shysternomics

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a shyster is a person "who is professionally unscrupulous especially in the practice of law or politics." Being from the dirty, i have met a many of shysters both in the streets and in the work place. From my recollection, the governor of Mississippi gives new meaning to this word.

We all recant of August 2005 when Hurricane Katrina “Dropped the Bomb” on parts of the Dirty. It was one of the catastrophic storms in the history of the U.S. In many places, it did so much damage that it lead to the displacement of tens of thousands of people. In fact the U.S. Census Bureau, noted that after the event, the population of the state of Louisiana declined by 219,563 (almost 5%). Almost 80% of New Orleans was flooded (neighborhoods that ranged from 75 to 100% African American – see pg 2) by Hurricane Katrina, with some parts documented to have been submerged under 20 feet of water.

Total city of NO displacement was close to 500,000 persons (200,000 households). Mississippi was hit hard too, where the hurriciane leaving almost 300 people dead and about $125 billion in damages. However, it was not hit as hard as Lousiana, in particular New Orleans where the LA Department of Health document at least 1,464 deaths (like im supposed to belive this) across the state.

A recent GAO report I just read (came out end of August) suggest that the Federal Emergency Management Agency administered an alternative housing program that unfairly directed $275 of the available $388 million to residents in the state of Mississippi. A little bit more than 70 percent of the 275,00 homes destroyed or rendered unlivable due to Katrina were located in Lousiana alone. Add in Rita to the mix, 217,245 housing units were destroyed compared to approximatelly 68,000 in Mississippi.

We also know that there are many reports of massive fraud in the state. Take the State Farm insurance Example. Two auditors, in an exclusive interview with ABC news show 20/20, alleged that audit reports that concluded that damage was caused by wind were hidden until new reports could be fabricated to show otherwise – so SFI would not have to pay.

I guess it does pay to be a friend of GWB and the governor of the State of Mississippi (Haley Barbour) as it has been suggested by other writers. I just wonder how much loot in kick backs both them folks got from the Feds and State Farm - go figure