[StBernard] COLUMN: Blanco and her "Little Engine That Could" governorship

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Mon Feb 20 19:28:18 EST 2006



Periodically, the press office will share opinions about Governor Blanco's
work in various areas.

COLUMN: Blanco and her "Little Engine That Could" governorship

By: John Hill
The Shreveport Times
Published: Sunday, February 19, 2006

One reason one of the world's most popular children's books is "The Little
Engine That Could" is that its overall message -- persistence pays off -- is
a good lesson for living.

It's also true in politics, never more evident than this past week, when the
White House acknowledged Gov. Kathleen Blanco's persistence in pestering for
equitable recovery funding by President Bush's proposing another $4.2
billion for rebuilding housing in Louisiana.

The action came less than a week after the governor publicly challenged Bush
and Congress in her opening address to the Legislature, saying it's "time to
play hardball."

Like everything in the political world, there has been constant
behind-the-scenes negotiations, going back months that led to the
announcement of the latest $4.5 billion. The new money, expected to be
approved by Congress within weeks, when added to previous federal
appropriations, adds up to $12 billion for Louisiana housing.

Blanco and Louisiana Recovery Authority director Andy Kopplin began the
persistent needling of Bush in November, after the White House pushed
through Congress an $11.5 billion grant program for Mississippi and
Louisiana that included the stipulation that no state could get more than 54
percent of the money.

That split badly favored Mississippi. Louisiana had three times the number
of destroyed housing units, yet was getting little more than half the money.
The split meant Mississippi homeowners could get up to $150,000 for
uninsured loses, but Louisiana homeowners would receive less than half that
amount.

Kopplin and the Recovery Authority staff developed compara-tive data and
began complaining about the unequal treatment, showing statistically that
Louisiana had 72 percent of the damage.

Republicans, including the Louisiana state party apparatus, began issuing
statements advising Blanco and Kopplin to shut up, spend the money and then
ask for more. Even Don Powell, the president's hurricane coordinator said as
much in his op-ed column in the Washington Post in January. At a
congressional hearing, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former Republican
National Committee chair, said that while the money might not be adequate,
"Mississippians don't whine."

The White House announced it was opposed to the housing plan developed by U.
S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, that would have used the sale of
tax-free bonds to raise money for buyouts and rebuilding housing. That had
been, for months, a major cog in the state's recovery proposals.

There followed a storm of protest, and not just in Louisiana, but also in
the Washington Post and the New York Times. The Times called the treatment
of New Orleans and Louisiana "America's shame."

Blanco and Kopplin, with more research from the McKenzie Corp., went back to
Washington.

The Feb. 2 meeting at the White House with Powell, Chief of Staff Andy Card
and economic adviser Al Hubbard was a critical juncture.

Blanco came out of that meeting saying she didn't have an agreement, but the
president's top advisers understood they could be criticized for favoring
Mississippi and mistreating Louisiana. It was there that Blanco developed
the theme that Louisianans were being treated "like second-class citizens."

The governor made the point that they weren't talking about roads, bridges
or pork barrel projects, but assistance to individuals who were hit by the
same storm surge. Blanco told the White House leaders that she wouldn't
allow unequal treatment of residents in two of her parishes, and they
shouldn't permit it in two states.

There followed three days of all-day sessions with Powell, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency and the Louisiana Recovery Authority staff.
After that, three LRA members, including former state Rep. Sean Reilly, of
Baton Rouge, and Xavier University President Norman Francis met with Powell,
negotiating last weekend. Blanco and Powell concluded the deal Tuesday
night.

What was unannounced at a rushed-up Wednesday press conference: an agreement
that Blanco would end her public criticism of the White House for unequal
treatment.

President Bush first met Blanco two days after her inauguration, when he
invited her to take the 15-minute ride from the New Orleans Airport to a
church on Martin Luther King Day. Blanco persistently ran through a one-page
list of Louisiana's needs, including the ceding of the Old Munitions Plant
land near Minden.

In his speech, Bush quipped that Blanco was certainly not shy when it came
to pressing Louisiana's needs. Two years later, he has a greater
understanding of her persistence.


-30-


The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation Louisiana's Fund for Louisiana's
People
www.louisianahelp.org






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