NOLA Pigeons Coming Home to Roost

Well doesn’t this just make ya sick? Instead of the pilings being 17 feet deep (still not deep enough), like the Army Corps of Engineers has been saying, they’re apparently only 10! I wonder what that’s about? Care to guess?

But according to the engineering section of the Orleans board, in 1988 those pilings were pulled as part of work done by the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board, and new pilings were driven. The length of those piles is not a part of the public record, and the Sewerage & Water Board did not answer requests for details on that work.

"The corps keeps saying the piles were 17 feet, but their own drawings show them to be 10," van Heerden said. "This is the first time anyone has been able to get a firm fix on what's really down there.

"And, so far, it's just 10 feet. Not nearly deep enough."

Any chance this little shortage in depth is another manifestation of this?

"I honestly don't know if it truly can be said that New Orleans has measurably more corruption than other big cities," Letten said. "But I can say with some conviction that we as a culture have for far too long been exceedingly tolerant of corrupt politicians -- and that has cost us dearly."

I can remember making jokes about the scope of corruption – laughing that yes, of course we have corruption, but so does everybody else! At least here we know who to watch! I still think that fundamentally, that’s based in truth. Corruption is everywhere. But everywhere isn’t under the magnifying glass. Years of laissez faire and nonchalance are going to cost NOLA – big time - and all the legislative bandaids in the world (nice try, LA) aren't going to change the well-learned history lessons.

And a side note: late last night, a friend in NOLA contacted me to say that they’re laying off 200 fire/police people. Not enough $. I haven’t seen that in the news yet this morning, but I’m watching for it.

Update: I'm somewhat heartened to read that the proposed education bills are continuing to move forward through the legislative process. I hope they continue to ignore the sniping from the sidelines and make changes happen. There's really nothing to salvage from the existing school system in NOLA.

Polimom said this @ 7:01 AM