A Little Taste

I regularly look at www.townhall.com in order to keep up with the thinking on the other side of the political aisle. Today, I found something that paraphrases the mentality that has run our country for the last 8 years, much better than a thousand entries from me:

Two years after Katrina, everywhere you turn, there are people carping, whining, and kvetching. Just why hasn't the pity party for the citizens of New Orleans run out of booze and chips yet?

... we're all supposed to eternally sit around and weep tiny little tears of sadness for the people who really took it on the chin in a hurricane because they chose to live in a city shaped like a soup bowl on the coast. Let me tell all the citizens of New Orleans something that should have been told to them 18 months ago: it's time to stop playing the sympathy card and get over it.

Nobody is owed a living for the rest of his life because he had a bad break two years ago.... How sad and pathetic is it that these shiftless people are still leaching off their fellow citizens?

... Guess what, buddy? You're right; nobody does "give a s*** about New Orleans" any more other than a few saints and a lot of manipulative Democrats looking for a political issue they can exploit. That's the nature of life. [emphasis added]

We have it all here. The retaining walls of the conservative ideology: 1) we are not responsible for each other 2) those who seek public assistance are "shiftless" and "lazy," 3) those who advocate for others are just being "manipulative" and 4" life is short,, brutal and unfair. There is nothing we can do it about it so get used to it. Ask yourslef how many different times you have heard these themes in different contexts.

This Week in the News

This week, (ok last week) Republican candidates for President gathered at a forum sponsored by the National Rifle Association. Each took a different root to pledging his support for gun owner rights. Fred Thompson opined on all the famous people with whom he had shot things, including Charlton Heston. Rudy Giulani tried to escape his image as an anti gun Mayor by talking up the importance of guns in anti terrorism efforts and then publicly taking a deliberately syrupy phone call from his wife . Mitt Romney did not appear, but we all know about his past shooting "small varmints." Asked about the success of the forum, the NRA's Wayne LaPierre stated, " We have one fake tough guy and two guys who either don't care about guns or don't much like them. One of those guys seems to like to dress up like a woman a lot and the other is a little blow dried. Overall, the testosterone index here was well below past GOP fields."

This week, the WSJ reports that Delphi corporation asked a Bankruptcy Court for permission to pay out some $37.6 million dollars in performance bonuses to its executives. Previously, Delphi had used its status as a bankrupt company to lower the wages and benefits of its hourly workforce and renegotiate its contract with the UAW. Asked if the company was not taking a contradictory position a Delphi spokesman said, " No not really. I mean, executives feeding at the trough is an American tradition. See, you have to understand that executive compensation is like a good dog. It stays with you in good times or bad. It loves you whether you are performing well or poorly. Its attachment is unconditional. We are talking Lassie here. How you gonna take Lassie away?"

This week, questions about the personal lives of the candidates from both major parties filled the news and blogsphere. Whether it is Rudi's fruity phone call with Judi, Hillary's complicated relationship with Bill, the Edwards' cancer, or Mitt Romneys' Eisenhower era wife, American voters are enchanted by the marital relations of their leaders. Ever curious (or just bored), TWN reached out to MaryAnn Paulsen of St. Cloud,MN to find out the scoop. According to MaryAnn, " I can amuse myself for hours thinking about whether Giuliani is a good father, whether Hillary should have left Bill, or whether John Edwards needs to give up his campaign to spend time with his wife. War and healthcare leave me flat, but I have surprisingly strong opinions on other people's personal lives. "

This week, the State of Michigan remains mired in a $1 billion budget deficit that threatens to shut down state government unless state Democrats and Republicans can agree on a new and balanced budget. At present, the state's governor and its Democratic House are proposing a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. The state's Republican Senate is insisting on $1 billion in cuts to education, healthcare, infrastructure and social services with no tax increases. Said Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, "We stand by our supply side principles. Raising taxes will kill economic growth. In fact, the state needs a tax cut to spur investment. " Bishop then went on to display his collection of vintage Milton Friedmann buttons, Laffer Curve posters, and "Kemp in '92" T-shirts. "You know,"commented Bishop in a puzzled tone, "you really can't find this stuff anymore..."

