Robin Hood in Reverse: The Corporate Looting of the Gulf Coast

By Bill Quigley
Created Nov 14 2006 - 8:14am

Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor. On the Gulf Coast, the
reverse is happening. Federal state and local governments are teaming up
with corporations and developers to systematically steal hurricane relief
funds from the poor to enrich themselves.

Billions of dollars were given to help the communities damaged by Katrina.
The people gave this money to help the working, elderly and disabled people
of the Gulf Coast rebuild and restart their lives after Katrina.

The need is still great. Over three hundred thousand people remain displaced
from the City of New Orleans alone. Hundreds of thousands of others on the
rest of the Gulf Coast are also not home. Over 80,000 families in Louisiana
are living in FEMA trailers. Texas says they have 250,000 displaced people
and Georgia reports another 100,000.

Tragically, money that was supposed to go to those in need is instead being
diverted by federal, state and local politicians and corporations who have
swooped down on these billions and are taking them for other purposes.