How can New Orleans and Louisiana pay the tens of millions of dollars in annual maintenance on it's new 100-year storm reduction system?

In the NOLA.com article,

Hurricane surge-reduction system maintenance will be costly, for someone. Mark Schleifstein - The Times-Picayune - Monday, May 30, 2011

it is estimated that

Soon, they'll also have to figure out whether taxpayers are willing to foot the additional costs, which could be as much as $38 million a year -- more than half the combined budgets of the eight local levee agencies.

Plus,

"And that doesn't include some of the things that aren't on the perimeter," said Bob Turner, executive director of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East. "It doesn't include internal levees. It doesn't include the pump stations and drainage canals in St. Bernard. And it doesn't include Mississippi River levee operation and maintenance increases, either."

THE COST
Thirty-Eight MILLION dollars per YEAR!!! (and counting...)

FESTIVALS
Well, NO PROBLEM. With festivals like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, these events bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact. Right?

Landrieu said the festival puts 800 businesses to work, in addition to the 500 musicians on tap to entertain the crowds. “That’s a $300- to $350 million economic impact on the city of New Orleans,” he said. - Jazz Fest officials gear up for 2011 celebration - Daily Comet - Thursday, March 31, 2011 - By CHEVEL JOHNSON - Associated Press

Then you add in all the other events like Mardi Gras, French Quarter Fest, etc., New Orleans and Louisiana can easily foot the bill for 40 million a year. Right???

ECONOMIC IMPACT
Just search for like "new orleans jazz fest economic impact" or "new orleans mardi gras economic impact", etc.

GAMBLING
Plus, why not look at all the monthly winnings from the riverboat casinos and the land based casino in New Orleans. Just Google for something like, "Louisiana monthly casino gambling revenues". And don't forget the lottery! Make sure you get the revenues for that. In 2009, it was 300 million! LINK: Louisiana Lotto Yearly Revenues

ALCOHOL TAX REVENUES
And, of course, all that tax revenue generating alcohol on Bourbon Street, 24 hours / 7 days / 365 days a year. Definitely, don't forget all that alcohol tax revenue!

VIDEO POKER
And also video poker!!! -- And let me tell you, New Orleans has lots and lots of low income service workers who play those video poker machines. In fact, most of New Orleans is hovering around or below the poverty line. And it is one of the (if not, the most) poorest cities in America. The New Orleans poor really take advantage of those video poker machines and make it a routine weekly habit of buying lottery tickets to the Louisiana Lotto!! The revenues from those video pokers machines plus those minimum wage service industry workers can easily pay for the annual hurricane storm reduction system of 40 million plus.

TALK BIG NUMBERS
You know how all these cities with gambling and lotteries are. The always talk big numbers. Millions of dollars for education, of course! (Got to put a positive spin on a state with some of the lowest graduation numbers 8% SUNO and 15% UNO in the nation, the worst public school system in America (New Orleans Public Schools) and probably the highest illiteracy rate in the nation next to Mississippi. And if you think this education system produces a great number of addicted gamblers to pay for this levee system, you would be right!)

THE HIGHER the ADDICTION, THE MORE CONSISTENT THE REVENUE STREAM
And did I mention that Louisiana has the highest gambling addiction in North America

"(the low was 22.6 percent, the high was 41.2 percent in Louisiana)."

What does this mean? Addicted gamblers mean a "consistent" revenue stream, year in, and year out, to pay for levee and storm reduction maintenance. Woo Hoo!!!
LINK: Profits from Gambling Addicts

TREMENDOUS FORESIGHT BY LOUISIANA POLITICIANS
Now, you ought to give a hand (and don't forget, in the other hand a stuffed envelope full of cash) to all those legislators in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the state capital. They really knew what they were doing decades ago when they spent every single day (for years) to pass gambling, starting with the lottery. And thank goodness, a significant percentage of these legislators have a personal financial interest in gambling as their vested financial interest in these gambling businesses has been proven very effective. It makes a difference when the owner are there.

