Katrina's aftermath - the blame game
How quickly they forget.
Back in 2003, Slate did an article which seemed to reflect the views of the "saviors of the environment" in the lower-48 regarding Corps of Engineers Civil Works projects. They were tickled pink that Bush was whacking the Corps budget (i.e. "Coring the Corps") that controlled projects that:
(Note - this is where my "Alaska Liberal" sensibilities clash with the the bunny-hugger agenda.)
Suddenly, many of my fellow-liberals out there are pointing out how evil Bush was for cutting the Corps budget in New Orleans without mentioning that there were many environmentalists supporting it.
Yes, Bush did whack the Corps civil works waterways budget. Starting with the FY04 budget, the Bush Administration cut money from all of the Corps of Engineers Civil Works budgets all over the country. Hardest hit was the Mississippi Valley and 1600 miles of the U.S. coastline including...you guessed it...the Gulf Coast.
Hell, it's been so bad that some of the Districts are scrambling just to dredge the silt build-up in their ports/harbors enough to get commercial ships in and out of them!
Even though the Corps and others warned of the consequences, nobody seemed to pay attention or they agreed that it was a good thing. When the 2006 budget came out and Louisiana projects were cut to almost nil, they started warning folks about the hurricane consequences. Their warnings were ignored.
Until now. Dead bodies floating in the water kinda makes an infrastructure look important, doesn't it?
Back in 2003, Slate did an article which seemed to reflect the views of the "saviors of the environment" in the lower-48 regarding Corps of Engineers Civil Works projects. They were tickled pink that Bush was whacking the Corps budget (i.e. "Coring the Corps") that controlled projects that:
focus on civil works that reflect the agency's addictions to concrete and the control of nature. The corps has dredged and deepened America's ports and harbors, armored and manhandled America's rivers, and pumped sand onto America's beaches. It has built thousands of dams, dikes, locks, levees, seawalls, and floodgates, often justified by dubious economic benefits.
(Note - this is where my "Alaska Liberal" sensibilities clash with the the bunny-hugger agenda.)
Suddenly, many of my fellow-liberals out there are pointing out how evil Bush was for cutting the Corps budget in New Orleans without mentioning that there were many environmentalists supporting it.
Yes, Bush did whack the Corps civil works waterways budget. Starting with the FY04 budget, the Bush Administration cut money from all of the Corps of Engineers Civil Works budgets all over the country. Hardest hit was the Mississippi Valley and 1600 miles of the U.S. coastline including...you guessed it...the Gulf Coast.
Hell, it's been so bad that some of the Districts are scrambling just to dredge the silt build-up in their ports/harbors enough to get commercial ships in and out of them!
Even though the Corps and others warned of the consequences, nobody seemed to pay attention or they agreed that it was a good thing. When the 2006 budget came out and Louisiana projects were cut to almost nil, they started warning folks about the hurricane consequences. Their warnings were ignored.
Until now. Dead bodies floating in the water kinda makes an infrastructure look important, doesn't it?
posted by CelticDiva at 10:08 AM
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