THE BIG 1.

Part III

FAST FORWARD:

February 2006:

Mayors New Office:

Well Mr. Mayor, how’s New Orleans shapen up?

Pretty good so far but we still have an awful lot of counting to do.

What are you counting? The poor folks returning to Norleans?

(Bleep) no. This is the bucks that keep rollin in from the Feds and all those donations from all over the place.

Are you keeping track of where it’s going and how your dispersing the money?

It’s not easy in "The Big Easy". My Benz hasn’t been delivered yet and they haven’t quite finished building my house. Most of the councilmen keep bugging me for swimming pools at their new places and their miffed because I only ordered Hummers for them. You just can’t satisfy these people, even with doubling everybodys pay.

How bout the poor folks?

Poor folks? No more. Carters got his Habitat bull(bleep) happenin down here. Putin up houses all over the place for nothin. Besides that, once they get their cut from all these class action suits, they’ll literally be livin on easy street.

Never thought of that. How bout jobs?

Jobs? No previous evacuee is required to work, no matter how many jobs are here, it’s the law. Their getting together at Town Hall meetings with Smith Barney, Merrill Lynch and the like to talk about investing in the new Casinos being built and maybe taking a few franchises.

Sounds pretty good. How about cars. Do they get cars?

Absolutely. Anyone that didn’t have a car to evacuate got one, just in case.

What’s the biggest problem facing the city right now?

Parking.