The Bush administration always does it's best to get around science though the CDC was having none of it. Despite the best effort by FEMA to manipulate test results, real testing has shown that the Gulf State trailers for hurricane victims are toxic.
U.S. health officials are urging that Gulf Coast hurricane victims be moved out of their government-issued trailers as quickly as possible after tests found toxic levels of formaldehyde fumes.
Fumes from 519 trailer and mobile homes in Louisiana and Mississippi were — on average — about five times what people are exposed to in most modern homes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In some trailers, the levels were nearly 40 times customary exposure levels, raising fears that residents could contract respiratory problems.
The Bush administration now acknowledges it is trying to recover nearly $500 million from people who improperly received federal aid money intended to help victims of two deadly hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, along the Gulf Coast two years ago. It said the amount may increase further.
“This is a moving target and not finite,” said James McIntyre, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The government’s newest estimate of improper aid represents $494 million FEMA paid to 134,000 people who were ineligible for the aid they received. More than half the money went to people who couldn’t prove residency, according to FEMA figures. Overpayments and duplicate payments account for most of the remainder.
The amount had exceeded $500 million, but the agency wrote off nearly $27 million because of appeals or hardship waivers. The $500 million figure would represent nearly $1 of every $10 in government aid intended to help storm victims.
Okay, Jonathan Klein and CNN, make up your mind about New Orleans.
You sent Anderson Cooper to New Orleans to report live about the struggle to rebuild the city:
Good evening.
We don't care much for anniversaries on this program, solemn remembrances of stories long since past. But, tonight, we come to you from New Orleans to report on a story which is still very much unfolding.
Two years ago tonight, these streets were filling with water. Levees poorly built over decade on shifting sands failed. And, two years ago tonight, what was a natural disaster became very quickly a manmade one.
Now, two years later, the recovery of this city, this region, is under way. And it, too, is manmade. Two years ago tonight, governments failed. The people here have not. New Orleans is rising again.
You also had Soledad O'Brien (who never should have left the morning show, p.s.) do an hour long special on called "Children of the Storm."
But then, Mr. Klein, you have one of the stars of your network, Glenn Beck, completely trash New Orleans -- and say that the city should not be rebuilt.
Chris Achorn, who does yeoman's work bird-dogging Beck, reports that last night, while O'Brien and Cooper were doing their Katrina reports on one CNN network, the controversial host Glenn Beck was on CNN's Headline News saying don't rebuild New Orleans:
On the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Glenn Beck takes his distain and outright hatred for the city and people of New Orleans to another level. He just comes right out and says it, that we should not spend a single dime to rebuild New Orleans.
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, two years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, and everybody`s still talking about rebuilding. I say don`t spend one thin dime. I`ll explain why.
BECK: Hello, America. Do not adjust your set, the truth coming your way. Possibly for the first time on Katrina.
It was two years ago that Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans, and the gulf region. Thousands were left homeless, causing well over $150 billion in damages. And without question, Katrina is the worst national disaster in national history.
President Bush, Congress responded over $100 billion in aid to rebuild New Orleans. A lot of people, including me, think the president has blown it. Here`s the point tonight.
How much do I think should be spent rebuilding New Orleans? Zero. Nothing. Not a dime. And here`s how I got there.
So what is it, CNN? Do we believe Anderson and Soledad that your network cares about the people of New Orleans? Or is Glenn Beck the voice of CNN? More and more, it seems that the Beck's warped world-view is what Jonathan Klein wants his network to be.
I really can't say enough good things about the work and consistency of Brave New Films. Almost exactly a year ago I was hugely impressed by their documentary Iraq for Sale, and since then I've followed their great involvement regarding issues ranging from the Middle East to domestic politics.
They're at it again with a Katrina short, as well as an accompanying petition, at WhenTheSaints.org. Check it out:
The French Quarter, relatively untouched by hurricane Katrina, is bustling, and businesses are being courted to New Orleans, but a good deal of the rest of the city and the Gulf region remain devastated. Awash in corruption, cronyism and incompetence, the reconstruction effort is a mess. Billions of money designated to the effort is not getting to those in need -- 42% of funds set aside for rebuilding and relief has not even been spent. The federal H2B "guestworker" visa program was set up for employers to hire people for the rebuilding effort. Because of the lack of oversight, abuse of workers, kidnapping and even modern-day slavery is occuring on the Gulf Coast.
To get a true sense of what it is like two years later, go to Voices from the Gulf from ColorofChange.org -- unvarnished video perspectives from the region.
On September 15, 2005, President Bush pledged that our nation would "do what it takes, and stay as long as it takes," to rebuild the Gulf Coast. Yet over 60,000 people are still in "temporary" FEMA trailers, and houses, hospitals and schools across the region remain shuttered. For thousands of people, the Katrina recovery has failed.
