Money for levies in New Orleans diverted and wasted

By WND Staff

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Among the lessons coming out of the disaster of New Orleans, we see the remiss allocation of money for Army Corps of Engineers projects.

Louisiana ranks first in Army Corps of Engineering funding. It receives far more than any other state, $1.9-billion this year alone.

There is a growing outrage because much of that money previously has been diverted to projects that would not help save the city.

Money that could have been spent to strengthen levies, thereby saving lives and preventing billions in property damage, went for pork barrel spending. For example, before Katrina the Corps was working on a $750 million project on the New Orleans Industrial Canal. They were working near where a levy would break – not to strengthen that levy, but to build a larger lock to accommodate river barges.

Adding insult to injury, river barge traffic on the Mississippi River was on the decline. The old dock could have been buffed up at far less expense.

Now with a flooded city, politicians are screaming for billions to rebuild the antiquated, unsafe levy system, while a far better decision would be to surrender the low-lying flooded lands to the marsh, and to rebuild elsewhere on higher ground.

Billions more will be wasted in building another untenable levee system; and when it fails, Louisiana and Washington will scream for even more billions to do the same all over again. Nevertheless, as politicians scream for this money, remember that funding that could have been used to protect New Orleans was available but misdirected.

Steve Marr is the former CEO of the fourth largest import-export firm in the U.S., a company which facilitated international trade for many of the largest companies in America. Currently, Steve consults with with businesses and ministries utilizing ancient Biblical principles for success in today’s marketplace. Click here to contact Steve, or visit his website at www.businessproverbs.com.