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September 19, 2005

The More It Looks Changed

...the more it stays the same.

KENNER, La. - Officials are responding to complaints that city workers helped themselves to cases of Gatorade, brand-new clothing and other donated items that were intended for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Philip Ramon, chief of staff to Kenner Mayor Philip Capitano, said the city has removed the official who had presided over the distribution.

...Each evening, after the site closed to the public, city employees browsed the pallets and took supplies, said Robert Shumate, a trucker from Union City, Tenn., who dropped off a load of ice last week and stayed to help distribute the goods.

“I saw it every day,” he said. “It’s like community property over there.”


So why not give them billions of dollars in rebuilding funds? We do it for every other tin-pot dictatorship.

Posted by tree hugging sister at September 19, 2005 03:33 PM

Comments

Well, in those "other" places you refer too we can at least identify the tin-pot dictators; in NOLA there just seems to be chaos...a whole lot of hogs helping themselves at the trough.

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at September 19, 2005 03:51 PM

Different organizations down there weren't differentiating between those needing help and the helpers.

When I was in Waveland, we were wearing T-shirts with big "MORMON: LDS HELPERS." The National Guard gave us water and ice. A couple of other relief organizations asked us if we needed any supplies and told us where to go.

This, I think was more out of a sense of "help everyone" and only the truly scummy would abuse the system. Ergo, the subject of the post.

Can't trust those wiley city employees. No offense, WunderKraut.

Posted by: Cullen at September 19, 2005 03:57 PM