The study, published in collaboration with Oxfam America and the Jewish Funds for Justice, looks at 80 statistical indicators and draws on interviews with more than 40 Gulf Coast leaders to identify roadblocks to recovery, and ways federal leaders can tackle critical needs in the region like housing, jobs and coastal protection.
The study also features "Where did the Katrina money go?" -- an in-depth analysis of federal Katrina spending since 2005. The Institute reveals that, out of the $116 billion in Katrina funds allocated, less than 30% has gone towards long-term rebuilding -- and less than half of that 30% has been spent, much less reached those most in need.
Why Chertoff? Officials say he's got fans on Capitol Hill, is untouched by the Justice prosecutor scandal, and has more experience than Gonzales did, having served as a federal judge and assistant attorney general.
Let's not forget that the Republican "limited government" ideology lost an entire American city. George Bush went on vacation when he knew Katrina was coming, and he stayed on vacation for three days after Katrina hit. Cheney was off shopping for a mansion. While Condi was busy buying thousand dollar shoes in NYC. Bush then put Karl Rove, his chief political adviser, in charge of post-Katrina reconstruction. The GOP congress refused to get involved, or to provide oversight after the fact - remember, they even opposed an independent commission to find out what went wrong. We trusted in the Republicans and their vision of limited government, and it lost us an entire American city. Never forget that fact.
Let's revisit Katrina and just what Bush and the Republicans did.
Instead of focusing on helping GOP campaign contributors win fat contracts in the devastated area, the administration should have been thinking of the individuals who were impacted. The reports about State Farm and their post-Katrina actions are sickening and should be met with a forceful response. When the GOP complains about frivolous lawsuits - and of course, that happens - they always overlook alleged situations such as this. It will be interesting to see how State Farm responds to be charged under federal racketeering laws, just like mobsters. If the shoe fits...
It's amazing what the threat of a class action lawsuit can do. It's also a sad statement that it has taken so long to help victims of the hurricane. Bush friend and Mississippi governor Haley Barbour is now praising this action but one wonders where this guy has been for so long while the people of his state have been suffering. Shouldn't he have been standing up for the victims instead of helping GOP donors get juicy contracts and coddling the insurance companies?
State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. will re-examine more than 35,000 policyholder claims filed after Hurricane Katrina and "make millions of dollars available" for additional payments, Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale said Monday.
Wow, is that because State Farm doesn't like black people, or southern people? A rather heavy-handed response, and one that's inviting immediate federal intervention.
State Farm Insurance Cos. is suspending sales of any new commercial or homeowner policies in Mississippi starting Friday, citing in part a wave of litigation it has faced after Hurricane Katrina, a company official said Wednesday.
Mike Fernandez, vice president of public affairs for State Farm, said Mississippi's "current legal and political environment is simply untenable. We're just not in a position to accept any additional risk in this homeowners' market."
Translation: Sure we insured you, but we never thought we'd have to pay.
But the decision by Lieberman, the new chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to back away from the committee's Katrina probe is already dismaying public-interest groups and others who hoped the Democratic victory in November would lead to more aggressive investigations of one of the White House’s most spectacular foul-ups.
Last year, when he was running for re-election in Connecticut, Lieberman was a vocal critic of the administration’s handling of Katrina. He was especially dismayed by its failure to turn over key records that could have shed light on internal White House deliberations about the hurricane, including those involving President Bush.
I never knew being bipartisan meant being a lackey for the GOP. What a boot licker for Bush.
While not a new face, Barney Frank (D - Massachusetts 4th), returns to Washington as Chair of the Financial Services Committee. Yesterday, Congressman Frank stopped by blogger row to outline his agenda for the next Congress. Listen below to Congressman Frank's priorities for the next session. (Video courtesy of PoliticsTV)
While speaking with the bloggers Frank brought up the government's response to hurricane Katrina: "a year plus later, when nothing has been done to provide adequate housing, we're now talking about a moral failure." The Republican Party has never had the monopoly on morals that the mainstream media seemed so willing to assign to them - with the shift in the control of Congress, we'll now have more and more opportunity to prove it.
2006 isn't even over and the race for President is well under way. Today's the day for John Edwards. He's in New Orleans to announce his campaign for President. It's supposed to be a slow news week so his campaign decided they'd get maximum coverage by doing this now. Edwards is getting covered -- he did the morning shows circuit this morning to start:
Two years after his hopes for a Democratic takeover of the White House were narrowly dashed, former vice presidential nominee John Edwards said Thursday that he is making another run at the presidency.
Edwards -- who is calling for cuts in poverty, global warming and troops in Iraq -- scheduled his kickoff in New Orleans, still devastated from last year's Hurricane Katrina. He chose the site to highlight his signature concern of the economic disparity that divides America.
