[StBernard] Surplus won't pave 'Road Home'

[Westley Annis]

>The president's point man on the recovery, Donald Powell, 

>blames the shortfall on the state's insistence 

>on including wind damage in the program's payouts. 

>Powell wanted Road Home benefits limited to flood

>victims.


And Powell is right.  You can argue about the 
having/not having/didn't need flood insurance.  However,
every homeowner should have had insurance to cover wind
damage.

It's now a moot point because how in the hell are you
going to get money back from homeowners who already
received their grants including wind damages.

As usual, it seems Louisiana screws up again.

Jim






	-----------------------------------------------------
	Surplus won't pave 'Road Home'
	Recovery program expcted to run dry despite state windfall, federal
aid
	
	By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
	Advocate Capitol News Bureau 
	Published: Sep 30, 2007 - Page: 4A 
	
	The next governor must figure out how to cover a shortfall of at
least $5.6
	billion in the Road Home program for homeowners affected by the
hurricanes.
	
	Even a $1 billion state government surplus coupled with the $1
billion
	already set aside for the problem does not get a new administration
halfway
	toward eliminating the funding gap.
	
	Road Home is expected to run out of money by the end of the year,
just weeks
	before the new governor is sworn into office.
	
	Gov. Kathleen Blanco plans to travel to Washington, D.C., next month
to ask
	Congress for a bailout.
	
	"We are asking for a tremendous amount of money - one more time.
Each time
	you go, it gets more difficult," Blanco said.
	
	Blanco's approach has been to allocate a relatively small amount of
money to
	the problem while looking to the federal government to resolve the
bulk of
	it.
	
	Most of the four leading candidates for governor also expect
Congress to fix
	the problem.
	
	Only one - New Orleans businessman John Georges - offers an
alternative
	approach.
	
	Georges, who has no party affiliation, said he is willing to use the
unsold
	portion of the state's tobacco settlement to fill the Road Home gap
if it is
	the only solution. But he said he would prefer to use those funds on
	protecting wetlands, which is the constitutional dedication for the
money.
	
	U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, state Sen. Walter Boasso, D-Arabi,
and
	Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, a Bossier Parish
Democrat, said
	they expect President George W. Bush to keep the promise he made in
Jackson
	Square to do whatever it takes to bring back Louisiana.
	
	In their opinion, his pledge was a promise that thousands of
homeowners will
	not lose their most valuable asset, their homes.
	
	The best vehicle for that, Jindal said, is the supplemental bill
Congress is
	expected to consider next month.
	
	"We're going to do everything we can to apply pressure," Jindal
said. "My
	commitment as governor is to make sure promises are kept."
	
	Campbell also points to his proposed processing tax on foreign oil
as a
	revenue generator that could help with the shortfall if Congress
fails to
	approve more funding.
	
	The White House has been less than sympathetic.
	
	The president's point man on the recovery, Donald Powell, blames the
	shortfall on the state's insistence on including wind damage in the
	program's payouts. Powell wanted Road Home benefits limited to flood
	victims.