Bush forecast for post-Katrina Gulf Coast: sunny days and dried-up federal dollars

While President Bush was take a message of optimism to New Orleans as he marked the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, an official traveling with him said that the brighter days that Bush was forecasting would have to be achieved without additional federal money.

Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Paul Conway, the chief of staff to the administration's Gulf Coast coordinator, said that the federal expenditure -- not counting tax credits -- had reached $126 billion.

That's sufficient, he said.

The president's coordinator for the gulf recovery effort, Gen. Douglas O'Dell, "would tell you that he believes that there are enough resources that are in the pipeline, enough funds in the pipeline, to get the mission done," Conway said.

Just what has been done?

That's more difficult to answer.

Asked what percentage of the Gulf Coast had been rebuilt in the three years since the devastating storm swept ashore, Conway was unable to deliver a specific figure.

He said each sector -- education, or healthcare, for example -- had to be considered individually.

"I would say there are significant portions" that have been repaired, Conway added.

But in the housing area, he said, "there's a lot of work that needs to be done still."

Just not with more Washington dollars.

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Mississippi housing display in 2006. Credit: James Edward Bates / Associated Press

Comments

[Anonymous]

Little to no good has gone on in New Orleans, or much else of the U.S. since GWB became president or since Katrina hit, the poor have gotten little to nothing in help, while the ultra rich and special interest contractors and mercenaries have received a vast majority of the money and have done more harm than good to the majority poor of many places in the U.S. and the world... Now if this $120 BILLION alone was simply divided amongst the real people in New Orleans and other affected areas, you would see things would be a lot better off than empty rotting FEMA trailers and unfinished projects that were paid for years ago.

[doctorj]

I am glad this is the last time the people of New Orleans have to see this president's face. The time he takes reading these prepared speeches is the total amount of time he has spent thinking of the plight of the Gulf Coast. As a native of New Orleans, still living in the area, and whose mother lives on the Ms Gulf Coast, I can't wait for the day this man is out of office. We have all suffered enough.

[National_Insecurity]

Take the $126 billion and funnel it through the "procurement system" [sic] employed by the Bush Administration. Out the other end we get about $42 billion in actual work done. The math is pretty depressing when there are 4-5 layers of contractors ranging from the prime contractors, to the sub-sub-sub-sub contractors to the guys who actually do the work. So little money was actually used to hire people in the region to do the work the needed to get done that it's no wonder it's still a disaster zone. This is MODERN CONSERVATISM in action, make sure that government costs a lot and does little. Line the pockets of a few with government largess and ignore the needs of the many, except when it's time for photo ops. I regret to say that I have friends who are CEOs and Directors of major companies that donate heavily to these politicians and profit from this type of unconscionable behavior.