the chocolate city

The glaring failure of quasi-socialism in New Orleans over the past 20 years wasn't clear enough apparently, as Ray Nagin resists the advantages of the free market and insists on set-asides, race-based quotas, and affirmative action to rebuild the chocolate city in his own racist image...

By MICHELLE ROBERTS
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New Orleans' mayor signed an order Monday requiring that large businesses use as many local and minority-owned firms as possible when they seek millions of dollars in tax incentives and grants for Hurricane Katrina recovery.
Mayor Ray Nagin's executive order requires applicants for the incentives to involve 50 percent local businesses and 35 percent women- or minority-controlled businesses whenever possible.
A similar requirement has been in place for government contracts, but the mayor's order expands it to businesses applying for assistance promised by various federally funded recovery programs that are administered by the city and the state.

Sure Ray, don't let the business whose bid is the lowest get the job, guarantee tax-payer money to your minority friends who may bid millions higher than other white-owned businesses. Why shouldn't the minority businesses be efficient as well? Efficiency is the cornerstone of competitiveness in business. What he's saying is that if you can claim some sort of minority status, you don't have to be the low bidder in order to get the job. We will award it to you because of the color of your skin or the presence of a bra.

"We just want to make sure we don't go back to a city of haves and have-nots," Nagin said at a news conference. "This is imperative, not only for us but for our kids and grandkids."

Haves and have-nots? Ray Nagin and the democrats were in complete control of that entire city top to bottom for years leading up to Katrina. If there were any have-nots, and the local government can control that outcome as he now claims, whose fault was that?

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, many local firms complained that the main beneficiaries of large government contracts for emergency cleanup and recovery were out-of-state businesses and workers.

That's because the locals were used to being given no-bid business from Nagin because they were black and probably wanted more money for the work. The workers that came to NO to clean up were Mexicans. Say what you want about immigration, that's another matter, but Mexicans flatout work! Hard work was something most NO residents were unused to. They were unwilling to save themselves from a category 5 hurricane, why should they be willing to clean up after themselves?

It is encouraging that the businesses in NO are getting back on their feet in spite of Ray Nagin's insistence on minority preferences for his voting base. Capitalism and the pursuit of profit always trump preferences and quotas.