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Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Bush Budget in Louisiana
Posted by RickyI know the anticipation has been killing the fine readers of this site for the first letter from Louisiana, but I've been having trouble finding a way to make my killer debut. I've finally decided to just go ahead and post some straight dope on the way Bush's budget is being covered by local writers. It's not exactly blogging gold, but at least you'll know what the President looks like here in the great state of Louisiana. The front page story in the state's most read newspaper gives the typical account of the budget with the way it relates specifically to Louisiana.
Some interesting bits from this story is the concern about Homeland Security funding (Bush's stated highest priority in the budget) not being enough. The director of the Port of New Orleans had this to say:
But Gary LaGrange, director of the Port of New Orleans, said the president's $490 million proposal for port security is far too little given that America's seaports have been identified as potential terrorism targets."I'm deeply concerned," LaGrange said. "It's not even half of what we need."
Also included on the front page is a story about the massive deficit being run by the White House and Congress that barely even pays lips service to Bush's budget dircetor's reassurance that they'll curb spending.
Kos readers will notice a post he has up today noting how Bush's budget is going to get bashed in local papers around the country. He's certainly hit the nail on the head with regards to Louisiana. A third story about the budget discusses the failure to provide adequate spending to deal with a coastal depletion problem that is rapidly becoming a major concern for many Louisianians.
In our October elections, Louisiana voters overwhelmingly supported three amendments which called for greater spending and agreed to match a certain percentage of federal funding allocated to coastal restoration. Now the federal government is reneging on a gentleman's agreement with our Congressional delegation. It's not surprising, but it's good for those of us who'd like to see Bush out of office next January to see it in print.
You can read more of my thoughts on Louisiana issues over at Timshel.
Posted at 11:27 AM in Louisiana | Technorati