State Abandons 80,000 LA Citizens With Its "Coastal Protection Master Plan"

Except for Kirk Cheramie of KLRZ, local media has completely dropped the ball on the story that the communities of coastal Southeast Louisiana below the Intracoastal Waterway have been written-off by Federal and State government in their plan to protect coastal Louisiana from hurricanes. Look at the plan for yourself. You'll have to do some digging. The truth doesn't come from the verbiage, but from the maps. The key language is 100 year storm and greater than 100 year storm. The former means Category 3 levee protection. The latter means Category 5 protection. Analyze the maps. See where the various lines are drawn and the color code for those lines. Cat 5 levees will go no lower than the Intracoastal.

Tell me one thing State of Louisiana, how in the fuck (note: first use of the F word on TPRTK) are ya'll going to stick a Cat 5 levee on the Intracoastal in downtown Houma?!?!

Here's Deputy Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources Randy Hanchey's quote from the USA Today article I mentioned in an earlier post: "We believe that it's probably not possible to provide adequate protection that people should be living down there" . By "down there" he means Montegut, Chauvin, Bourg, Houma below the Intracoastal, Theriot, Dulac, Grand Isle, Leeville, Golden Meadow, Galliano, Cut Off, Cote Blanche, Larose, Empire, Venice, Port Sulphur, and Buras. Yet, the State can justify protecting the cesspool of New Orleans by spending billions of our tax dollars.

And another thing, while you're at it Mr. Hanchey, would you inform Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, at whose pleasure you serve, she is not welcome "down there" in the 10th Ward of Lafourche Parish?

So, the day the plan is officially adopted, who's going to pay me for the depreciation to the value of my homeplace in Golden Meadow? Is the State of Louisiana prepared for a class action lawsuit that will dwarf the Plaquemine Parish oystermen's "taking" suit? Because, essentially, that is what the State will be doing by adopting its plan and depreciating my property. It will be taking my property and I am entitled to just compensation.

Additionally, we 80,000, or so, who are being left out, what about our right to equal protection? Those are not just words on paper.

If It's Good Enough For Grand Bois,
It's Good Enough For Me

There was an interesting editorial (link fixed) in yesterday's Comet concerning the Grand Bois community seceding from Lafourche Parish and joining up with Terrebonne Parish. Is anybody in the 10th Ward not working their fingers to the bone to pay their taxes long enough to get the significance of this action? If Grand Bois can do it, why shouldn't the entire 10th Ward consider it? Houma's closer than Thibodaux and we sure have more culturally in common with Terrebonne than with Thibodaux. Maybe Grand Isle would be interested in coming with us.

Tink about it!

Egyptian Blogger Sentenced To 4 Years

The AP reports a blogger in Egypt was sentenced to 4 years in prison, in part, for criticizing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!

You've Been Written Off!
(Wonder If We Still Have To Pay Taxes?)

The US and State of Louisiana write-off of the 10th Ward of Lafourche Parish and Lower Terrebonne is suggested in an article published in the U.S.A. Today today. I say "suggested" because the article only talks about lower Plaquemines Parish, but the same thing applies to us by extension. Is the quote from Randy Hanchey coherent or grammatically correct? I can guess what he is trying to say, but that's about it.

If we ain't worth protecting, do we still have to pay taxes, or, at least, can we get a discount? Should Charlotte, Loulan, Reggie, Kathleen, Mary, David and/or Charley even think about asking the voters of the affected areas for their vote when they all have failed us so monumentally? Should we secede from the union, attempt to develop nuclear weapons, then seek a deal like North Korea's?

I think I'm going to get me a pizza.

IT'S NOT DA PAY!
IT'S DA RAY!

Is it low pay, or low morale?

Remember these employee survey comments from last July?

"It would be beneficial for LDPW to take suggestions from employees who have done a specific job for years instead of doing something what they think is right when they don't have the knowledge or the understanding of a job."

and

"Supervisors need to value workers more, and they need to listen to the workers' opinions on jobs and other ideas about doing jobs, not just to do a job the way they want it all the time. The bosses have developed a my way or no way attitude and I think it is a sorry situation. A worker has to work twice as hard because a supervisor wants it his way."

and

"Having been working here at the LPG for 20+ years, I have seen many changes, both good and bad. But out of those years have I not seen more employees dissatisfied and morale so low than it is now. Employees are not afraid of work and will agree that lots of work is getting done, they just don't like the way they are being treated, unfairly. There is no "I" in the word "team" and in order to get a great team effort, employees need to feel like they are part of the team and right now, they don't. Solution: Changes - use the results of this, survey, listen to your employees; don't ignore what they are telling you."

and

"Moral! WHAT MORAL!!! That has been destroyed. How about this for being praised? Being told that we can't be fired but that we can be made miserable, and doing so. Then weeks later being told if you get up in the morning and don't feel like coming to work, it's time to look for another job. Or being told, if your thinking about butting heads with me, think again, cause you're not going to win. Or giving your all to someone you know if given a chance would fire you. Instead, they try to find a mistake we may have made, then told no matter how much you do, it's not enough. Even Memo's could be sent in a more civilized way, instead of, if you don't do this or that you will be reprimanded or terminated. We are civilized people who can understand command rather than somewhat of a threat."