This week, Sen Fred Thompson took to the road for a series of fundraisers and campaign appearances. Within the space of ten days, Thompson publicly admitted that he did not have an opinion about 1) what to do with Osama Bin Laden, 2) how to reform social security, 3) the merits or lack of merit to a national catastrophe insurance fund , 4) the Terri Schiavo case, 5) the Jena Six and 6) a recent court ruling that the Tennessee death penalty was unconstitutional.* Asked why the Senator did not even have the saavy of someone who reads the newspaper, a campaign aide disclosed that Thomposn spent much of the month at "Camp Ronnie" in California. There, Thompson practiced his sunny optimism, stern and resolute sense of right and wrong, and sundry fake cowboy skills all while studiously avoiding any analysis of the news. "We decided to keep it light." said the aide.

*Credit Tim Grieve for collecting these quotes.

Quote of the Week:

"We can win [the war] without much destruction. We're planning for a post-Saddam Iraq and believe there is a strong base to build a better future. Iraq has a good bureaucracy and relatively robust civil society." (President George W. Bush to Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar in February, 2003. During the same conversation, Bush threatened to withhold U.N Millenium aid funds to those countries opposing his invasion.)

Wow II

Hillary Clinton was recently interviewed by FOX News' Chris Wallace. He asked her why she and her husband have such a "partisan view" of American politics. WOW. I would like to say "hello Pot...," but the idea that the Clintons are somehow liberal partisans is a myth. I would hardly call President Clinton's reign liberal. The man practically invented the term "triangulation." FOX on the otherhand is unabashed in its ideological commitments.

I guess they think that if you stay it with a straight face, someone will buy it.

Wow

Reporter Bill Sammon has President Bush predicting Clinton will win the Democratic primary. He also has a "Senior White House Aide" saying Obama is too "intellectually lazy" to be the President. Apparently the Aide played it straight when he said it.

A Show of Faithiness

I see that John McCain has declared himself a Baptist. Leaving his Episcopalian past -- and its pantina of Northeastern liberalism -- behind. All while campaigning in the South. I am sure that is just a coincidence.

A War Without End

Last week the Senate tried to pass three different measures aimed at drawing down our troops in Iraq. All got the support of a majority, but never the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster or the inevitable Presidential veto. In a news conference, the President basically said he was putting the war on an autopilot by the name of Petraeus and leaving the end game to his succesor.

So now we are left with a war that neither a majority of the American people, nor a majority in Congress support, but we are unable to stop it because of a deluded President and a small group of Senators who are either equally deluded or cannot see the forest through the trees and are insisting on "their bill" or no bill. Somehow, I do not think this is what the Framers intended.

The invasion of Iraq was wrong and so were those Americans who supported it passively or actively. This cannot be said enough and no amount of "but we thoughts" and "9/11s" will change that fact. The price for our mistake is being paid in blood. What is worse is that this war seems to be running in its own continuous loop, like the machines come to life in a sci fi novel. At some point, this issue may initiate the engagement of the American people. Probably after the new season of "Dancing with the Stars."

A War Without End

This Week in the News

This week, establishment paragon Allan Greenspan published his memoirs detailing his work as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank under multiple Presidents. Greenspan has faced some criticism for his statement in the book that the Iraq War is 'largely about oil." Such a statement from a prominent Republican stunned many Americans who assumed the war was about weapons of mass destruction, deposing Saddam Hussein, bringing democracy to Iraq or some combination of the three. In the wake of the book's publication, 911 call centers throughout the US have been overwhelmed by citizens reporting stolen innocence.


This week, the Catholic Church announced that it is "going green," by installing solar panels in the Vatican and buying carbon offsets in Central Europe. According to a Vatican spokesman, the Vatican will be carbon neutral within the decade and the Church hopes to set an example for it followers throughout the world. Asked about the probable impact of the Church's environmental message on its US flock (which burns more carbon than any European country), Cardinal Guido "Hangdog" Redwood stated, "Well, in the 1980s we told them to stop killing people in Central America and they did not stop. In 2002 we told them it was immoral to invade Iraq and that had no effect. So, right now.... I think it is safe to buy coal stocks."