Plus, while it took decades to accomplish, they got rid of virtually all of the other productive, and higher paying legitimate and non-gambling businesses to leave only the poor paying service and tourism businesses. In fact, New Orleans has essentially zero Fortune 500 companies, and Louisiana has only like maybe 3 or 4 Fortune 1000 companies left to get rid of. They will, for the foreseeable future, have a constant and reliable revenue stream of addicted gamblers from the low paying service industry, which by the way, attracts even more poor low paid workers from neighboring states. (Gambling, the gift that keeps on giving!)

Finally, as you can see, Louisiana can easily pay for this yearly maintenance fee for the levees and 100-year storm reduction system the Army Corp of Engineers as built for Orleans and Jefferson parish.

Homosexuality and "A Few Good Men"

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): The medical associations has stated that homosexuality is OK and is NOT a disorder, is that correct?
WITNESS (W): Yes, that is correct.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Homosexuality not a disorder just like being "left-handed" is not a disorder, is that correct?
WITNESS (W): Yes, that is correct.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Also, homosexuality not a disorder just like being "black" or "white" is not a disorder, is that correct?
WITNESS (W): Yes, that is correct.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Could someone live there entire life doing things "left-handed" like writing
with their left hand, playing sports left handed, and even eating their food left handed, would that possible?
WITNESS (W): Yes, that would be possible?

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Would living their entire life left-handed, be a "disorder"?
WITNESS (W): No, it would not be a disorder.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So are you saying living left handed would be OK?
WITNESS (W): Yes, it would be OK.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): How about being "black" versus "white"? Would being "black" be a disorder?
WITNESS (W): No, it would not be a disorder.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So it's OK to be black?
WITNESS (W): Yes, it would be OK to be black and you can live a normal life being black or white.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Let's talk about the color in someone's hair. Would it be OK to have black hair and bleach it blond?
WITNESS (W): Yes, it would be OK to bleach one hair's blond.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): How about dyeing one's hair, that's currently blond, black? Would that be OK?
WITNESS (W): Yes, it would be OK to dye one hair's black.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Could someone dye his/her hair black for their entire life and be OK?
WITNESS (W): Yes, one could dye one's hair, black, for their entire life and be OK.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Say if EVERYONE dyed their hair black for their entire life, would that by OK?
WITNESS (W): Yes, if everyone in the world would dye their hair black and the world still keep turning and life would go on.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Say if EVERYONE decided to do everything with their left-hand, would that be OK
WITNESS (W): Yes, if everyone in the world decided to be LEFT-HANDED the world still keep turning and life would go on.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Say if EVERYONE decided to do be HOMOSEXUAL, would that be OK?
WITNESS (W): If everyone in the world decided to be HOMOSEXUAL the world still keep turning.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Would life go on?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): I ask again, Would life go on?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Would if be OK if life did NOT go on?
WITNESS (W): No, it would not be OK.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Would if be a DISORDER if life did NOT go on?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Would if be a DISORDER if life did NOT go on?
WITNESS (W): Yes, it would be a DISORDER if life did not go on.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So how can homosexuality be OK, just like being left-handed or being "black" or "white" is OK?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Did you not just answer that if life didn't go on, it would NOT be OK?
WITNESS (W): I know what I said!

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Did you NOT just answer that if life did NOT go on, it would be a DISORDER?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): If the end result of everyone deciding to be homosexual is the self-extinction of the human race, how can homosexuality be OK?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): If the end result of everyone deciding to be homosexual is the self-extinction of the human race, how can homosexuality not be DISORDER?
WITNESS (W): But not everyone in the world is going to be homosexual.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): But you just said it is OK for everyone to be left-handed? Did you not?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): And did you not say that it would be OK for everyone to dye their hair black? Did you not?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So how can you say that homosexuality is OK, just like being left-handed is OK and like being "black" or "white" is OK,
when you just said that everyone being homosexual would be a disorder and NOT OK and it would lead to be self extinction of the human race?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): [silence]
WITNESS (W): It's different this time.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): What's different this time?
WITNESS (W): Not everyone is going to be homosexual.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): But I thought you said it's OK for everyone to be left-handed or for everyone to dye their hair "black"?
What would be so "different" this time if everyone decided to be homosexual?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): [silence]
WITNESS (W): The difference would be extinction.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): And would extinction be OK?
WITNESS (W): NO, it would NOT be OK!