Sometimes it ain't the pay, Ray. It's treating people with a little respect.

Guess What March 1 Is?

It's The Public's Right To Know's 1st birthday! Don't they grow up so fast? My, my, how quickly time flys. Yeah, and that means so much more work for me! I'll have to review our beginnings - those sweet, innocent days when all we knew about was George's wreck, overtime pay for salaried employees and Charlotte charging plane tickets and meals for George on Parish credit cards. Little did we anticipate what horror would ensue and how quickly and totally Charlotte Randolph's Administration would implode.

Wow, and its already February 14. Campaign finance reports should be available any day now. We'll, of course, keep you abreast on that front.

Council Makes Counter Offer In DA BAGS Negotiations

The Lafourche Parish Council voted 5-3 to offer $1.2 million to settle the US Flood Control portable levee bill, a purported debt which the Randolph Administration kept secret from the Council for ten months, at tonight's meeting. A first vote to offer $1.8 million failed 4-4. The original invoices totalled $5.3 million. The Council's offer was a counter offer to U.S. Floods' proposal to settle the matter for 2/3 of the original amount. Last Fall, the Council requested a Federal investigation of the deal.

Apparently, by its vote tonight, the majority of the Council is not interested in getting answers to the questions you have. They just want to get this thing out of the way, even if it means you are stuck with the bill if the Feds come in and say we should not have paid the claim.

Now if US Flood accepts the offer, how much does Charlotte Randolph owe Lafourche Parish, that is in addition to the $40,000 we paid for George's accident? Is anybody keeping a running total?

Feds? Martians? Communists? Pornographers? The ghost of Al Capone or Jimmy Hoffa? Closeted homosexual Republicans? Will somebody help us? Some of us in Lafourche Parish still believe in responsibility, accountability, honesty and integrity.

"What does it avail a man
To gain a fortune and lose his soul?"

Jim Messina borrowing from Jesus Christ - Mark 8:36 (King James Version)

Mardi Gras in DC

Here's the Baton Rouge Advocate's story. Did ya'll make the ball at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, Charorge?

Wanted: Any pictures of Charorge partying, any time, anywhere.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know

The Versailles Parade rolls in Larose today. Will Charorge make it back in time from their Washington, DC Mardi Gras debauchery to show the face to thousands of their constitutents and potential voters?

This is your chance, humble readers, to act as contributing correspondents from the field. I can't cover the entire parade. I'll be covering the north side of LCO. Let me know if ya'll see them and where?

9:51 P.M. update: Surprise, Surprise, Surprise, Sgt. Carter! One of our readers reports seeing Charorge at the intersection of Hwy. 1 and the road that connects it with Hwy. 3235 in Larose, you know, where Larry Picciola's office used to be. They must have taken a very early flight from DC. The reader reports seeing the Charlotte component of Charorge launch herself onto the King's float like some lunatic and hand the King something. Are Charorge going to be process servers after their career in politics is officially over Dec. 31? Are they delivering pizza on the side? What up this strange behavior? Why weren't they sitting at the reviewing stand acting like big shots?

A Shout-Out To Our Readers From China

Thank you, my Chinese friends for checking-out our blog. But, definitely, DO NOT try this at home. We can ridicule and lampoon our government here. It is one of the freedoms that has made the USA great. However, what I do here, will get you sent to prison there. Don't do it!

And if you are reading this blog to improve your English, don't do that either. Although I can write English fairly well, I intentionally make errors or violate grammatical rules for affect and tone and to reflect my individual style, personality and ethnic heritage. In written English, you should not use contractions or replace THs with Ds or use words like cuz, @#%$, or vulgar language. Also, spell-check!

Ya'll Come Back Now, Hear?!

If Everybody Get's It, Who Wants It?

Every month Charorge gives out four Parish employee of the Month certificates. In the hazy world in which Charorge exists, I guess that is a worthwhile motivational tool - it recognizes Parish employees for a job well done. The problem, Charorge, is that if you're giving out 48 of these certificates a year, they aren't really that motivational cuz almost every Parish employee will get one, if you complete your term in office. It is not really that meaningful or motivational. It becomes a joke - on you.