This week President Bush continued his long battle against children seeking medical insurance. In a press conference, the President once again threatened to veto a bipartisan bill that would extend medical coverage to millions of children under the federal SCHIP program. The President accused the bill's supporters of trying to "federalize healthcare." (real quote). Off the record, the President continued, "Its been like the damn Childrens Crusade, all these little ankle biters whining about the vaccinations, and their measles and their asthma.... "

“The attitude of the [Catholic] church was scandalously close to the dictatorship” that killed more than 15,000 Argentines and tortured tens of thousands more, “to such an extent that I would say it was of a sinful degree.” Thus testified Fr. Reuben Capitaino, in the trial of Fr. Christian von Wernich, a priest accused of conspiring with Argentina's government to kill thousands of leftists during Argentina's "Dirty War." (1976-1983) According to witnesses, Fr. von Wernich was present during the torture of leftists and provided material assistance to the Argentinian police all while pretending to assist Catholics searching for lost relatives. Fr. von Wernich offers as his defense the church's often ignored 11th Commandment, "Thou shalt not questions the prerogatives of those in power." According to von Wernich, "We talk a good game, but most of the time, 11 trumps 1-10."

This week, the Iraqi government concluded that employees of Blackwater, a mercenary firm hired by the US to provide security in Iraq, killed eight civilians without provocation. While the US has yet to complete its own investigation, the incident has spotlighted the role mercenary firms play in the Iraq conflict, particularly as it appears that Blackwater is immune from prosecution in both Iraq and the US. Asked whether it was sound policy to employ mercenary armies beyond the reach of civilian law and the Uniform Code of Military Conduct, Secretary of State Condelezza Rice stated, "Did you see that ad by MoveOn.Org.? Wasn't that offensive? People should get really upset about that. I mean the nerve of that group..."

Fred Wraps Himself Up in the Red, White And Blue

Yesterday, or maybe the day before, Fred Thompson said, “you look back over our history, and it doesn’t take you long to realize that our people have shed more blood for other people’s liberty than any other combination of nations in the history of the world.”

This sounds like something from a Kiwanis Club Essay Contest. I like how Fred just seamlessly assumes that ou military engagements are somehow altruistically minded. There are perhaps a number of Vietnamese, Cambodians, Nicaraguans, El Salvadorians,Mexicans, and Iraqis who would beg to differ, but Fred is more of a "Big Picture" kind of guy.

I am sure, however, that somewhere there is someone who heard this and said, "you tell 'em Fred..." While you may be tempted to get angry with that person, I always remember what Kurt Vonnegut said, "Now that's innocence..."

Even An Old Quarterback Can Sling the Leather

"We sound like we don't want immigration; we sound like we don't want black people to vote for us. What are we going to do -- meet in a country club in the suburbs one day?" (former GOP VP candidate Jack kemp on the sorry state of his Party). Uh, Jack... isn't that pretty much where you meet now?

Ahh Gitmo....

This afternoon the Senate will debate a bill that will restore the right of habeaus corpus to enemy combatants. In other words, those jailed in the war on terror (capitals not deserving) can challenge the lawfulness of their detention in a court. Democrats are for it Republicans largely against it and the President has threatened to veto it.

Yesterday Sen Chris Dodd gave a speech on the floor in which he reminded the chamber that after WWII there was broad consensus that the German officers held at Nuremberg should be summarily executed. Churchill and Stalin took that view. It was the Americans who insisted that civility and the rule of law prevail because it was important to demonstrate that America was different than its foes. That we had not fought a war simply to adopt the mentality of the fascists

Opponents of the bill will likely hide behind paens to security. The same tripe they used to justify Guantanamo? Remember Gitmo? The place supposedly held the most hardened anti- US militants. The "worst of the worst." Well, over half of them have been released and the Pentagon's own tribunals have found that only 8% of them were actually associated with the Taliban or Al Queda.

The fearmongers had their fun at Gitmo and they made a hash of it. Maybe the adults should come back now.

Quote of the Day

"I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil," (Ex Fed Chairman, Allan Greenspan in is new book)

Random Thoughts

I see where some pundits are quite incensed that dear old Sally Field would dare say the words "goddamn war" during the Emmys. Thankfully she was bleeped or one could only imagine the moral corruption that would ensue. There is a kind of deck chairs/Titanic analogy here. We have this ugly, bloody, immoral war going on for six years and Christians are worried about the goddamns? Is it just me, or is that some really screwed up priorities, is that just not even noticing the forest through the trees?