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Would self-extinction be the result of some DISORDER?
WITNESS (W): Yes, self-extinction would be the result of some disorder.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): And could that disorder be everyone deciding to be homosexual?
WITNESS (W): Yes, if everyone decided to be homosexual, that would be a disorder.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So how can the medical association say that homosexuality is not a disorder if it's not OK for everyone to be homosexual?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): You did say it's not OK for everyone to be homosexual?
WITNESS (W): Yes, I know what I said.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Have there be any other "DISORDERS" in any of the medical associations that involved suicide and depression that have been reclassified as NOT a medical disorder like "homosexuality" has been?
WITNESS (W): I don't know and I can't think of any that have been.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): What about any "DISORDERS", regardless of suicide and depression, that that have been reclassified later as NOT a medical disorder?
WITNESS (W): I can't think of any right now.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So how can homosexuality be like being left-handed or dyeing one's hair black, where if everyone were
to be left-handed, the world be OK. But if everyone decided to be homosexual, the human race would be extinct in a few generations?
WITNESS (W): Because homosexuality is a really disorder and being left-handed it just being different.
Homosexuality is different than being left handed.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Are you changing you testimony? Did you not say that homosexuality is just like being left-handed or being "black" or "white"?
I can read the court transcript back to you.
WITNESS (W): I know what I said. You don't have to read the transcript.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): [silence]
WITNESS (W): What I mean to say is that the medical associations know better than the public on how to handle homosexuality.
We have dealt with homosexuality and have personally interviewed, met with distressed gays and lesbians.
When they come to us, they are distressed, despondent, depressed, and many suicidal. And that was back then. Now, with drugs, AIDS
and STD's, they are just as depressed. Plus, we have to deal with drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, and addiction.
And then there are the transsexuals, bisexuals, and those homosexuals that really are bisexual. Or they are, or they feel are homosexual at some points in their life and then feel heterosexual in others.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So it's OK to for someone to get married and have kids thinking and perhaps siding towards more heterosexual and then, for some reason, they feel more homosexual later in life?
WITNESS (W): Well, that's what happens to some people.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): I asked you, is it OK?
WITNESS (W): Certainly not for the kids and the spouse.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): To change from one to the other at some point in their life means there is no sense of ORDER. So it must be a DISORDER?
WITNESS (W): Yes, that is a disorder!

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So why prescribe all of the prescription depression drugs to homosexuals when you say homosexuality is OK?
WITNESS (W): Because they come to us depressed, suicidal.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So with all the depression, drugs and additions, back then and even now, how can homosexuality be OK? It definitely looks like a DISORDER.
WITNESS (W): Getting rid of homosexuality on the list of disorders is all we could think of as we tried all sorts of things to cure homosexuality.
And by making homosexuality OK in society, patients, homosexuals would feel comfortable about their sexuality.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Well, if gays and lesbians are to be accepted in society, wouldn't it be OK for everyone in the world to become homosexual?
You want gays and lesbians to be "accepted", what better way for gays and lesbians to feel "accepted" by having everyone in the world to become homosexual?
WITNESS (W): Well, yes.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So the cure would be having everyone become homosexual so that homosexuals will feel secure and "normal". But what about self-extinction of the human race by homosexuality?
WITNESS (W): Well, we were only concerned with our patients.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So the ends, justify the means?
WITNESS (W): When you have dealt personally with homosexuality on a day to basis, you'll know.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Would lying to your patients on "what is a disorder" and "what is not a disorder", be OK?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): What is the percentage of homosexuals in the general population?
WITNESS (W): It can range anywhere from 10 percent to 1 percent depending upon who you ask.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So from the lowest estimate to the highest estimate, the accuracy rate could be like one thousand percent off?
WITNESS (W): Yes, it's very difficult to get an accurate estimate on the percentage of homosexuals in the general population.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So if being homosexual is OK, how much more difficult, percentage wise, would it be to find a mate than being heterosexual?
Just from a pure statistical standpoint?
WITNESS (W): It would be far more difficult. Let's choose a middle number, say 5% homosexual. That's 1 in 20 homosexual. That leaves 19 out of 20 hetersexual.
Then there is the difficulty on how does a homosexual distinguish between say a homosexual male and a hetersexual male based upon visual appearance?
Sure, there are certain things, say gays, look for, but the amount of time, actually extra time, spent can be dramatic when compared to hetersexuals. Lots of mistakes, miscues
misreads are made. And because the population is so small to begin with, they are desparate, so they pair off with far less than their ideals or what's even realistic.
The first one they meet, they try harder right away knowing their chance with another will be again, very slim. Why is this? Cause they, themselves, homosexuals have problems determing who they are in the first place. Plus, it can easily change from time
to time, year to year, whether they want to, or not.

