He spoke this morning in the Tent about Katrina recovery and his project, which actually takes up something we talked about over at the Crack Den in the immediate hurricane aftermath, theNew Deal analogy.
A Gulf Coast Authority, similar to the Tennessee Valley Authority will oversee the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project to ensure transparency. This inter-state agency will give final approval to local project proposals in a timely fashion. The Gulf Coast Authority will also be charged with working with the local communities, the city, and the state to expedite matters and to create a smooth process between agencies to ensure that what the local communities want comes to fruition quickly.
Myers-Lipton said the bill currently has 16 cosponsors, and the official word from Pelosi’s office was that it would need 75 to 100 before she gave a shit.
“When Speaker Pelosi wants something done, she gets it done,” he said. “Leadership has to start with Speaker Pelosi.”
He organized an effort with three college students where they called Pelosi’s office, all day, until the staff started hanging up on them, to even get that far.
“There’s gonna have to be a movement,” he said. “And it has to be nationwide. We have weak levees in Sacramento. If those levees fail, Sacramento is under water. It has to be all of us.”
He said he’d talked to people in Mississippi, and they were angry at government every step of the way up the ladder. His students have a chant, that they have to keep updating. First it was “Two Years, Too Late.” And now it’s three.
“The WPA and the PWA put people who needed work to work building their own communities,” he said. “We need that all over the country.”
A.
You know A, I’m so totally jealous you are there. But besides that, I think Obama and a gazillion Dems need to converge on N’awlins and the Gulf Coast this Friday, JohnnyMac’s Bday and Veep announcement day to try to steal the post convention bump from Obama, and they need to build a house or clean a neighborhood since it’ll be the third anniversary since N’awlins drowned and Bush and McBush shared birthday cake on a tarmac in Az. Say something like “Let McCain eat cake, the rest of the country has work to do here and we have not forgotten.”
Fuckers. I hate them all.
Maybe if you could get a bunch of kids from New Orleans to pose with Pelosi around her podium of power she would give a shit. Because, you know, it’s all about the children – and the photo op.
If you want Pelosi to give a shit, promise her some cute as a button kids from the Gulf Coast who can join hands and sing “Lousiana” around her podium of power. Because it’s all about the children – and the sweet photo/vide op they provide.
As per your crush, take him to Casa Bonita and enjoy the cliff divers.
So, this Civic Works Act that I heard about from Color of Change is a good thing? It’s not another Road Home? God, I hope so. How can people outside the state help?
Good luck. And and can you help me learn how to give a shit about Nancy Pelosi? ‘Cause I just, like, don’t.
Sounds like a terrific and inspiring plan.
I’d also love to hear a movement like this talk about the state of the art technology available in Europe to manage waters from floods and storm surges.
As awful as these times are, there is an opportunity to overhaul infrastructure with state of the art advances that could have profound benefits for the environment, economy and esprit de corps of the society.
.
yes. let’s try some OLD ideas that worked.