This Week in the News

This week, two inmates, a Christian and a Jew, at a federal prison in upstate New York filed a lawsuit alleging their religious freedom was abridged by a new Department of Corrections policy that prevents prison chaplains from stocking books that are not on an approved list of 150 texts. The result has been the wholesale gutting of popular Christian, Jewish and Muslim works from prison chapels. The Department of Corrections contends that their policy, "The Standardized Chapel Library Project", is aimed at decreasing prisoners' access to materials that may inspire radical beliefs. Asked if that position was not at odds with the Administration's belief in faith based solutions, a DOC spokeswoman Tali Ban noted, "Listen this government is all about religion. As long as it is a lot like our religion and not the type of religion that would make anyone angry with us." After exiting the briefing room, Ms. Ban returned moments later and sheepishly said, Oh... I almost forgot ... 9/11. We are supposed to mention that at every press briefing. "

This week, President Bush took to the airwaves to sell his continuing surge to the American people. Although General Patreus and Ambassador Crocker that few of the benchmarks sent by the Administration had been met, the President asked for the continued indulgence of the American people in exchange for a token troop reduction. Asked how he can continue his occupation with a straight face, Mr. Bush immediately consulted his "Book of Tough Talk, Resolute Sayings and Sentimental Nostalgia. " Questioned as to efficacy of that particular text, the President responded, 'Are you kidding this stuff works like a charm. 'Specially with those Greatest Generation types..."

This week, Osama Bid Laden released yet another videotape of himself preaching venom. The tape served as an unfortunate reminder that six years after the fact, the perpetrator of 9/11 remains at large, and his organization is resurgent. TWN's sources indicate that the videotape has caused some consternation within the West Wing, According to one anonymous source, "we [the adminstration' are kind of in pickle. On the one hand we like to drag out Osama to scare the bejesus out of people. On the other hand we don't like to remind people that we are all bottled up in Iraq while the real enemey is running around the Pakistani border, apparently with a portable dialysis machine in tow. We are having a brainstorming session this week with the title, Osama: Blackeye or Useful Icon?"

Did We Say That

Thanks to Tim Grieve at Salon for catching this one. ("When you ask 'em how much should we give.... they only answer more and more.)

White House press secretary Tony Snow, May 10, 2007: "Keep in mind, benchmarks ... are not new. The president talked about them in [the] State of the Union. We talked about them in Amman in November. Secretary Rice put a list of 17 together in a letter to Sen. Levin. So you do need to have metrics."

White House press secretary Tony Snow, Sept. 12, 2007: "No, benchmarks were something that Congress wanted to use as a metric. And we're going to produce a report. But the fact is that the situation is bigger and more complex, and you need to look at the whole picture."

So when your benchmarks aren't met, deny they were your benchmarks.

A Response to Bob Herbert

I just read Bob Herbert's column in today's NYT. he argues that no state should ever legalize prostitution, as some states are considering, because even legal prostitution is nothing more than the sexual degradation of women. Bob is a big hearted guy with whom I often agree. Not this time.

I get the picture that Bob views the inherent act of paying for sex to be degrading. Maybe so, but there are people on both sides of the transaction who would disagree, and there are many prostitutes who would point out folks who do a lot more degrading things for less money. Moreover, whether you like it or not, sex is often linked to the exchange of consideration in a variety of contexts. Prostitution just makes it explicit.

Much of the article is simply a catalogue of prostitution's ills: the usorious pimps, the brutish johns, the element of coercion, the presence of drugs. At one point, Bob states that even prostitutes at legal brothels must respond to their client's call at any time, even late at night. Ummm... Bob... there are some other people who do that same thing ... they are called everybody.

The bottom line to me appears to be that you can outlaw prostitution all you want and it will not go away or even shrink in any measurable degree. And with the status quo all the miseries Herbert describes will remain. The best we could hope for is a legal regime in which we ensure that no one underage is involved in the trade, no one is forced into the trade against their will, that all involved have some legal protections, and that the women in the oldest profession do not have to rely on pimps to provide legal protection in return for the lion's share of the fee.

Bob, capitalism insures that people will do things they find boring, distasteful, or even disgusting for money. There really is no way of getting around that. The best you can do is minimize what economists call the negative externalites.

9/11

Today is the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center which took 3,000 American lives.