And then there is homosexual act to begin with. No one really want talks about that to much. For gays, who's plays the male part and who plays the female part during sex?
And what about fecal matter? Sh*t, that's what it's called. Don't they have signs in the restrooms of restaurants ordering all employees to "Wash their hands"? When someone goes to the bathroom to relieve themselves
do they not have toilet paper? And how messy does it really get? Does one rub their hands in their own fecal matter as if it was applying moisturizing lotion? But this is not even the case.
It's someone rubbing and massaging their own body parts with open orifices in someone else's fecal matter. That's just asking for infection from fecal matter and quite simply,
biologically hazardous. Let's face it. Viewing, smelling, and/or contacting fecal matter isn't something someone one wants to enjoy while having sex. There are reasons toilets and the saintation system were invented and developed. And that't to reduce the risk of disease. Even now, in the food supply,
strange diseases like E. coli scares, Avian flu (bird flu) and Mad Cow disease are from, in one form or another, from animal fecal matter introduced somewhere in the food chain. Either by having
live stock crammed to together so they have no room but step and walk in their own fecal matter or feeding them the processed parts of their own species that contain fecal matter all in the name of increasing financial profit.
It wouldn't surprise me that interacting with fecal matter could be one of the reasons for bizarre, never before heard of, diseases like AIDS.

And so, because of things like that, many try to forget their sexual identity problems by alcohol and taking drugs.
Many get addicted to alcohol and drugs. But many couldn't care less about the drugs and alchohol and are so upset about their future prospects,
as they can't live a full and normal life like their friends and parents, they commit suicide. So when the medical associations said one can live a normal life
being homosexual, it certainly didn't come true, as now, some have sexual relations just to try things out and that increased the STD's and spread AIDS.
Those types of diseases now causes even more mental problems that patients have to deal with. Hence, the stress on homosexuals now goes up even higher leading
to more depression and other mental problems.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So saying homosexual was 'normal' actually increased the number of medical and mental problems?
WITNESS (W): Well I don't know that. But I do know that AIDS came out of nowhere after the medical associations said that one can live a normal life while being homosexual.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So let's see. Not being able to have your own biological children is normal.
WITNESS (W): No it's not. While unhappy, people have successfully lived with it, but there is a medical condition for whatever reason a patient can't have children.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Could these medical conditions on not being able to have children be called a 'disorder'?
WITNESS (W): Yes, it would be a disorder of some sort.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So why can't homosexuality be condition or disorder for not having children?
WITNESS (W): Cause the medical associations said it wasn't a disorder?

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): But you just said not being able to have children is a medical disorder of some sort, did you not?
WITNESS (W): Yes, I did.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): How can something that becomes (or cause something to become) 10, 20 to 100 times more difficult from a statistical standpoint be considered normal?
WITNESS (W): Anything that causes anything to be 10 times more difficult should definately be looked at more closely.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So how can some of the medical associations say that one can live a 'normal' life as a homosexual when it's statistically far more difficult to find a mate
and where homosexual mates can also switch their sexual preferences over time?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Would direct contact with a biologically hazardous material such a fecal matter, be safe for a person?
WITNESS (W): No.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): What about direct contact with a biologically hazardous material such a fecal matter on a regular basis, be safe for a person?
WITNESS (W): No.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): What about introducing a biologically hazardous material such a fecal matter into the blood steam on a regular basis, be safe for a person?
WITNESS (W): No.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): What about direct contact with a biologically hazardous material such a fecal matter on a regular basis, would that be consided 'normal'?
WITNESS (W): No. It's not normal. It's dangerous.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): How can the medical associations say homosexuals can live a 'normal' life when direct contact with a biologically hazardous material such a fecal matter on a regular basis is 'dangerous'?
WITNESS (W): I don't know.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Do heterosexual have direct contact with fecal matter on a regular basis and would it normal or safe?
WITNESS (W): Some do, but again, it's biologically dangerous. I mean you are taught to wash your hands after going to the restroom in restaurants, or for that matter, anywhere.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Why would a person do something biologically unsafe on a regular basis?
WITNESS (W): Probally something wrong with the person's mental decision making.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): If something is wrong with the person's mental decision making, would that be a mental disorder?
WITNESS (W): It's someone is doing something that is biolgically risky and hazardous, something is definally not right.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): And if something that is not right, would that something not be "in order"? Hence, out of order, or a 'disorder'?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): Would lying to your patients on "what is a disorder" and "what is not a disorder", be OK?
WITNESS (W): It's definately different and far more difficult to find a mate. Or for that matter, even a sexually stable mate in terms
of being either homosexual or hetersexual.

