Blanco Fighting Back, Too

I feel like the Bush Administration has just pushed Louisiana to the brink, and now the legislators of that state are using any means necessary to force the federal government's hand. From The Picayune:

Gov. Kathleen Blanco kicked off a history-making special session of the Legislature on Monday evening at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center with a forceful message to the federal government and state lawmakers to support her levee board and housing programs for hurricane recovery.

In what was widely seen as the sharpest speech of her beleaguered political career since Hurricane Katrina, Blanco admonished President Bush for dodging Louisiana's requests for aid while giving the federal government an ultimatum to give Louisiana a larger share of oil and gas royalties from offshore drilling or face a roadblock to exploration in the Gulf of Mexico.

"If no effort is made to guarantee our fair share of royalties, I have warned the federal government that we will be forced to block the August sale of offshore oil and gas leases," Blanco said. "It's time to play hardball, as I believe that's the only game Washington understands."

The state of Louisiana gets a paltry share of federal oil and gas royalties relative to other states, like Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico. And who needs it the most right now?

These latest moves by Nagin and Blanco are more like stunts, desperate pleas to raise awareness for a forgotten tragedy on our own shores. It's sickening that they have to do this, that we don't take care of our own by default. I support their efforts and vow to be more responsive on this site to the concerns of New Orleans.

Blanco also had some concrete proposals in her speech:

The governor went further than ever before in laying out details for how she wants to invest $7.7 billion the federal government has allocated to Louisiana in block grants and hazard mitigation funds.

Subject to approval by the Louisiana Recovery Authority and a legislative budget committee, Blanco said she would spend $4.6 billion to help homeowners repair, rebuild or relocate their homes. Another $1 billion would be used to develop affordable housing.

To breathe life back into hospitals, schools and utilities, she would spend $1.75 billion there, while $350 million would go toward job growth, such as business incentives, bridge loans and work force training.

The emphasis on housing is significant, because the administration feels left out in the cold on the subject after Bush rejected the so-called Baker bill, a proposal with wide support on the local and state levels that would create a public-private incentive program to keep mortgage companies and homeowners from failing financially because of blighted property.

"As you know, the White House tried to blow this solution out of the saddle. This is second-class treatment," Blanco said. "Our people who lost everything are not second-class citizens. They deserve an equitable solution. We will continue to fight for a fair hearing."

Blanco said her housing recovery program, embodied in a plan that would include the creation of a Louisiana Housing and Land Trust Authority, is not designed to replace the Baker bill.

Blanco pounded home themes she has been crafting since the storms. Her speech was interrupted 19 times with applause from the crowd, which included lawmakers, their guests and hundreds of ordinary citizens.

She drew a standing ovation for her line, "We had all better put Louisiana politics aside and worry about Washington politics or our people and our state will lose."

The governor decried the fact that Mississippi has received a much larger share, proportionately, of federal assistance and that Bush scarcely mentioned Louisiana's plight in his State of the Union address last week.

"The harsh reality is that for many people in Washington, Katrina is yesterday's problem and Rita never happened," Blanco said.

She criticized the federally constructed levee system that failed and called for a consolidation of levee boards in the New Orleans region.

"It is inexcusable that our people -- hardworking and patriotic American taxpayers -- were asked to entrust their lives and property to a worn and broken system," she said. "The people of southeast Louisiana want and deserve a single levee board run by professionals devoted exclusively to flood protection."

This is a big excerpt, but it's important to see that Blanco has some specific ideas to reinvigorate New Orleans. She is trying to fill the gaps in federal leadership. If she succeeds it would be a political resurrection unlike any other in the history of this country. But I have to say these are sound proposals.

Congress should pass the Baker bill. Outside of levee reconstruction, housing is the number one barrier for those that want to return to New Orleans. It is essential that such concerns are prioritized.

If you want some heartbreak, read these stories from legislators who toured some of the most hard-hit areas of the city. Remember this is 5 months after the storm:

Rep. Jean Doerge, D-Minden, who was on her first trip to the area, said she was amazed at the extent of damage. "This is an eye-opener to what we are really facing," she said. The bus tour "has had an effect on me. . . .I know better what we are up against. It is absolutely unbelievable. You look out here and say it's been five months and you still see devastation."

Rep. Donald Cazayoux, D-New Roads, who has made a few trips to the area, most recently in November, called the lack of progress in clearing debris "incredible. I was expecting some movement. It is just so vast.

"It is a disaster and we need to see it. I think we need to come every three months. There is no change at all."

Rep. Monica Walker, D-Hessmer, who had toured the area earlier, said that based on what she saw Monday, "it doesn't look like anything is getting done. This (tour) helps the cause. I don't think that we are the ones who need convincing."

Walker said more members of Congress and the Bush administration should be on the buses.

Sen. Joe McPherson, D-Woodworth, who has flown over the devastated area but had not seen it from the ground, said the tour was sobering. "It helps to put everything in perspective," he said.

Let's not forget.