Today is also the 34th anniversary of September 11, 1973. On that day an American sponsored coup deposed Chile's elected President, Salvador Allende. Worried that socialism was spreading in Latin America, the US sponsored a military coup led by General August Pinochet. Allende took his own life and Pinochet went on to lead Chile through a period of brutal dictatorship in which tens of thousands of Chileans were killed by the military and many more imprisoned. Mass graves are still being uncovered. Chileans refer to Pinochet's rule, quietly backed by the US, as the "Lost Generation."

I wonder if we can really understand 9/11/01 without understanding 9/11/73

Petraeus Will Betray Us

Today, General William Petraeus and US Ambassador Crocker will take to the Hill and try to convince Congress to continue Mr. Bush's endless war in Iraq. While this is billed as a candid assessment of our progress in that country, the White House has been working earnestly to position General Petraeus as optimistic about our progress. Optimistic despite the fact that the General Accounting Office and the National Intelligence Estimate both have said little progress has been made. Optimistic despite the fact that the last CBS/BBC poll says that 78% of Iraqi's believe conditions in the country have gotten worse since the surge began. Optimistic even though violence has increased everywhere we have not surged. (Oddly, the GAO has said it "cannot get comfortable" with how Gen Petraeus presents his casualty numbers. But then again, those casualties tend to be someone else or someone else's children.) Optimistic even though General Patraeus' own letter to our troops admitted that "things have not gone as we had hoped," with political progress in Iraq. Optimistic even though the AP reports August has been the bloodiest month of the year in Iraq.

Does this sound familiar? We were optimistic that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Optimistic despite the information provided the CIA by Iraq's Foreign Minister. Optimistic despite the reports of the UN Weapons Inspector. Optimistic despite the reports of our own weapons inspector. Optimistic despite the counsel of our own Secretary of State. Optimistic even when the government's chief Iraq guru, Stephen Clarke, told the President there were no such weapons.

The pundits over the weekend and this morning all assured us that General Petraeus is a "straight shooter," and I suspect that his optimism will be enough for our invertebrate Congress to allow the bloodshed to continue. And he will be optimistic. Gen. Patraeus has already seen what happens to generals who are not optimistic. The President has already scheduled an address right after the Petraeus report and the Democrats are already figuring out how far they will bend over to get some compromise. The deal is done. This is not a Progress Report, it is kabuki theater.

General Petraeus will give us just enough. Just enough to believe there is a chance to save face. And that is all we will require. A man in uniform telling us we can be victorious. Some guy with a square jaw and a good feeling. That will be good enough for us. If General Petraeus can convince us that our efforts are being marginally successful in some quarter of Iraq, I have no doubt that this will be enough to keep us going. Because here in America, it appears that you do not need to make a very convincing case to instigate violence against another country.

You just have to be optimistic.

This Week In The News

This week the White House Office of Drug Policy issued its annual report on drug use in America. Use of recreational drugs remained steady, with 9.8% of American reporting they used an illegal narcotic in the last month. About 15 million Americans reported using marijuana, while 8 million Americans used other drugs. The survey showed a statistically significant increase in the use of of hullicinogens like LSD and Ecstasy. The ODP concluded the report by saying they will begin a push to alert Americans about the dangers of hallucinogens... as soon as they find some.

This week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a pessimistic report on US progress in Iraq. According to the report, while violence has decreased around Iraq's capital city it has flared up elsewhere in the country with increased attacks among rival militias in the South and attacks on previously ignored sects in the North. The GAO's report comes on the heels of a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that also suggests states that violence is increasing. This month, General David Petraeus is expected to deliver a progress report to Congress. According to White House sources, that report will be largely written by V.P. Dick Cheney and large portions have already be drafted. TWN was able to procure the first pages of the Report, it begins, "Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste...."

This week, the President travelled to Australia where he reiterated his position tha the US would not agree to cut its carbon emissions unless China did as well. According to the President it would be unfair to allow China to pollute while making the US cut back on its carbon emissions. In other news, the President announced that he will not go to bed at 9:30 as long as Dick Cheney is allowed to stay up until 10:00. The President further noted that if China told him to jump off a bridge he just might do it.