''I'm here to announce I'm a candidate for president of the United States,'' Edwards sold NBC's ''Today Show'' Thursday, one of three back-to-back interviews by the candidate on morning news shows. ''I've reached my own conclusion this is the best way to serve my country.''
Edwards said the difference between his message to voters in 2004 and his 2008 presidential bid is that, ''I've learned since the last campaign that it's great to identify a problem ... but the way you change things is by taking action.''
And Iraq is one of the biggest issues facing the country.
''It would be a huge mistake to put a surge of troops into Iraq,'' Edwards said on ABC's ''Good Morning America. ''It sends exactly the wrong signal. We can maximize our chances for success by making clear we are going to leave Iraq and not stay there forever.''
We're seeing the pictures on TV reminding us of the physical devastation caused by Katrina. Let's also remember the less visible emotional scars. From USA Today:
A year after Hurricane Katrina scoured the Gulf Coast, the storm still rages in the minds of survivors, who now suffer twice as much severe mental illness as existed in the region before landfall, researchers reported Monday.
Katrina forced 500,000 people to evacuate and carved its initials in a swath of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
The first major attempt to probe survivors' mental status found that about 15% of residents of the counties and parishes struck by the storm, or 200,000 people, have depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other forms of mental illness, twice as many as before.
A year ago, Hurricane Katrina was devastating the Gulf Coast. Our government failed to meet its most vital mandate: to provide for the welfare of its people.
Today, the long-term survival of New Orleans, one of America's great cities, is in serious doubt. If it does survive, it will be because of hard working locals, committed charities, and instances of individual courage and effort, and in spite of -- rather than thanks to -- our federal government.
Today the Washington Post took a look at the political damage Bush suffered because of Katrina. Funny thing, most of the people they talked to thought Bush has recovered quite well and that a lot of the criticism was unfair. Well, it's not that funny. They ONLY talked to Republicans -- not one Democrat. The reporters did talk to two pollsters, one historian -- but the rest of their interviews were with a who's who of GOPers including:
White House Aide Dan Bartlett
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino
Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry from North Carolina
Republican Congressman Jim McCrery from Louisiana
Republican Congressman Jack Kingston from Georgia, and
Republican Congressman Tom Feeney from Florida.
We expect the White House and the GOP to spin Katrina....do Washington Post reporters have to do all their work?
Nearly half of New Orleans was still under water when President Bush stood in the Crescent City's historic Jackson Square and swore he would "do what it takes" to rebuild the communities and lives that had been laid to waste two weeks before by Hurricane Katrina.
"Our goal is to get the work done quickly," the president said.
He promised to spend federal money wisely and accountably. And he vowed to address the poverty exposed by the government's inadequate Katrina response "with bold bold action."
A year after the storm, the federal government has proven slow and unreliable in keeping the president's promises.
The job of clearing debris left by the storm remains unfinished, and has been plagued by accusations of fraud and price gouging. Tens of thousands of families still live in trailers or mobile homes, with no indication of when or how they will be able to obtain permanent housing. Important decisions about rebuilding and improving flood defenses have been delayed. And little if anything has been done to ensure the welfare of the poor in a rebuilt New Orleans.
The AP documents the lack of progress in six areas: Emergency Assistance, Clean Up, Housing, Rebuilding, Levees, and Poverty.
Bush's promises meant nothing...again. Does anyone really think this man and his incompetent administration can keep us safe?
An awful lot of exposure for Chertoff today. He did such a great job on Katrina. Is he supposed to inspire confidence in Homeland Security?
Ned Lamont is making the rounds, too. That'll drive Lieberman crazy....Joe loves being a darling of the Sunday shows:
FOX NEWS SUNDAY...: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff ; Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.); Connecticut Senate candidate Ned Lamont (D).
THIS WEEK (ABC...: Chertoff ; Sens. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.); Latin musician Jon Secada .
FACE THE NATION (CBS...: Chertoff ; Lamont ; Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.); Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.).
MEET THE PRESS (NBC....: Chertoff ; Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean ; Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman ; Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton , chair and vice chair, respectively, of the 9/11 commission.
LATE EDITION (CNN....: Chertoff ; Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.); Lebanese special envoy Nouhad Mahmoud ; former NATO supreme allied commander Gen. George A. Joulwan ; former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak ; journalist Seymour Hersh ; and Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad .
The French Quarter, relatively untouched by hurricane Katrina, is bustling, and businesses are being courted to New Orleans, but a good deal of the rest of the city and the Gulf region remain devastated. Awash in corruption, cronyism and incompetence, the reconstruction effort is a mess. Billions of money designated to the effort is not getting to those in need -- 42% of funds set aside for rebuilding and relief