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL (DC): So, again, would lying to your patients on "what is a disorder" and "what is not a disorder", be OK?
WITNESS (W): [silence]

Comment on "What Really Keeps Poor People Poor" - jonbischke.com

This blogger says,

"That’s of course very important but the critical factor is that people from lower-income families aren’t able to gain access to the same networks that higher-income families have access to."

and

"Poverty is not deprivation. It is isolation."

He quotes from a several sources and looks at a lot of explanations.
However, let's get back to one thing he states,

"Poverty is not deprivation. It is isolation."

The question is

"Why are poor people isolated in the first place?"

How about let's take a look at the African American group?

Could it be "drama"? Has this author ever been around the POOR INNER CITY? e.g. New Orleans? What about Section 8 and MIXED HOUSING? Isn't that an attempt to remove "ISOLATION"?

But more so, at the mixed public school, particularly middle school and up, during sporting events, the players of the same team of the same high school all SIT and TALK with their respective race, the "white" teammates all sit together and all the "black" teammates sit together. This can be especially noticeable with the females as this group are greatly self-segregating.

So, at the middle and high school level, at integrated public schools, even when forced in the same classes, 8 hours a day and at sporting events, the same teammates all sit apart from each other in the stands from a racial standpoint.

But how about the other races, Hispanics, Asian, and Indians? Do they sit in their own racial groups as much as Africans/Blacks? And yes, please comment.

What does that mean? Well it means, forced busing, integrated high schools, mixed housing, seciton 8, etc. can only go so far.

You would think that after spending all this time together, they, Whites and Blacks, on the same team that even "practice" together, could at least sit together at school functions at sports events.

Perhaps, they both just "put up" with each other as they know each others' differences even more so since they interacted with each other on a daily basis.

AND yes, the differences mentioned above in New Orleans and Louisiana (and other Southern states) can be much different than say, California and New York.

Could it be FAMILY? In the African-American (BLACK) family, there is tremendous "drama". No father, don't know who the father is, mothers, who by the way, try to PROVE, that they are as good as the white women and can get a man like the white woman. Black women who say, "I can just as good as the white women, see, look at how many kids I have!"

And by the way, it would be good to know who came up with the expression,

"Black is beautiful"

and for what reason (or reasons) why?

If I remember correctly, isn't there another saying,

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

If (generally) black women have to say, promote, advertise, teach and preach, that

"Black is beautiful"

are black women trying to tell everyone what to think. Then perhaps, the saying should be,

"Beauty is NOT in the eye of the beholder.
Beauty is whatever the black woman says it is."

Reference: What Really Keeps Poor People Poor - jonbischke.com

If being Gay is like being Left-Handed or Right Handed, then why can't a homosexual cure be just a "different" medical procedure or drug?

There are those who say being "gay" is like being Left Handed or Right Handed.
And being gay is like being "black" or "white", it's just "different".

Then if the above is true, then the last time I checked, left handed people can LEARN how to do things and everyday tasks with their "RIGHT" hand, correct?

Cannot Left-handed people can learn how to "write" with their right hand?
Cannot Left-handed people can learn how to eat with their right hand?
Cannot Left-handed people can learn how to use fork or knife with their right hand?
Cannot Left-handed people can learn how to throw a ball with their right hand?
Cannot Left-handed people can learn how to kick or punt with their right foot?

