Maybe Halliburton should take over Plaquemines Parish

The sheriff of Plaquemines Parish now has an overdraft of $5.5 million, and unless some FEMA money gets to his office by 5 p.m. today, he is laying off all parish employees. That means that 500 Louisiana state troopers will have to come in. The problem with that is that there are not 500 troopers available. Also, any troopers who came into the parish would not be able to do emergency work because they would not know their way around.

One of the rumors circulating is that FEMA is releasing money with great caution because of Louisiana's history of corruption. While it is true that Louisiana has a history of immense corruption, the federal government didn't seem to mind at all when Halliburton "misplaced" $9 billion in Iraq.

But that is just a rumor. Several state officials have talked to FEMA staff members, and have gotten several different stories, but they all end with the same line, "Oh, we're sending the money."