John Kerry Vows to Push SBA on Katrina

[kerrygoddess]

John Kerry Vows to Push SBA on Katrina
May 6th, 2006 @ 12:32 pm

John Kerry was in New Orleans yesterday, he joined Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) on a “Back to Business” tour of New Orleans East, an area with significant damage from Hurricane Katrina (see earlier post here).


Kerry talks with business owner Marianne Lewis and author Doug Brinkley (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports…

Small-business owners struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina told Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry on Friday that their companies are about to go under for want of help from the Small Business Administration, prompting the senator to vow “to raise the roof” when he returns to the U.S. Capitol, where he is the ranking Democrat on a Senate committee devoted to helping small businesses.

In a seven-hour tour guided by U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., Kerry talked with business owners operating amid piles of debris in eastern New Orleans near the Industrial Canal. He visited Our Lady Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church, a center for revitalization in the east, and listened to the testimony of several dozen bankers and small-business owners at a forum at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church.

The day’s common theme: The Small Business Administration is overwhelmed and not nearly flexible enough to deal rapidly with thousands of loan applications from cash-starved businesses, some quickly draining their owners’ personal savings.

“The record is obviously disastrous,” Kerry told small-business owners. “The government ought to be working spontaneously, willfully and effectively for people, not slowly and begrudgingly and reluctantly.

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=2890

[merh]

1. Amen

“The record is obviously disastrous,” Kerry told small-business owners. “The government ought to be working spontaneously, willfully and effectively for people, not slowly and begrudgingly and reluctantly."

Kicked & Recommended

[blm]

7. Yes, and I notice that RW radio even works to begrudge these people the

help they need so badly. They have been getting treated as just another burden.

[AlamoDemoc]

2. What's Doug Brinkley doing there?..is he writing momoir of Kerry?

[blm]

8. Brinkley lives in New Orleans.

He also wrote the 1994 book Tour of Duty.

[karynnj]

9. Already did that

Though in Tour of Duty, he did say that the POW/MIA comittee merited a book in itself.

He teaches at Tulane (sp?) and lives in NO. He just finished a book on NO and Katrina - in one of the Democracy blog pictures (link in op), Kerry is holding a copy of Brinkely's N.O. book).

[diamondsndust]

3. it's great to see Kerry out there....

spending SEVEN HOURS touring the devastation and talking with real people with real issues. Dumbya hasn't spent seven hours total in the devastated areas.

IMPEACH NOW!

[Totally Committed]

4. This is very good news...

I hope he means it and follows through. Very good news, indeed.

TC

[karynnj]

10. Watching CSpan, Kerry has been fighting this since September

along with Olympia Snowe and Landieau. Kerry authored legislation for aid in September - it passed after he agreed to take his name off it (I'm serious it went into the vote as Snowe/Kerry(with Kerry listed as author) - having been Kerry, then Kerry/Landrieau , then Kerry/Snowe and came out as Snowe/Vitter) It passed with over 80 votes, then was stripped out in converence (all Reps there). Then they fought to get it back in etc.

In addition, in the Small Business Community, Kerry was regularly handing the head of the SBA his head because they were doing so little so poorly. I assume facing Kerry was likely the worst part of this guys job.

In addition, Kerry's office coordinated a lot of help from MA companies and communities.

(Not N.O., but Senator Lott thanked John and Teresa for calling soon after the hurricane and flying in a plane load of relief supplies that his staff distributed. The Kerrys had said nothing about doing this and it is known only because Lott spoke about it. )

So, the comment that you hope he means it and follows through, seem needlessly snarky as he (and his staff )has practicly been a third Senator for LA.

[blm]

11. He's been following through since the day it happened. Small Busines Comm

has been pounding BushInc on this at every opportunity. Barreto just resigned, and I know it is no small part to Kerry's hounding him on both 9-11 and Katrina fraud from the WH.

Media rarely makes note of that aspect - but the thousands of small business owners need this attention.

[wisteria]

5. i am happy Kerry is still trying to held the people of NO, even if

most of the media has moved on and certain people want to forget about Katrina and the aftermath.

[_dynamicdems]

6. Most of the media has moved on. They have dedicated more hours

to that one missing girl then to the deplorable conditions these people still have to endure. Sad to say, the Katrina victims will not be newsworthy by our glorious media until another storm threatens the Gulf Coast again.

Thank you Senator Kerry for once again caring for America and for fighting for justice for all Americans. Some of us see and appreciate what you do and we will support your efforts in any way we can.

[jillan]

12. This is the exact reason why I have never stopped fighting for Kerry

He has never stopped fighting for us.

[politicasista]

13. K&R

Thank you Senator Kerry. NOLA must never be forgotten. :patriot: