Wishful thinking

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 4 - A day after two police suicides and the abrupt resignations or desertions of up to 200 police officers, defiant city officials on Sunday began offering five-day vacations - and even trips to Las Vegas - to the police, firefighters and city emergency workers and their families.. . .

Mr. Nagin, who has been demanding more federal assistance for days as his city struggled with despair, death and flooding, said he had asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for the trips but the agency said it could not. He said the city, therefore, would pay the costs. -- New York Times

With what I wondered.

I don't have a problem with the five days off. Not one bit. It's the right thing to do. Those five days should be made available to all personnel who stayed on the job. They need the time to get themselves and their families settled before going back to work. Or maybe just sit somewhere and cry.

But picking up the tab for a family trips to Las Vegas?

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 13 . . . [Nagin] conceded that the city's financial problems were enormous. "The city is out of cash," he said. "We do not have the cash to make the payroll coming up."

Mr. Nagin said that city officials were trying hard to secure a line of credit. Many contractors who are helping the city clean up are working under the assumption that the city will get money to pay them. -- New York Times

I wonder where the contractors think "the city will get the money to pay them"?

I sure hope the Feds check the bills we taxpayers in the rest of the US of A end up with, to make sure they don't include any trips to Las Vegas.