And what about those with a different color hair? Can't they dye their hair a different color?
Or what about their skin? Some can tan, right? But can some get lighter? Maybe with medical breakthrough, they can? And by the WAY, what's wrong with getting lighter in skin color as other people get darker sitting in the sun anyway without being judged as an evil person? I thought black and white are just "DIFFERENT", and people can get lighter or darker.

SO what's wrong with being "gay" and then seeking to be "straight", by researching a cure?

So if gay is being different, then a "homosexual" 2 "heterosexual" medical drug, procedure, research or breakthrough would be just "different" as well? Correct?

Or more to the point,

"if gay is just 'different', then shouldn't a homosexual cure be 'just different' as well?"


Just wanted to point that out, that's all.

Morganza Spillway or Floodway Opening Trigger at 1.5 million cubic feet per second to high?

The Morganza Spillway gateway opening trigger is when the Mississippi River’s flow rate reaches 1.5 million cubic feet per second and rising at Red River Landing.

This trigger number is set so that the Morganza Spillway is opened only when necessary in regards to flood control for the Mississippi River.

HOWEVER, one must also take into account the people who, somehow, want to live in the Morganza Spillway Plain.

The number of people and structures, at one time, used to be relatively small, but now, has grown to 25,000 people and 11,000 structures.

The Morganza Spillway has only been opened once, in 1973. And since then until now, May 2011, the calm of NOT needing to open the Morganza Spillway has made it's inhabitants and people OVER-confident, that they can live their permantly.

THIS is WRONG. The Federal Government, perhaps, by making that area cheap, only emboldens the poor and uneducated to live in such areas, even if unintended or inadvertently.

The currentl trigger and policies, will only make it more harder, from a people perspective, to open the Morganza Spillway in the future as one needs to take into account the people who decided to live in the Morganza Floodway.

This situation is very similar to before spillways were created on the Mississippi River, the West Bank and East Bank of the river had guards to protect each side from the other side trying to destroy or "blow up" the other side's levee to relieve pressure from the high waters of the Mississippi River.

So instead of the West Bank and East Bank against each other, it will be like Baton Rouge and New Orleans against the people living in the Morganza spillway Floodway plain.

The powers that be, Congress, the Army Corp of Engineers, etc, should reevaluate the trigger of 1.5 million cubic feet and rising to a more lower level to

(1) lessen and reduce the chance of pressure in highly populated areas like Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

and

(2) to REMIND the inhabitants of those living the Morgana Floodway that this is a FLOODWAY and it should NOT be though of as a permanent place to live, raise a family, or build structures like houses that can't handle high waters during a flood gate opening like that from the Morganza Spillway.


It would wise to have "inspectors" to somehow enforce building codes in the Morganza Floodway, BUT one knows how the "inspectors" of New Orleans and Louisiana are.
Very similar to the NOPD, pay for protections, i.e. "Paid Details".

Is Homosexuality just another form of Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D)?

Just recently, a major church denomination, the Presbyterians, voted for homosexuality via some so called "higher calling" logical reasoning.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approves change in ordination standard
‘Submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ’ replaces ‘fidelity and chastity’

POINT:
In order to LOVE someone, you have to have two (2) separate persons. One person doing the Loving, and the Other Person, "being the one, loved, by the first person".

Ultimately, (even with the all the medical breakthroughs) it still basically takes a Man and a Woman to create "Persons" in the first place, BEFORE they can "love" each other.

SECOND POINT:
You have to have LIFE, before you can actually LOVE, correct?
And if you really want to promote "LOVE", you have got to promote "LIFE". And "LIFE" comes from heterosexuality, a man and a woman. Not homosexuality.

Nevertheless, one might then ask, can Homo-sexuality can be thought of as like, Attention Deficit Disorder? Except in this case, the "attention" is focused on the wrong sex?

And, if you can have drugs for Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.), why can't you have drugs to treat Homo-sexuality?

If gays and lesbians really wanted to follow their dreams, they would ask God for a cure, which in fact, gays and lesbians already do pray to God about. And pray when they are very young and throughout life. They are other reasons they are in the "closet" that are not spoken by the anyone. They are also in the closet "praying" to God for a cure. (Should we then not be surprised, that a future cure for homosexuality and bi-sexuality can be associated with various forms of Attention Deficit Disorder?)

Many homosexuals say,

"Homosexuality cannot be changed. I know, I have tried for decades and even the American Psychiatric Association voted in 1973 to declare it not a disease."

