New Orleans Briefs
by Owen Courrèges · 02/17/2006 8:10 amI know that I’ve been suspiciously absent lately, but it’s just that I’m busier than an ant at a picnic convention (See? I don’t even have the time to think up good comparisons). At any rate, I’d like to offer the following observations regarding the new New Orleans:
- Lee Circle has become the new Shepherd: If you’ve ever been down Shepherd in the morning, you see various gatherings of Mexican day laborers. In New Orleans, Lee Circle — with its magnificent statute of Robert E. Lee staring from the center — is now the equivalent of Shepherd. Dozens upon dozens of day laborers hang out, waiting to be picked up by a contractor to do work on flood-ridden homes. This is what’s really rebuilding New Orleans.
- There are some people who thank Houston. I’ve seen a number of vehicles (all SUVs, actually) with bumper stickers that say "THANKS HOUSTON." I know that I ranted quite a bit about some of the more ungrateful New Orleanians who derided Houston after Katrina, but there are also a great many respectful families who are thankful that Houston opened its doors.
- Metro has sold old buses to New Orleans’s RTA. There I was, blithely riding my motor scooter, when I cocked my head rightwards to see — A METRO BUS! I very nearly wet myself (you know how crazy Metro bus drivers are). Anyway, the word "Metro" was spray painted over with black paint, but the bus was unmistakable. It does appear that New Orleans is supplementing its bus fleet with used buses from Houston, and it hasn’t bothered to repaint them yet. It’s a tad unnerving.
- Mardi Gras rules. The parades begin to roll tomorrow, and unlike with Galveston’s pseudo-celebration, I won’t have to pay to see them. I’ll just have to give up having parking for two weeks.
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Oneth!
Okay, let me be the one to take crap for asking…
About the day laborers, what’s the demographic on those? Illegals? “Legal” Mexicans? Blacks? Whites? Vietnamese?
Just curious as to whether New Orleans is rebuilding itself or if New Orleans is napping in Houston and Atlanta hotel rooms while someone else does the dirty work for them.
I have heard rumors that after NO is rebuilt, Mayor Nagin’s ‘chocolate city’ will be renamed El Nuevo Orleans. . . . LOL
NO wont be a chocolate city, it will be a tequila and chalupa city.ARRRRRRIIIIBBAAA!
Re:the METRO busses that were sent,were they full of Katrina refugees returning home? If they were sent back empty heads should roll.
Re: the “Thanks Houston” bumper stickers; I heard that the sentiment can go 2 ways.
The first way is how you mentioned (a genuine “thank you” for help).
The other way is thanks for taking all of the New Orleans “riff raff” which makes the New, New Orleans, a much safer city.
#2 I read somewhere that most of the day laborers were actually coming from Central America. Go figure.
The day laborers are almost entirely Hispanic — I can’t tell you what nationality though. Probably mostly illegals (although nobody’s complaining).
Actually, I had my roof (well, my landlord’s roof) replaced last week. I got the idea that 90% of the crew didn’t speak English. They did a decent job, though. No leaks.
#8 Owen:
I had a roof replaced several years ago on a rent house by day laborers. I paid them on a Friday with their promise (by the only one that spoke English)that they would return Sat. am and finish picking up the trash, old roofing, etc. and haul it off. I priomised them a little bonus because they did a good job.
You guessed it. They never showed up again! At least the roof didn’t leak.
As I understand it, the big majority of laborers in N.O. are hispanic. I hear also that they earn pretty good money, which begs to ask the question,
Why do we pay people on unemployment when they could earn more by working?
We would not need the foreign laborers if we put our unemployed to work.
KRAUT
#10
Most of the “unemployed” do not want to work. They are second and third generation welfare recipients, who unfortunately think the government owes them a living. From womb to tomb mentality.
well they can go back to NO and take that mentality with them.. This city will not tollerate them much longer…. If you are not willing to make the effort here in Houston you will not be given a hand after a while….
Whatever happened to welfare reform that Clinton signed off on? Seems to me they should be off welfare by now.
Neo…
the thing about that welfare reform was that if you kept having kids you stayed on, as well as several other loopholes that allowed lifers to keep on the roll.
Here is a relatively unbigoted assessment.
http://snipurl.com/moon
Who freakin’ cares what NO does or doesn’t do? I could care less about Mardi Gras! Knock your lights out by showing your t**s! Hope you make a ton of money and throw it at the welfare recipients instead of at the levies! You get what you deserve!