exist outside of N.O.L.A. , oh wait what was I thinking? I just had a flash of the” Kwamster”, ex Mayor of Detroit. Blue cities in mostly blue states. What the heck did we expect?

Who do you think is doing the hiring?

The saddest part is that Nagin is the best that they could do for candidates for Mayor.

I left NOLA back in the 80′s. The only effective politician was Harry Connick. At least he kept the crime down…..

I mean, this is the place where the governor ran for office with the slogan, “Vote for the crook.”

So bottom line is if Bernie Madoff ever got out of jail, Nagins would hire him?
http://winstonscat.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-orleans-mayor-would-hire-bernie.html

YOU are trying to get rid of the crooks. These guys put him in office so he needs to keep them happy.

But seriously, I had the great fortune to be attending a work related conference down there well before Katrina. You have (had?) a lovely city. But one of the things that most amazed me was one of the locals who proudly proclaimed that nobody in New Orleans would ever pay a parking or speeding ticket because the thing to do is get one of your family or family friends to fix it for you. These were all IT people so you have to work on the assumption they aren’t completely stupid. Fighting corruption there is clearly going to be a longer and harder slog than what we face in Iraq or Afghanistan.

BTW: I did thoroughly enjoy my visit to the city, although I suspect that falling into being in the guest speaker’s touring entourage had a lot to do with that. He was an outgoing guy who made you feel like you’d were part of his family. Several nights we were feted by vendors doing the client recruitment thing. I think the most fun I had was at a karakoke bar. I think it was called the Pussykat Lounge. One of these days I do want to gather some of my friends and visit again.

You can’t see a poor black man rise to be a Mayor.

I got arrested down there several years back during Marde Gras for public intoxication (or as the baliff said – public drunk). I don’t know how or why I ended up in getting arrested, but I spent the night dressed in an orange jump suit along with plenty of really nasty criminals, and several other guys like me that were in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up in a paddy wagon (yeah – they’ve got paddy wagons for drunks on every other cross street off of Bourbon). Anyway, the next morning (Sunday) we were chain-ganged together to attend court. When my name was called, I asked the baliff to speak to the judge. The judge obliged and I asked him, in whispered tones, to please drop the charges as I was an active duty Soldier at the time and my chain of command would seriously work me over if they found out about this (my unit checked the NOLA police blodder on a daily basis). After looking me over, the judge told me that if I was willing to write a $300 check, he would drop all charges and shred all documentation. I agreed and a few minutes later, a deputy brought my personal effects to me. Luckily I was carrying several blank checks folded up in my pants pocket (I didn’t have a debit card yet). As I was filling out the check, I asked the deputy who I should make the check out to and the deputy said, “Judge Cash, but don’t write judge on the check.” With that, I wrote “Cash” on the pay-to-the-order-of line, handed the deputy the check, and watched as the judge tore up my ticket. I got changed in a bathroom of the courthouse/jail, walked several blocks back to my car (where a couple of my luckier friends were still sleeping) and we all drove away.

I love NOLA and still go back on occassions like Marde Gras. However, I always take along a law enforcement buddy of mine and plenty of checks (just in case). NOLA is fully of crooks.

besides, if they didn’t award contracts to felons, who else would apply for them?

Everybody down there who has any power is a felon, is awaiting trial, or is an unidicted co-conspirator.

Disclosure: I have close friends who live in NOLA and I have visited the place all my life. My parents had their honeymoon there. It’s a great place to visit. Besides Bourbon street, there’s the WWII museum, the Aquarium, Riverboat gambling, etc…

If Nagin is going to hire or pick Democrats for any post or contract, isn’t it a given that they are going to be crooked? Are there any clean Democrats left in New Orleans city government?