There has been little mention about a recent meeting between Louisiana Democrat Governor Kathleen Blanco and several Democrat members of Congress, most notably Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The meeting was what to do about affordable housing in post hurricane Katrina New Orleans. At the end of the day two things happened, one a proposal for $500 million in funding for development primarily geared around affordable housing and two, the waiving of the Stafford Act.
In short the Stafford Act requires states to match a portion of federal funds used to facilitate relief following a natural disaster. This means New Orleans will receive a purse load to rebuild. This would be fine and dandy if this money was going to anywhere but New Orleans. A simple socio-economic and political history course about Louisiana will tell the students that the state has a culture of corruption and unaccountability. What can Blanco and others do to ensure the American citizenry that these funds won’t be squandered away? Your author remembers the inability displayed by Governor Blanco during and after the Katrina disaster, which was followed by the politicization of the ferocious storm. The attention devoted to post Katrina by the Bush Administration was labeled racist and evil by many in the big media machine because he did not send US troops immediately to the disaster zone. Once again those same critics failed to grasp the concept of the Third Amendment. Then as most know New Orleans’ Mayor Ray Nagin began to make the Katrina aftermath into a ‘black issue’ and yet has still offered a comprehensible rebuilding plan.
Who will oversee the development of this affordable housing? The very idea of affordable housing manipulates the free market system as it relates to real estate and development. In fact the market always corrects itself as we are seeing now in the slowing housing market, thereby making housing to most quite affordable. Speaker Pelosi of San Francisco certainly has no experience in affordable housing or those of a black community considering that her city’s population is only 4% non-white. San Francisco also boasts some of the most expensive housing in the nation along with one of the highest crime rates. And she calls herself a liberal?
Speaking of Mrs. Pelosi did any of the readers note her recent failing in leadership? In a previous blog entry the writer authored a piece detailing the void that she suffers from when looking for strong leaders. Your author will paint the picture for you.
You are William Jefferson, Democrat Congressman representing Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, which means nearly the entire city of New Orleans. Some may even call you ‘the fridge’ as we will soon find out why. You are an influential player in New Orleans’ political machine. Since May 2005 you have been under investigation for corruption. You are suspected in taking a bribe from iGate Inc., a tech company based in Louisville, in exchange for recommending that the US Army use their broad band technology. You then shuffle an estimated $400,000 in bribes to a corporate entity that is in the name of your wife and children. In June 2005 the FBI will videotape you receiving a $100,000 payment in bills. On August 3 the FBI will raid your home and recover the funds, which were tucked in a freezer and refrigerator. Probably on the advice of your attorney and the fact that an ongoing investigation is still being conducted, you won’t explain why this large sum of cash was found in your residence.
Attention devoted to your investigation is broken during and after Hurricane Katrina. However you once again fail to avoid the limelight after arriving in storm torn New Orleans and command a National Guard truck to shuttle you back to your residence to retrieve a briefcase and laptop computer. Your timing is perfect as the National Guard must momentarily pause during their search and rescue mission.
In January 2006 your dominoes tumble more when your aide Brett M. Pfeffer implicates your involvement in corrupt dealings with a Nigerian based company. In May 2006 iGate’s CEO Vernon Jackson takes a plea and admits to bribing an elected official. The court documents do not name you but it is quite apparent who owns the identity of a particularly elected official. In September of that year Jackson receives a seven year sentence. That same month Democrat Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, then minority leader, finally calls for your resignation from your chair on the House Ways and Means Committee. It wasn’t so much Pelosi’s own conscience that called for this action but rather Democrats protesting Jefferson’s refusal to step down.
In November 2006 despite the criminal implications, New Orleans reelects you back to the House in a hot and tight election. The very fact that New Orleans would elect a potential felon to higher office is no surprise given their past with former Klan wizard David Duke and his brief foray into politics.
In May 2006 President Bush orders the US Department of Justice and the FBI to raid Jefferson’s Congressional office. The action behind this removal was because during the previous New Orleans residential raid Jefferson was believed to have attempted to remove evidence. Additionally his actions during hurricane Katrina spoke volumes as he removed items that were considered odd. Republicans and Democrats both cried foul. The FBI and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales both announced they would retire if the President caved in and returned the items. A poll conducted by ABC News stated that 86% of their viewers who took the poll agreed with Bush’s unprecedented actions. In other words elected officials and their domain, a publicly funded office, were not above the law.
A bigger and better person would have stepped down. A bigger and better person may have already admitted to the charges, if true, being slung around. However you are William “The Fridge” Jefferson, Democrat Congressman from the "Chocolate City" also known as New Orleans.
The reader would think that Speaker Nancy Pelosi would attempt to avoid further discussion regarding Jefferson. One would think she would do everything in her power to distance herself and the House from courting Jefferson. This is not the case. Pelosi has caved to criticism from the Black Congressional Caucus and appointed Jefferson to a post on the Homeland Security Committee. Her conceding to the wishes of the Caucus tells your author that she is desperate for cohesion within her own party. This is a problem already predicted by your author in a previous blog entry. Still in her grasp for power Mrs. Pelosi has thrown out common sense and decency, that being taking an elected official who is currently under a federal investigation and entertaining the idea that he should hold a leadership position. She is currently stalling on an official statement making her intentions to nominate Jefferson. This is probably due to Democrats, particularly those 42 who campaigned as ‘Blue Dog’ conservatives and Republicans having already threatened a roll call vote. This would ensure that Jefferson would not get the seat.
Reader this is the best and the brightest from the American Left. Thankfully your author feels certain, as should the reader, that their time in the sun will be very short.