However, AIDS has never been cured (and also a variety of other STD's), but somehow the public must keep trying to find a cure for AIDS as well a long list of never been solved disorders, diseases and the like. Oh and by the way, just because the American Psychiatric Association voted to say it's not a disorder doesn't make it not a disorder. Or just the same, not in the minds of homosexuals, who, by the way, STILL, even since 1973 until today in 2011, have the highest suicides rates, drug addictions, substance abuses and so on and that includes gay friendly San Francisco, as well as self declared gays and lesbians in the Hollywood scene.

In other words, it's also contradictory, that the Gay and Lesbian community can promote and fund medical research for a CURE for AIDS thinking that there will be a cure for AIDS one day. Yet, they turn right around and say it will never be possible to find a "cure" for homosexuality, or even a medical procedure or drug for homosexuality. In fact, some say there is nothing wrong with homosexuality.

But what about "depression"? Why doesn't the American Psychiatric Association vote that "depression" is NOT a disorder because people get depressed anyway? I mean depression is a fact of life and people can live perfectly NORMAL lives even if they are "depressed" or "homosexual", correct? See how the American Psychiatric Association contradict themselves? People live perfectly normal lives whether "depressed" or "homosexual", but American Psychiatric Association contradict voted in 1973 to say homosexuality is not a disorder, yet prescribe drugs and conduct millions of dollars in medical research for "depression"?

Yet again, they contradict themselves, AGAIN, and say male and female sexual "impotence" is a medical disorder and it's great they have medical breakthroughs like "Viagra" and the like. (Ever wonder why Viagra sales are through the roof? It's not just men who have impotence. In other words, don't be surprised it's also men who don't want to be homosexual, who want to have a normal life, fathering and raising up their own children.)


I just wanted to point that out by using the same "higher order" reasoning they used to eliminate the "Man and Woman" rules and replace that with, I am paraphrasing, "submit joyfully to Jesus Christ".

And please, have a nice day ;-)

Abandoned Cars on I-10, An Accident waiting to happen because of the Short Sightedness of Louisiana?

Does anyone ever notice that right before (or after) some big event, like Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest, there are a lot of abandoned or parked cars on I-10 emergency lanes?

In fact, there are so many cars abandoned on the I-10 in the New Orleans Metro area, the highways remind me like the highways in Baghdad, Iraq after the wars with bombed out cars.

If also seems like these abandoned cars are left there for at least a week or more in the emergency lanes of I-10. That's right, a week or more!!!

These abandoned cars are just an accident waiting to happen as anyone drifting (or swerving having to avoid another car) could easily crash into these parked / abandoned cars in the emergency lanes. In other states, these abandoned, or stranded card, regardless of reason, (e.g. no gas, maintenance problem, no money for a tow truck), are removed within a *couple of hours* by the police or the local officials due to a safety hazard of traffic moving at 65+ miles an hour.

They are not left there just to give the owner a chance to tow it some later date. In these states, safety is far more important than giving the driver a chance to remove the car in a less costly manner.

Maybe some legislator can change the laws, whether, city, state or federal, to get these parked cars, (abandoned or otherwise), towed to a safer area than just leaving them in the emergency lanes of I-10 for week or more.

NOPD Paid Details....Sounds like the MOB's Pay for Protection Scheme

Why does every other business in New Orleans need so many paid details in the first place?

Should not the NOPD doing their JOB in the first place where businesses should not be so afraid to do business without a paid detail?

Do you see paid details at every other restaurant in other SAFE cities? How about Jefferson Parish? Do you see a paid detail for all the restaurants on Veterans, Airline, Williams, etc. like you do in New Orleans?

Why does the DDD, the Downtown Development District, need a paid detail in the first place?
Do they not patrol there anyway? (By the way, Where is all that casino, video poker and lottery money going?)


Did New Orleans and Jefferson Parish need as many paid details 60 or 70 years ago?

If these so called NOPD, "Who risk their lives every day.", actually, do risk their lives dodging bullets, why have they not shot and killed the criminals by now? Are these NOPD such poor shots? I mean, they are "risking" their lives every day, right? Like the NOPD are getting shot at 24/7/365 days a year right? If the current active NOPD and all their retired officers and commanders on pensions, RISKED their LIVES every day, has New Orleans, as a whole been better for it? Do you, the NOPD, have something to show for all your so called "bravery, courage, and public service" for the last 20 to 30 years?

