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http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/3/1/220430.shtml?s=us
Bush Acknowledges Gulf Coast Troubles
NewsMax.com Wires Friday, March 2, 2007
NEW ORLEANS -- President Bush on Thursday acknowledged the deep frustration
of Hurricane Katrina victims and said the federal government shares the
blame for the slow recovery of the Gulf Coast.
He gave residents of the battered region a message: "The federal government
still knows you exist."
In stops across coastal Mississippi and Louisiana, Bush defended the federal
allotment of $110 billion in relief aid. Of that total, less than half has
been spent.
"If it is stuck because of unnecessary bureaucracy, our responsibility at
the federal, state and local level is to unstick it," Bush said at Samuel J.
Green Charter School, which recovered from flooding.
In his first visit to the region in six months, Bush sought to fight the
perception that those whose lives were devastated by the August 2005 storm
had fallen off his agenda.
The Bush administration's initial response to the most destructive natural
disaster in U.S. history was widely seen as a failure.
And the president is still dogged by criticism. Democratic lawmakers are
pushing for more action.
"I committed to the people of this part of the world and the Gulf Coast that
the federal government would fund recovery - and stay committed to the
recovery," Bush said during his 14th trip to the region. It was his first
visit since the one-year anniversary of the storm.
Much of New Orleans outside the tourist areas remains in shambles. Violent
crime has soared and health care is limited. Many residents are thinking of
getting out for good.
On the outskirts of the French Quarter, Bush had lunch at Li'l Dizzy's Cafe
with Louisiana officials. Sitting next to him was New Orleans Mayor Ray
Nagin, who has been outspoken in demanding a better federal response. Bush
later lauded Nagin as a strong-willed leader.
Exasperated officials from the region said it was telling that Katrina did
not get a mention in Bush's State of the Union speech in January.
"If you don't get New Orleans straight, the United States will never be the
same," said Wayne Baquet, who owns the cafe where Bush ate. It was flooded
and looted during Katrina.
Baquet said he worried the nation no longer was paying attention to New
Orleans. "Everybody ought to be on the bandwagon trying to get New Orleans
back," he said. "Everybody."
In Washington, some Democrats criticized Bush for not intervening more
often.
"Long-term recovery for the Gulf Coast requires a whole lot more than 18
months of empty promises," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the
Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. "Businesses that were
once the heart of the Gulf Coast economy are now hanging on by a thread."
Kerry said legislation offering tax breaks to encourage businesses to build
or expand in areas hit by hurricane was a good first step. But, he said, the
government's disaster loan program needs to be overhauled, fixing problems
that have prevented businesses from getting timely financial assistance.
At the charter school, Bush delighted math and science students by popping
into their classes. They didn't mind the interruption and raced to his side
for group photos.
Bush began his trip in Mississippi by touring five homes in a Long Beach
neighborhood. He gave an American flag to Ernie and Cheryl Woodward, who
rebuilt their home with the help of a federal grant.
"People's lives are improving, and there is hope," he said.
Bush got a friendly reception as he walked from house to house in the
southern Mississippi neighborhood.
"Staying busy?" he asked a construction crew. One of the workers told him
the crew was still working on the same block of the neighborhood a year and
a half after the storm.
The federal official overseeing recovery efforts said Katrina's damage was
so vast that it was hard to estimate when the recovery will be completed. Of
$110 billion in relief aid that Congress has approved, $86 billion has been
committed to projects, and $53 billion has been spent.
"We all have a sense of urgency," Don Powell, Bush's coordinator for the
Gulf Coast recovery, told reporters on Air Force One.
"But I think it's important to put it in perspective about the size of the
storm, and how overwhelming this storm was," Powell said. "I think there's
been some good progress."
Bush Acknowledges Gulf Coast Troubles
NewsMax.com Wires Friday, March 2, 2007
NEW ORLEANS -- President Bush on Thursday acknowledged the deep frustration
of Hurricane Katrina victims and said the federal government shares the
blame for the slow recovery of the Gulf Coast.
He gave residents of the battered region a message: "The federal government
still knows you exist."
In stops across coastal Mississippi and Louisiana, Bush defended the federal
allotment of $110 billion in relief aid. Of that total, less than half has
been spent.
"If it is stuck because of unnecessary bureaucracy, our responsibility at
the federal, state and local level is to unstick it," Bush said at Samuel J.
Green Charter School, which recovered from flooding.
In his first visit to the region in six months, Bush sought to fight the
perception that those whose lives were devastated by the August 2005 storm
had fallen off his agenda.
The Bush administration's initial response to the most destructive natural
disaster in U.S. history was widely seen as a failure.
And the president is still dogged by criticism. Democratic lawmakers are
pushing for more action.
"I committed to the people of this part of the world and the Gulf Coast that
the federal government would fund recovery - and stay committed to the
recovery," Bush said during his 14th trip to the region. It was his first
visit since the one-year anniversary of the storm.
Much of New Orleans outside the tourist areas remains in shambles. Violent
crime has soared and health care is limited. Many residents are thinking of
getting out for good.
On the outskirts of the French Quarter, Bush had lunch at Li'l Dizzy's Cafe
with Louisiana officials. Sitting next to him was New Orleans Mayor Ray
Nagin, who has been outspoken in demanding a better federal response. Bush
later lauded Nagin as a strong-willed leader.
Exasperated officials from the region said it was telling that Katrina did
not get a mention in Bush's State of the Union speech in January.
"If you don't get New Orleans straight, the United States will never be the
same," said Wayne Baquet, who owns the cafe where Bush ate. It was flooded
and looted during Katrina.
Baquet said he worried the nation no longer was paying attention to New
Orleans. "Everybody ought to be on the bandwagon trying to get New Orleans
back," he said. "Everybody."
In Washington, some Democrats criticized Bush for not intervening more
often.
"Long-term recovery for the Gulf Coast requires a whole lot more than 18
months of empty promises," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the
Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. "Businesses that were
once the heart of the Gulf Coast economy are now hanging on by a thread."
Kerry said legislation offering tax breaks to encourage businesses to build
or expand in areas hit by hurricane was a good first step. But, he said, the
government's disaster loan program needs to be overhauled, fixing problems
that have prevented businesses from getting timely financial assistance.
At the charter school, Bush delighted math and science students by popping
into their classes. They didn't mind the interruption and raced to his side
for group photos.
Bush began his trip in Mississippi by touring five homes in a Long Beach
neighborhood. He gave an American flag to Ernie and Cheryl Woodward, who
rebuilt their home with the help of a federal grant.
"People's lives are improving, and there is hope," he said.
Bush got a friendly reception as he walked from house to house in the
southern Mississippi neighborhood.
"Staying busy?" he asked a construction crew. One of the workers told him
the crew was still working on the same block of the neighborhood a year and
a half after the storm.
The federal official overseeing recovery efforts said Katrina's damage was
so vast that it was hard to estimate when the recovery will be completed. Of
$110 billion in relief aid that Congress has approved, $86 billion has been
committed to projects, and $53 billion has been spent.
"We all have a sense of urgency," Don Powell, Bush's coordinator for the
Gulf Coast recovery, told reporters on Air Force One.
"But I think it's important to put it in perspective about the size of the
storm, and how overwhelming this storm was," Powell said. "I think there's
been some good progress."
