# Insult to Injury -- FEMA charges Louisiana $3.7B for Emergency Aid **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 4, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insult-to-injury-fema-charges-louisiana-3-7b-for-emergency-aid/329535 "2005-11-04T20:24:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insult-to-injury-fema-charges-louisiana-3-7b-for-emergency-aid/329535/61 "2005-11-06T07:12:19Z")
> [@Updike](#): > > A good governor wouldn’t have got herself in this situation to start with. I’m sure Louisiana rakes in boatloads of money in taxes, what did she spend it on? “Rakes in boatloads”? From what, exactly? I guess you didn’t bother to read the link the OP posted, or you would have seen this: > [@](#): > > 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. Although [another source](http://labudget.lsu.edu/crunched.htm) states the budget is more like $15 million, that still means the FEMA bill is 25% of the state budget. Even if it did “rake in boatloads”, the amount of the FEMA bill is almost exactly New Orleans’ share of the state’s income. ([See sixth paragraph from the end.](http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=59249)) Even if they could have paid such a bill before the disaster they would surely be hard-pressed to pay it after. It’s like instead of paying $3.7 billion, they’re paying $6.8 billion! So, because Louisiana can’t pay an unexpected bill that’s at least one quarter of their annual budget, the governor is incompetent? ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insult-to-injury-fema-charges-louisiana-3-7b-for-emergency-aid/329535/62 "2005-11-06T07:42:53Z")
> [@Updike](#): > > Does the janitor work for the CEO? Yes, the same way ML worked for President Clinton. And CEO’s can date janitors…theres nothing unethical or illegal about it. Its only a problem if he used his position to coerce her into something she didn’t want to do, and by all acounts she instigated it so thats not the case here. > [@](#): > > Oh, and America DID care, he was impeached, like only one other president in history. First of all, he was impeached for lying about it, not doing it. Second, America didnt want him impeached in the first place. IIRC his approval rating was pretty high during the whole thing, and most people polled didn’t think he should be impeached. However, there were enough pubbies in power to insist on it anyway. Big embarrasing waste of time and money IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insult-to-injury-fema-charges-louisiana-3-7b-for-emergency-aid/329535/63 "2005-11-06T08:07:00Z")
> [@Updike](#): > > Why isn’t anyone calling for Blanco’s impeachment? It’s her responsibility as governor to pay her state’s share of the costs. Not paying sounds like a breach of fidiciuary responsibility to me. Having unpaid bills doesn’t neccesarily make it an impeachment worthy offense. Our nation has Bankrupcy laws and has abolished debtors prisons precisely because we recognize that people can get over their heads in debt without being evildoers who deserve punishment. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insult-to-injury-fema-charges-louisiana-3-7b-for-emergency-aid/329535/64 "2005-11-06T08:52:58Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > 😃😃😃😃😃 > > Okay, I get it now, you’re not serious, you’re just seeing how many ridiculously outrageous things you can say before people stop taking your bait. Not even a moron could say stuff like that and actually believe it. What she said. 😃 You’re a fuckwit **Updike**. This (from my limited understanding) is not a partisan political issue, but one where a state that _already had severe financial issues due to the economic abilities of the populace to fund it_ is now expected to pluck dollar bills out of thin air to repay a debt to FEMA. And you have done your darndest to not only ignore the issue but to turn it back upon head-jobs that are so bloody boring and old-news, and to be perfectly frank, nobody outside America really gives a monkeys pistle about??? Why don’t you fuck right off out’ve this thread so that those who have something of value to say can be heard over your pathetic squealing. Oink oink. I, even as a non American, am really quite interested in how La and your Feds will deal with this issue. Unless you can enlighten me, I request your departure. Thanks ever so much. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insult-to-injury-fema-charges-louisiana-3-7b-for-emergency-aid/329535/65 "2005-11-06T10:40:51Z")
> [@Updike](#): > > A good governor wouldn’t have got herself in this situation to start with. I’m sure Louisiana rakes in boatloads of money in taxes, what did she spend it on? Newsflash for Updike: a major city was wiped off the face of the map. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insult-to-injury-fema-charges-louisiana-3-7b-for-emergency-aid/329535/66 "2005-11-06T13:34:52Z")
> [@The Long Road](#): > > So, basically, figure out what the fuck you are talking about before you start condemning people for not being able to do an impossible task. To paraphrase the spinmeisters such as Rush or Santorum, it’s their fault for living there in the first place. Yeah. That’s the ticket. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insult-to-injury-fema-charges-louisiana-3-7b-for-emergency-aid/329535.md?page=3)