People Get Ready

The President (6/24/09):

If private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality health care, if they tell us that they’re offering a good deal, then why is it that the government — which they say can’t run anything — suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That’s not logical.

Maybe they’ll keep Ray Nagin quarantined until his term runs out.

Some people have suspected that he’s fond of the herb — which might explain why trips to Jamaica paid for by contractors doing business with Ray Nagin are blurry — but you won’t find trips to the store for rolling papers on his calendar.

It’s a great travesty to true equal opportunity concerns that Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell is using AmericaSpeaks to cover for her divisive failure to show decisive leadership on a matter of vital importance to the public and the reputation of New Orleans: good government.

Her dialog on race fixes a non-issue — a strawman race card drawn to protect entrenched interests in City Hall. The true issue is that Ray Nagin and his contractor cronies oppose transparency and accountability not because they want greater inclusion. Instead, they want to protect their privileged access to contracts and taxpayer money. They want to protect their preferred placement on the list of “disadvantaged” business enterprises.

To those who dare to consider the real issue, it might seem that the goal of the DBE policy is to help ex-offender rip-off artists … er, “pastors” … and convicted contractors, who have been vocal opponents of contract reform.

American Traffic Solutions of Scottsdale, Ariz., won the contract to administer the safety camera program by submitting the lowest bid. It receives between $10 and $29 for each paid citation.

ATS contracted with ETI Inc., a local minority-owned firm, to handle construction and maintenance services.

State records show ETI is run by Randall Moore, one of a dozen people who pleaded guilty in a City Hall corruption case involving a massive energy-savings contract with Johnson Controls. Moore, then the owner of National Contractor Services of New Orleans, admitted his involvement in a scheme to skim more than $1 million from the deal. He was sentenced in federal court to three years of probation and a $3,000 fine.

It’s true. Every time I think about soaring crime, failing schools, and miserable job prospects in New Orleans, and how unfair it would be to subject the children I will one day have to that kind of environment, the one thing that would change my mind about leaving New Orleans is a good game of kickball.

That’s our girl, Lisa Jackson.

Ironic, under the circumstances:

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When you really need an off-the-hook rant against LSU, we could really use Ashley’s help.

The whole premise of incompetence by the Army Corps of Engineers’ bureaucracy is an argument for which Louisiana, and the rest of the nation, ought to be thanking Ivor van Heerden:

As van Heerden and engineers on his staff began inspecting the deadly breaches in that system, the story began to change. They were expecting to see evidence of over-topping, signs Katrina was just too big for the system, the very scenario the center had predicted the day before the storm came ashore.

What they found was something else: Signs of catastrophic engineering failures.

In other words, the floodwalls and levees failed not because they were too small, but because they had been either poorly designed, poorly built.

Instead, some effing effers somewhere at Louisiana State University, would rather ignore the drowning of innocent Americans by an incompetent bureaucracy, compromise on engineering standards, and compromise on public safety, just to keep the money train on schedule.

Levees.org is calling for an Ivor van Heerden rally in front of the LSU Health Science Center. It might be a good time to wave some Save Charity signs as well.

10am Thursday April 16
In front of the Ische Library at LSU Health Science Center
433 Bolivar Street - one half block off Tulane Ave

“Reverend” Toris Young and C-Murder make good partners. They have a lot in common.

In lieu of a substantive change in policy, or instituting greater transparency and accountability, a name change for NORA. It’s just more psychopathic behavior from C. Ray Nagin. Although it’s also just possible that C-Ray’s developing some plausibility to support an insanity plea in any upcoming criminal conspiracy case.

Nagin should show up at C-Murder’s house. It’s a natural fit.

Update: Celcus argues that Ray Nagin couldn’t give a rat’s ass about NORA, although it’s in our best interest that NORA functions well.

Finally:

• Lift all restrictions on transactions related to the travel of family members to Cuba.
• Remove restrictions on remittances to family members in Cuba.
• Authorize U.S. telecommunications network providers to enter into agreements to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications facilities linking the United States and Cuba.
• License U.S. telecommunications service providers to enter into roaming service agreements with Cuba’s telecommunications service providers.
• License U.S. satellite radio and satellite television service providers to engage in transactions necessary to provide services to customers in Cuba.
• License persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction to activate and pay U.S. and third-country service providers for telecommunications, satellite radio and satellite television services provided to individuals in Cuba.
• Authorize the donation of certain consumer telecommunication devices without a license.
• Add certain humanitarian items to the list of items eligible for export through licensing exceptions.

Not suprisingly, Cuban expatriates overwhelmingly support the opportunity to be visit their families, and to help them with their financial needs.
New Orleans has a historic and cultural relationship with Cuba. We should encourage an even greater opening of policies.