If it was a once per year thing, sort of like the Oscars or the Grammys, then it would mean something.

Don't Charorge remind you of the kid who was always off key in your high school choir or band? There are so many things these people just don't get!

Council To Consider Cutting Off Bag Negotiations

The agenda for the Tuesday, Feb. 13, Lafourche Parish Council Meeting contains two resolutions relating to DA BAGS, both sponsored by Councilman Mark Atzenhoffer. One is to counter U.S. Floods's settlement offer. The amount of the Council's counter-offer is blank.

The second resolution asks the DA to cut off all negotiations.

Also on the agenda, Charlotte will give her State of the Parish report. Wonder what she'll take undue credit for doing?

Let's see what happens.

More More Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

Go here. It's the Louisiana Associated General Contractors web site. Try to to access the Driving Louisiana Forward blog. Sorry, can't do it unless you are a member of Louisiana Associated General Contractors. See what I'm talking about. The road construction industry will try to get the Legislature to pass additional taxes for road construction so that they, the construction industry, can finally get their cut of your money, which was supposed to come from the Highway Trust Fund, which has instead been diverted to paying DOTD salaries and for the fancy floral noise barriers on I10 in Metairie. Driving Louisiana Forward is their front organization organized to "educate" you the Public. Unlike Charorge, these people know what they are doing and have millions to do it with. Google "Driving Louisiana Forward" and see for yourself. Many Louisiana newspapers have published their propaganda, either through letters to the editor, as in the case of the Daily Comet, or by publishing their news release as a news story.

You can do something to protect your wallet or purse. Call your State Senator and House member. Tell them no new road taxes. Use the Highway Trust Fund for roads, not salaries and fancy floral noise barriers in Metairie.

Just another outing of a sham brought to you free of charge by The Public's Right To Know and Google's subsidiary, Blogspot. Yes, Charorge, it's FREE.

WWWHHHEEERRRREEE'S CHARLOTTE!?!?

Yesterday, the State of Louisiana announced its plan for protecting coastal Louisiana from the threat of hurricanes. The plan provides for Category 5 levee protection no lower than the Intracoastal Waterway. Effectively, this plan writes off property which constitutes 65% of the tax base in Lafourche Parish. Did Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph attend the committee meeting? Oh no. She couldn't be troubled by such trivialities. She was enroute to the Washington, D.C. Mardi Gras festivities, on your nickel.

Considering the thousands of dollars she has spent traveling to our nation's capitol during her term, exactly what did we get for the expense? Lafourche Parish's tax base is gone.

Where is Nero? We need a fiddler. The 10th Ward is in flames.

Plug: Check Out TheCaneTruck

I want to give a plug, for what it's worth, to Westley Annis' TheCaneTruck, a new blog in Lafourche Parish. Westley is an emigre from St. Bernard Parish and he writes in a very thoughtful manner. Welcome, my down in da Parish bro! I hope you have as much fun in Lafourche as I have had at the St. Bernard Civic Center on Judge Perez Drive through my life. My grandfather used to take me to raslin' matches there when I was a kid and I saw Queen open up for Mott the Hoople there, (without my grandfather. He was more into Lawrence Welk.), as well as a few other concerts. Dat place RAWKED!

Ya'll need to bookmark, or make a favorite of, his blog.

More Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

Ya'll need to get ready. A campaign is on to take more money out of your pockets by the State for roads. The big contracting companies have already created a front organization to "educate" the Public. The Highway Trust Fund generates enough money to take care of our needs. (Hell, they put up those fancy floral-design noise barriers along I10 in Metairie, didn't they?) The problem is that money is being used by the State for purposes other than laying blacktop or concrete or using the money to get matching Federal money. Read this article. That's right, alot of it is being used for salaries and retirement for the engineers who study things to death. Remember when one of their proposals for extending Hwy. 3235 to Hwy. 90 was by using the Grand Bois highway and then through Houma to get us to Hwy. 90? The law of mathematics that says the shortest line between two points is a straight one is apparently a foreign concept to DOTD.

I say, use what you got for what you got it for. If there isn't enough money in DOTD's general fund to pay salaries for all those engineers with nothing better to do on a daily basis than hitting this blog, then don't hire anymore.

Tell Loulan and Reggie to rededicate the Trust Fund solely for building or repairing roads, not for salaries.

