[StBernard] EDITORIAL: Road trip to N.O.? What's the harm?

[Westley Annis]

Periodically, the press office will share editorials about Governor Blanco's
work in various areas.

EDITORIAL: Road trip to N.O.? What's the harm? 
Legislative tour of devastation could educate, provide little PR for state. 

By: The Shreveport Times
Published: Saturday, February 4, 2006

Do lawmakers have to see the misery of hurricane devastation in order to
work toward recovery? No, but seeing can't help but lead to better
understanding.

So whether a repeat trip or a first-time visit, what's the harm of tagging
along with the governor on a Legislature field trip to New Orleans as a kick
off to a 12-day special session?
Presumably many legislators have seen the damaged areas, though presumably
some have not. Or maybe many haven't seen New Orleans recently, or have only
seen the French Quarter but little of the outlying areas.

And then there is the mode of travel. Louisianans who have viewed battered
south Louisiana from both the air and ground note that a flyover doesn't
drive home the devastation like a street-level tour does.

Regardless of all that, a fresh image seared into a lawmaker's mind might
help steel them for the work ahead in the next two weeks as well as the
upcoming regular session.

Lawmakers would lose very little time off the clock, though they would have
to arrive earlier than usual to get those preliminary bill readings in
before setting off for New Orleans.

But even if it's also about public relations, a photo op, is that so bad? A
well-placed photo from New Orleans in the nation's newspapers could help
remind the country, as President Bush failed to do Tuesday in his State of
the Union message, that much remains to be done in south Louisiana. It could
also call national attention to the session's reformist agenda to overhaul a
fragmented, ripe-for-abuse government system in Orleans Parish and to
consolidate the patchwork of southeast Louisiana levee boards that are
charged with flood protection.

For those legislators fretting about any political boon that might spin to
the governor as she attempts to rehabilitate her image for a re-election bid
in 2007, well, there are certainly plenty of counter-images and sound bites
for any challenger to exploit.

To borrow a football analogy on the eve of the Super Bowl, sometimes
everybody on offense doesn't agree with the play the head coach calls. But
they still run it for the good of the team. Maybe you'll score. Maybe you'll
set up the next play. So go ahead. Give up that Monday night steak in Baton
Rouge and take the bus ride. And for those who think they've seen enough,
just don't go.

CThe Times
February 4, 2006

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The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation
Louisiana's Fund for Louisiana's People
www.louisianahelp.org