,300,000 for the restoration and
>> rehabilitation of forest lands
>> g.. $34,193,591 to support the research and
>> education activities of the Agriculture Cooperative
>> State Research, Education, and Extension Service
>> h.. $19,000,000 for the acquisition of
>> first-responder mobile communications, deployable
>> cellular towers and for equipment necessary for
>> public Internet access in a 100-block area of
>> downtown New Orleans using wireless-fidelity
>> technology.
>> i.. $250,000,000 for assistance to firefighters
>> j.. $100,000,000 for early intervention,
>> prevention, and disorder treatment for children who
>> are 0 to 5 years of age
>> k.. $100,000,000 for early intervention,
>> prevention, and disorder treatment for school age
>> children.
>> l.. $100,000,000 for substance abuse assessment,
>> early intervention, prevention, and treatment.
>> m.. $600,000,000 for early childhood education
>> n.. $20 million for the establishment of
>> development plans for development districts in the
>> State of Louisiana
>> o.. $160 million to implement the 2005
>> recommendations of the Defense Base Closure and
>> Realignment Commission related to the Federal city
>> development in Algiers, Louisiana
>> p.. $7 billion for rebuilding evacuation and
>> energy supply routes on top of $5 billion for
>> expansion of road and transit capacity.
>> q.. $150 million for a small business loans fund
>> and tax breaks on top of $50 billion in block
>> grants.
>>
>>
>> But Sen. Landrieu and her delegation also asked for
>> lost sales revenues for many commercial entities.
>> Never mind that all such loses could have been
>> covered by private sector business continuity
>> insurance if the owners had the discipline to think
>> ahead. For instance:
>>
a.. $27 million for lost timber sales revenues
>> from the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area
>> b.. $250,000 for dairy cattle losses of dairy
>> producers
>> c.. $11 million for livestock losses
>> d.. $1,000 per head of cattle without any
>> limitation on the maximum amount of payments that a
>> producer may receive
>> e.. $5 million for dairy spoilage losses
>> f.. $5 million for a livestock compensation
>> program to make payments for livestock-related losses
>>
After Americans all over the country rushed to send
>> billions to victims of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana
>> legislators served us all with a federal tax bill
>> that would fund yet more pork barrel spending in
>> their state. That might make many Americans rethink
>> their inclination to be generous next time around.
>> of the Louisiana bill, Louisiana will be rebuilt by
>> Louisianans. New Orleans will be rebuilt by New
>> Orleans. And the Southern Louisiana will be rebuilt
>> under the leadership of the people who call it home.
>> Yet, the bill waves the normal cost-sharing
>> requirements to shift the entire cost to the federal
>> government. In other words, Ms Landrieu is expecting
>> federal taxpayers to foot 100 percent of the bill.
>>
We are talking about a lot of money here. The $250
>> billion will cost $1,900 per American household.
>> (This ignores the progressivity of the income tax
>> which will make it much worse for some than others.)
>>
That being said, I thought it would be informative
>> to know what we are asked to pay for. A not so quick
>> read of the 440 page bill soon demonstrated that the
>> Louisiana lawmakers stuffed it with everything they
>> could think of including many items having nothing
>> to do with hurricane relief. The items include:
>>
a.. $35,000,000 for the Louisiana Seafood
>> Promotion and Marketing Board
>> b.. $8,000,000 for direct financial assistance to
>> alligator farmers
>> c.. $12,000,000 for the restoration of wildlife
>> management areas
>> d.. $25,490,073 to complete the Sugarcane Research
>> Laboratory
>> e.. $120,000,000 for a laboratory, facilities and
>> equipment at the Southern Regional Research Center
>> f.. $28,300,000 for the restoration and
>> rehabilitation of forest lands
>> g.. $34,193,591 to support the research and
>> education activities of the Agriculture Cooperative
>> State Research, Education, and Extension Service
>> h.. $19,000,000 for the acquisition of
>> first-responder mobile communications, deployable
>> cellular towers and for equipment necessary for
>> public Internet access in a 100-block area of
>> downtown New Orleans using wireless-fidelity
>> technology.
>> i.. $250,000,000 for assistance to firefighters
>> j.. $100,000,000 for early intervention,
>> prevention, and disorder treatment for children who
>> are 0 to 5 years of age
>> k.. $100,000,000 for early intervention,
>> prevention, and disorder treatment for school age
>> children.
>> l.. $100,000,000 for substance abuse assessment,
>> early intervention, prevention, and treatment.
>> m.. $600,000,000 for early childhood education
>> n.. $20 million for the establishment of
>> development plans for development districts in the
>> State of Louisiana
>> o.. $160 million to implement the 2005
>> recommendations of the Defense Base Closure and
>> Realignment Commission related to the Federal city
>> development in Algiers, Louisiana
>> p.. $7 billion for rebuilding evacuation and
>> energy supply routes on top of $5 billion for
>> expansion of road and transit capacity.
>> q.. $150 million for a small business loans fund
>> and tax breaks on top of $50 billion in block
>> grants.
>>
>>
>> But Sen. Landrieu and her delegation also asked for
>> lost sales revenues for many commercial entities.
>> Never mind that all such loses could have been
>> covered by private sector business continuity
>> insurance if the owners had the discipline to think
>> ahead. For instance:
>>
a.. $27 million for lost timber sales revenues
>> from the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area
>> b.. $250,000 for dairy cattle losses of dairy
>> producers
>> c.. $11 million for livestock losses
>> d.. $1,000 per head of cattle without any
>> limitation on the maximum amount of payments that a
>> producer may receive
>> e.. $5 million for dairy spoilage losses
>> f.. $5 million for a livestock compensation
>> program to make payments for livestock-related losses
>>
After Americans all over the country rushed to send
>> billions to victims of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana
>> legislators served us all with a federal tax bill
>> that would fund yet more pork barrel spending in
>> their state. That might make many Americans rethink
>> their inclination to be generous next time around.