The second mayoral debate for New Orleans is on and boy, its getting pretty juicy. But in a nutshell, this is how I see it:

Virginia Boulet- Wants Universal Healthcare in New Orleans (wow! she's thinking big!), to diversify the economy away from the tourism industry and more towards technology. Wants city to take the lead to save the wetlands. Wants to bring technology jobs for the educated people who left. Its not leadership to tell everybody to fight over a sliver of the same $3 bil. allocated for rebuilding New Orleans. And something about new blood. I like her.

Rob Coulig- wants a safe city, sell New Orleans-owned properties for city revenue, everybody else sucks and is spineless. Be aggressive!!! Watch out for a property tax hike- the "May Surprise"! Landrieu's plan gives people seven reasons not to come back! Forman has money!

Tom Watson- Wants a realistic budget. Wants small business to be up and running. His plan is to put all the plans together and make one plan. Calls Mitch Landrieu out cause he keeps saying how he's always in Baton Rouge. Watson says something like 'as a state legislator, that's your job'- that was excellent. Nagin was trying not to laugh. Wants a female Chief of Police (likes the ladies), wants the people to come back. Use our ports & build house factories. Represents the "paradigm shift the city needs".

Peggy Wilson- Wants New Orleans to be a tax-free city- doesn't really elaborate. (Federal, state or local tax free? I'm confused.) Wants to rid the city of corruption (duh), wants to sell bonds for city revenue. There's a faster way to dispose of houses! She went to Japan, government money goes to corporations, and never infiltrates the community. Government is not the answer (she's running for a government office, wants to sit back and do nothing), the private sector is the answer.

Ron Forman- (Nice man, head of the Audubon Institute. Likes animals.) Education is most important. Landrieu is picking on the nice old man! Got a lot of government money to fund the Audubon Institute. Coulig is attacking the nice old man! The Audubon Institute made a film about saving the wetlands, worse thing is to raise people's taxes, re-do government top to bottom. Tourism is cool because the kids can see it too. (Bourbon Street and Casino's too?!!)

Mitch Landrieu- he has a plan, its in a neat little booklet. Wants a safe city- rebuild the levees (duh), housing, and emergency preparedness. $4 Billion is in the pipeline to rebuild (for the city? the whole state?). Numbers, more numbers and the rest goes to housing. Its coming when congress votes it through (don't hold your breath). Was at his job in Baton Rouge and the question is how to get there (I-10?). Will say no to gambling. Wants to make New Orleans a Smart City - biomedical research park. Wants economic development, likes himself a lot and the city is on its back.

Ray Nagin- Everyone else isn't looking at reality. Laid people off because the city couldn't afford it. State needs to provide a plan- where's the plan Mitch? You're the "number 2 guy"?
Wants levees, housing, modular homes (huh?), bring back the economy, bring back the people, and bring back the film industry. Moved on from gambling although Mississippi is making billions and billions and dollars from it. Think outside the box (uugghhh!). Says he needs four more years.

Okay, so a bill just passed through the House of Representatives to make illegal immigration a felony and now there are more than a few people pissed off. Problem is illegal immigration is already illegal- hence the name- illegal. But now they want to make it more illegal. Yeah -that'll solve the problem. Meanwhile, it'll be cool to watch the pro-immigrant business republican types battle the anti-immigrant, protect the border- republican types. Are the democrats even going to show up for this one?

Condoleezza Rice meets with muppet and diplomacy adviser, Elmo, for advice about what the U.S. should do about the rising hatred so many muslims feel against the U.S. "Why don't they like us?", she asks. Elmo says, "It has to be because of the letter "W"."
Okay, not really. What really happened is that she went to Indonesia to introduce Sesame Street to Indonesian television. The U.S. is flipping the bill for an amount of $11 million which is very nice and all, but where is our Cat. 5 levee protection? Ugghhh. And one more thing- can you imagine Colin Powell meeting with Elmo? Its is just too weird. Hey, shouldn't she be meeting with the Iranian heads of state so that we could use diplomacy instead of W's favorite method of coercion- 'Shock and Awe'?

Cool map! Even Texas turns blue.

An interesting documentary is coming out called Maxed Out, here are a few clips. Its about debt in America and the Bankruptcy Bill. Voting for the Bankruptcy Bill is the main reason I can't stand Senator Landrieu. She sold out her constituency for campaign contributions from the credit card companies- not that she was alone. Wankers.

Ken Mehlman, the leader of the Republican Party is all 'the Democrats don't have a message, they don't even have a slogan':

WASHINGTON (AP) - The head of the Republican Party, launching a broad indictment of the Democratic Party six months before midterm elections, is expected to charge Friday that the opposition can't find an election-year slogan, let alone agree on a broad agenda.

That's funny. Its almost like a story in The Onion. The republicans are looking bad lately for so many reasons- Abramoff, Delay, port deals, and that's all he can come up with- they don't have a slogan?
I got a slogan for the Democrats in 2006 and 2008- 'Hey, we're not Republicans!' According to the polls, that by itself should be enough to win back the House.

Kurt Vonnegut:

"Jesus used to be so merciful and loving of the poor. But now he’s a Republican."

“We have no Democratic Party. It’s financed by the same millionaires and billionaires as the Republicans. "

“We have people in this country who are richer than whole countries,” he says. “They run everything."

“The only difference between Bush and Hitler,” Vonnegut adds, “is that Hitler was elected.”

“I’m lucky enough to have known a great president, one who really cared about ALL the people, rich and poor. That was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was rich himself, and his class considered him a traitor.

“I’m trying to write a novel about the end of the world. But the world is really ending! It’s becoming more and more uninhabitable because of our addiction to oil.
“Bush used that line recently,” Vonnegut adds. “I should sue him for plagiarism.”

Love him. His books are good too.

Cool! Furry, blonde lobsters!

Yep.

So what does everyone think was lacking from The Department of Homeland Security? That's right! A Faith Based Community Initiatives Center. Here's the order from the good ole boy himself:

(a) The Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) shall establish within the Department of Homeland Security (Department) a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Center).

(b) The Center shall be supervised by a Director appointed by Secretary. The Secretary shall consult with the Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (WHOFBCI Director) prior to making such appointment.

(c) The Department shall provide the Center with appropriate staff, administrative support, and other resources to meet its responsibilities under this order.

(d) The Center shall begin operations no later than 45 days from the date of this order.

This is about securing the homeland! From non-believers? Well at least he can create a few new jobs... for his friends and contributers.