Katrina Looting

The looting has just begun. On the promise of "doing whatever it takes" by the president, the Gulf Coast will be overrun by carpetbaggers and scalawags to cash in on the new Reconstruction of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. Spending to reconstruct the areas affected by Katrina is projected to be at least $200 billion and likely will be a great deal more.

Already the carpetbaggers have arrived from Iraq. Bechtel, Fluor, Halliburton and Shaw have obtained $100 million no-bid contracts, as early as before the waters stopped rising in New Orleans. No one is in control of dispersing the money. Rumor has it that FEMA will be in control, or Karl Rove is the White House "czar" in charge of the Reconstruction. Neither of which should make a taxpayer breathe a sigh of relief.

Joe Allbaugh, a former FEMA head (before Brown and Brownie's college roommate) and campaign manager for none other than George W. Bush is a paid consultant to Shaw and Halliburton. It seems Shaw is being investigated by the SEC on some "accounting irregularities" I'm sure they were just some misunderstandings.

In order to prevent any financial shenanigans the president has said he will send "inspectors general" into the area to audit the books. Isn't that sweet? With Karl Rove as the informal WH "czar" how effective do you think these bean counters will be?

There are both Democrat and Republican Congressmen who think that an over all independent czar will be best for the oversight, such as Tommy Franks or Colin Powell types. So far the White House has not conceded, maybe because Guv'ner Barbour is balking at the idea. He wants to be his own czar so he can reward his cronies.

But all this begs the question, "Where will the money come from?" Benevolent George has promised not to raise taxes to pay for it and even has suggested that we should make the tax cuts permanent and pass the "death tax" bill to cut more federal revenue from the budget. Tom DeLay has declared victory over cutting all the fat out of the federal budget and the Republicans can't cut any more. The only option left is to use our already maxxed out credit card and borrow more money.

Spending by the Republican controlled White House and Congress has increased by 33% from 2001 to 2005. This congress and this president has shown a great propensity for spending. Consider this:

• Over $200 billion for GWOT (Iraq and Afghanistan)
• Medicare/Prescription Drug bill $700 billion over
  10 years
• Highway/Pork bill $286 billion
• An Energy Bill that gives the oil
  companies $12 billion
• Tax cuts of $1.4 Trillion
• The President has never vetoed one bill

Overlay the miserable failures in rebuilding Iraq and the mishandling of the occupation of Baghdad. Overlay the miserable failures in the Federal Government response to Katrina. The Bush Administration is nothing of substance except for spending money. He knows how to do that, perhaps his failed companies in private life would not have been failures had he concentrated on making money instead of spending money. The Treasury is being looted by these pirates and it's time to get rid of all of them in 2006 and 2008. This "borrow and spend" philosophy and Mr. Bush's demand for guns and butter and tax cuts are dimming the future of our children and grandchildren.