As far as the public is concerned, is seem like the PUBLIC is PAYING TWICE for the same service.
Reminds me of like the MOB's 'pay for protection' scheme.


The NOPD drive around in their squad cars.
Say they are 'covering more ground'.
Then they say, "They can't be everywhere all the time", when a business is robbed.
THEN THEY, the NOPD, SUGGEST a PAID DETAIL.

How convenient!



Update:
And what about the hundreds of millions of dollars that these events like
Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and French Quarter Fest bring in? Why can't
the NOPD be paid from the HUNDREDS of MILLION of DOLLARS in economic
impact that each of these events 'supposedly' bring in, each and every year?

Should not the extra revenue from the sales taxes, hotel taxes, alcohol taxes, casino taxes, be far more than enough to easily cover overtime and even state police?

It is Hundreds of MILLIONS of DOLLARS according to all the Tourism official and Media?
Is that correct?

Response to NOLA Opinion on Substitue Teaching by School Board Members

The NOLA Editorial Staff states:

There's absolutely no guarantee that a school board member will be a good teacher. If they're not, it's the students who will be deprived.

Is there a guarantee that the current set experienced public teachers can teach?
No. And there is no absolute guarantee of that either.

Furthermore, the current set of NOLA public school teachers have the WORST track record for all of America.

So, if a school board member can't teach just 3 days out of a year, will that be as bad as the current situation?

But, should not a school board member not be able to teach just three days out of the year? Will that be so hard to prepare for? Is that so impossible?


Is the NOLA Editorial Staff so clueless? Say if the BOARD members of a Newspaper be required to read and edit three articles of their own newspaper per year? Or perhaps assist in an investigative report per year?

Would the NOLA Editorial Staff object?

AH, yes, maybe so.

We wouldn't want someone outside looking over their shoulder like the Inspector General is currently doing..... would we?


Don't mandate substitute teaching by school board members: An editorial

School Board: Talk versus Walk

NOLA.com Article - Make school board members teach school: What do you think?

To nscrazi:
If it really takes 'YEARS for a teacher to acquire the skills and behaviors that ultimately make him/her effective.', then why was TEACH for AMERICA created?

The public school system (at least the one in New Orleans) is the WORST in the nation with public school teachers that have YEARS of experience. Louisiana has the worst school system in the nation with supposedly TEACHERS who have had years to acquire the skills you talk about, YET have NOTHING to show for all their skills.

Do COPS really risk their lives every day?

PUNISHER May 06, 2011 at 1:40PM
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Cops do not risk their lives every day. That sounds stupid. Nobody would make it to retirement age if cops were getting shot at all day every day. Most cops are NEVER involved in a shooting in their entire careers. She volunteered, receives a check, so that "risk her life' crap ain't gonna fly. She's a citizen who broke the law. Period.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dan Halen May 06, 2011 at 2:06PM
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Remember that next time you getting the cr@p beat out of you and you're waiting for the police to come save your @ss.

RESPONSE
Dan Halen:
We did remember the last time we, the citizens, got robbed, shot at by thugs, lied to by a cop and so on.

And guess what?
The New Orleans citizens VOTED for private police a few elections ago.

Nevertheless, The citizens, also got dead bolt locks, iron bars for their windows, alarms for their cars, alarms for their house, and video cameras for their business, bullet proof windows at the banks, bullet proof windows at the gas stations, mace, pepper spray, bullet proof windows at the Kentucky Fried Chickens and crime cameras for the city....WHY all this stuff?

Cause the NOPD is busy at their donut shops, hiding behind their limo tinted undercover squad cars to LOOK BAD for the ladies and a host of other "private details".

By the way, when you call 911, the dispatcher are sleeping and the NOPD takes FOREVER to get there anyway.

If COPS were actually doing their jobs, the citizens would not be beaten up in the first place, robbed, or live in a city consistently rated to have the highest crime rates not only America, but the world.

So the citizens were always on their own to begin with and never got help when the citizen needed it the most.

NOPD = Not Our Problem, Darling.