FEMA just billed the State of Louisiana $3.7 billion (from what my dad affectionately calls McPaper, USA Today):
Flood-ravaged Louisiana can’t pay the $3.7 billion that the U.S. government says is its share of hurricane relief, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kathleen Blanco (above) said Thursday.
“You can’t squeeze $3.7 billion out of this state to pay this bill. Period. That would be difficult for us on a good day,” the spokeswoman, Denise Bottcher, told USA TODAY.
Staffers for the governor “about fell over” Wednesday night when they received the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s estimate of the state’s costs for hurricanes Katrina and Rita, said Mark Merritt, a consultant working for Blanco.
FEMA projects that it will spend a total of $41.4 billion in Louisiana, about $9,000 per resident. Federal law requires state and local governments to pay a portion of disaster relief costs. That share can be as much as 25%. The $3.7 billion estimate is roughly 9% of FEMA’s projected costs in Louisiana.
The $3.7 billion represents just under half of the $8 billion the state spends per year and comes as the extensive flooding around New Orleans has severely undercut tax revenue. The state is in the midst of heavy cost-cutting to whittle down a projected $1 billion shortfall.
Conflict Sr. must be the first person to affectionately describe USA Today then!
JE –
You are mistaken. It was Joel’s pops who was quoted as calling it “McPaper”.
he still reads it sometimes, i think. i’ll never understand why.
maybe make the guest posts a bit easier to tell apart…
espec considering whenever I make my CSTB debut in 2007 it would probably be something only I could stand for.
Jesper,
The post in question is credited to Joel. However, your point is well taken. If there’s a more efficient way let others take the blame, I’m all ears!