Gov. Kathleen Blanco came out strong against the federal government this week.
Her message was clear – Louisiana still isn’t getting enough federal aid.
We couldn’t agree more.
And although we are not sure who is to blame more, either federal or state government, we do believe something needs to be done for Louisiana.
Fingers are being pointed left and right. Blanco called upon Congress to begin a Hurricane Katrina commission to look into actions taken after the hurricane and determine if there were any wrong-doings in the aftermath on the part of the White House. She also requested legislation to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency be given top priority.
She wrote a letter Wednesday urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to work to bring more aid to the state.
Blanco highlights discrepancies in federal assistance toward housing, higher education and secondary education.
“For 18 months, White House political operatives have put politics before proportional damage,” she wrote. “It is unacceptable that when the Republican leadership of Congress initially addressed funding for disaster relief, a state with 80 percent of the storm damage from two hurricanes received barely 50 percent of federal relief funds.”
In her recent outcry Blanco asked for more funding and support quickly.
But others say it’s not the federal government’s fault that recovery is being delayed. Donald Powell, coordinator of Recovery and Rebuilding in the Gulf Coast Region, responded to Blanco’s letter saying her statements exhibited an “ungrateful attitude toward the American taxpayers.”
He criticized the Road Home program, having only distributed about 183 checks to state residents.
He highlighted the federal funding the state has already received, pointing out that efforts have been made by his office as well as by President George W. Bush to secure money for the Gulf Coast.
He also said in his statement that continuing to point fingers and place blame on the immediate response after the storm is “unproductive and does absolutely nothing to the help the people of Louisiana rebuild their lives.”
Despite problems that have arisen with the Road Home program and the continued need to place blame for the days after Hurricane Katrina, one thing must be recognized – Blanco is asking for help where it is needed a most, a call that should not be ignored.
If the governor must stand on top of the capitol building and scream for assistance to get homes in New Orleans’ 9th Ward rebuilt, then let her yell.
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