This week, Senator/Actor/Lobbyist Fred Thompson announced that he is in fact running for President. In early speeches, Thompson indicated that he hopes to assume the mantle of Ronald Reagan and thus win the allegiance of true conservatives. In the tradition of Reagan, Thompson announced that he will promise to shrink government while actually ballooning its size, preach fiscal restraint while building a record budget deficit, talk about family values after leaving the mother of his children for another woman, and fund foreign terrorists while denying that you are funding foreign terrorists. Thompson also promised to do all these things in a plain- spoken-dewy-eyed-fake-cowboy-type of way that makes people feel swell. In a streak of maverick independence, however, Thompson would not commit on the issue of Bryl Creme.

Sen Craig's Wide Stance

This weekend, Republican Senator Larry Craig resigned after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and invasion of privacy in a Minneapolis men's room. Rumours of Craig's man on man encounters have persisted for years. If these rumours are true, Sen Craig has been leading a double life, and that is certainly a sad thing. No man should ever be forced to deny an integral part of his identity simply because of societal bigotry. The anxiety, depression, and self loathing that Sen Craig experienced behind the closet door is deserving of compassion.

But this is not some run of the mill case of hypocrisy. Sen Craig did not simply say one thing and do another. Sen Craig and his cohort did all they could to keep the closet door nailed shut and too make sure that gay Americans were never truly and fully free. They used "family values" as their calling card and trucked out homosexuality as their favorite wedge issue come election time. Karl Rove boasted that gay marriage was an effective tool in turning blue districts red and at every turn Republican candidates parted on about the dangers of gay soldiers in the showers and gay parents on the sidelines. (Remember all the gay marriage proposals Republicans put on the state ballots in 2000?)They used bigotry to their advantage both to define themselves and bring their voters to the polls. They divided America against itself and we are all less for that effort.

So in the end ... could not happen to a nicer guy.

This Week In the News

This week, the Republican Senator from Idaho, Larry Craig, admitted that he pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct and invasion of privacy stemming from his encounter with a Minneapolis police officer in the mens room of the Minneapolis airport. Craig, who is also the subject of an investigative report by the Idaho Statesman that he has had sex with numerous men in restrooms, will now face a Senate ethics panel at the urging of his fellow Republicans. He has also stepped down from his leadership role in Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. At a news conference, Craig denied that he is gay and said that "it is a vicious rumor started by a bunch of men I had sex with."


This week, the Census bureau reported that poverty in America decreased for the first time in six years....by.3%. Other news was not so rosy: the median household income last year was still about $1,000 less than in 2000; in 2006, 36.5 million Americans were living in poverty — 5 million more than in 2000; The median income of working-age households remained more than 2 percent lower than in 2001. The President cheerfully reported that his tax cuts were working.


This week, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez resigned his post. While pundits and the Administration have all opined as to the reason, TWN was able to get the scoop from Fredo himself. After first denying any knowledge of his resignation, then denying he played any role in his decision to resign, Gonzalez finally confessed, "I need to satisfy my jones for work in the non profit sector. I am going to serves as the Chairman of ABBA, or the American Boot Boys Association. It is a group intended for all those, like myself, whose lasting mark on this society is their selfless fealty and loyalty to their superiors even when such loyalty defies reason. Let's face it, every administration, whether in business or in politics needs men who value a proximity to power more than integrity. It is what make the world go 'round." Asked about the groups activities, Gonzalez stated, "We run workshops on basic groveling and flattery, but also have high level seminars on taking the heat for your man, creating an echo chamber in the office, how to say only what he wants to hear with a shred of credibility. The first two are one dayers, but the seminars generally go over a week. They include lunch with powerful people that you can be close to. "

This week, we marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. While publications from Time to Salon have noted the slow pace of re-development -- only about $4 billion of the $16 billion allocated to Katrina recovery has been spent -- there are some bright spots. Take Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Two hundred miles inland, Tuscaloosa suffered only heavy rains and scattered wind damage during Katrina, none the less, developers are making new luxury condominiums near the University of Alabama with an attractive feature: up to half the cost of the condo can be deducted using a tax credit contained in the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act ("GoZone"). As New Orleans struggles to rebuild among formaldehyde infested trailers, and a rental assistance program one federal court has called "Kafkaesque," some question whether the federal government needs to pick up the tab for luxury condos. Pressed for comment Alabama's Republican Senator Richard Shelby, who sits on the Appropriations Committee that created the credit -- commented, "Few realized how badly the luxury infrastructure of our inland city was hurting. Welfare -- its not just for the poor anymore."