Friday morning, Governor Blanco called into the last part of Moon Griffon’s statewide radio show and launched into a tirade against U.S. Senator David Vitter. She was very emotional. The governor bolstered her comments by saying: “I’m not playing.” In other words, she’s finally taking off the gloves. She just stopped short of challenging Vitter to meet her by the flagpole after school. To listen to the governor go here.
Given all the problems we face in this Post-Katrina/Rita era, one could hardly blame Governor Blanco for getting upset over the slow pace of the recovery in South LA, the crime wave in the Metro New Orleans area, inaccessible healthcare, un-affordable insurance, the poor performance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and litany of problems faced by all the victims of the devastation. That wasn’t what set her off.
What set off the governor dealt a proposal for turning Interstate 10 and 12 in LA into toll roads. More specifically it was about a dispute between U.S. Senator David Vitter and LA Secretary of Transportation and Development, Johnny Bradberry. Vitter had called into the Griffon’s radio show earlier this morning to dispute statements by Bradberry that Bradberry had briefed Vitter prior to proposing the toll road project.
The facts speak for themselves.
[A] March 7 letter from Bradberry to Wayne Berman of the Federal Highway Administration’s operations office in Washington, D.C., asks for authorization “for converting the I-10/I-12 corridor in Louisiana to a toll facility.” “As you know, the southern portion of Louisiana was recently devastated by two hurricanes,” Bradberry said in the request. “We believe this project is essential to the economic recovery of the state and to better prepare for future events.” Times Picayune, August 11, 2006
Bradberry claims to have “briefed” Vitter on the matter in a June meeting in Washington, approximately 3 months after the letter.
Why Governor Blanco felt it necessary to vociferously defend Bradberry’s actions and her need to, in effect, say that Vitter was lying about not knowing about the toll road proposal is a mystery. Regardless, with all the critical issues facing our state (and with due respect to Bradberry’s statement that the toll roads are essential to our economic recovery), I would prefer the governor to address more pressing issues affecting all of us who, thus far, have managed to survive with our lives, if not our property, the ravages of two hurricanes and the negligence of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Finally, after all that, the governor said she isn’t supporting the toll roads.
What’s it all about?
C.B.
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CB
8:00 am