First Arrest Made Relating To DA BAGS Case

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office confirmed today that Toby Champagne, a central figure in DA BAGS case, has been issued citations in a BAG related matter. Saturday, Mr. Champagne was cited for 2 counts of trespassing and 1 count of criminal damage to property relating to his unauthorized "storage" of U.S. Flood Control portable levees on private property. Sources tell TPRTK that the charges arose when Mr. Champagne allegedly attempted to remove DA BAGS from the property and damaged no trespassing signs. The landowner whose complaint lead to the citations would not comment to TPRTK on the matter at the advice of her attorney.

Could this be the beginning of the Public finally getting the real story behind the ongoing BAG mystery? Will law enforcement see this as a break in the case and take advantage of the opportunity? Feds? State? Could ya'll give us a hand here?

More details will be forthcoming on this story as they become available.

Why We Shouldn't Settle DA BAG Case

It is evident from the hit count and comments this blog has received since Saturday and the posts on the Comet forum, as well as the talk on the street, that the Public has too many questions that remain unanswered, or unsatisfactorily answered, about the Parish's rental of the portable levees from U.S. Flood Control after Hurricane Rita.

Parish President Charlotte Randolph wants to desperately get the matter off the board no matter the cost. Whereas, the Council has tried to negotiate a better deal, with the assistance of DA Cam Morvant, and has asked for a Federal investigation of the entire matter.

TPRTK has taken the position that all negotiations should cease pending the outcome of the Federal investigation.

Here are some of the reasons why:
1. Unless we know how many bags were used, how can we know how many we owe rent on?
2. Why was a $5.3 million debt kept secret by the Randolph Administration for 10 months?
3. Why hasn't anyone from the Randolph Administration given the same answer twice on any issue in this controversy?
4. Why were the bags left in the field for 30 days?
5. Why was the particular location, in one of the remotest parts of the Parish, chosen to place the bags?
6. Why did U.S. Flood submit an invoice for 30 days rental 3 days after they were supposed to have gone into use?
7. Why did the invoice charge for two days before the Randolph Administration stated the bags were deployed?
8. Why did an employee or contractor of U.S. Flood complete the Parish's FEMA reimbursement request?
9. What did Parish Administrator Cullen Curole mean when he wrote the phrase "FEMA pricing" in a memo? Do vendors inflate the prices if there is a chance FEMA will pay the bill?
10. Why did the Randolph Administration begin to deploy the bags when photographs and water gauges show the water in Bayou L'eau Bleu had begun to recede?
11. Did anybody get a kickback or was anyone promised a kickback contingent on delivery of payment of the FEMA money?
12. What did Charlotte know and when did she know it?
13. Has anyone associated with the Randolph Administration communicated with U.S. Flood Pres. Paul Vickers or his attorney outside the negotiation sessions, since they have begun?
14. How did Vicker's attorney know the councilman from the district where the bags were deployed was not at the negotiation meeting where he asked the question, if there was no back channel communications between the Randolph Administration, or someone closely associated with it, and U.S. Flood Control or one of its agents?
15. Why did the Parish keep a running count for the sandbags used by the Public after Rita, but not for the number of Bags the Parish used?
16. How many times did Charlotte Randolph meet Vickers before Katrina? Didn't she think to ask how much those things cost during those meetings, you know, like before it was an emergency situation? (We know about the St. Charles Parish and Grand Isle meetings, Charlotte.)
17. Were the Bags ever stored on Parish property before or after the 30 days we were charged for their use? If so, have we submitted a bill for rental use of our property? If not, why not?
18. Isn't the only way we will get all these questions answered, and others the Public has, is through litigation or federal investigation?

I say, let's see what the Feds do before we fork over any money to U.S. Flood.

What do you say Daily Comet?

DA BAGS Trespassing?

One of our readers called me this morning and gave me a heads-up on the location of the used BAGS complete with pictures. DA BAGS in the pictures are located on private property near the forty arpent canal to the west of the old bowling alley in Galliano. The reader claims DA BAGS were placed there by Toby Champagne of U.S. Flood without permission of the landowner. The reader stated to me that DA BAGS have been there since around November of last year. Can you say trespass, Mr. Vickers? Let's see, what is the rental value of property in that area? About $5 million per acre per month?

Note the yellow straps on some of DA BAGS indicating they have been used. ARE THESE DA BAGS?!?!

Was it an unintended stroke of genius that our photographer captured "Danger" in the upper left of this first picture?

Meanwhile, informed sources tell TPRTK that the George Randolph component of Charorge has made frantic phone calls to, and has had meetings with, some Councilmen within the last several days telling them that DA BAGS must be paid for. Earth to George! Earth to George! It's over! You have no more leverage! Ya'll have lost the Council. Whatever credibility ya'll may have had is gone. I would be thinking about getting a job about now outside Lafourche Parish, George. DA BAGS may have made ya'll unemployable here. Who would want to give work to someone who may be under Federal investigation?