Lt. Governor wants to spend $15 million of BP's money on New Orleans tourism

[bernmurd]

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/bp_grant_to_state_will_be_used.html

Why isn't this money being spent helping the many shrimpers/fishermen who have lost incomes or used defending the marshes. Shouldn't that be the focus of this money? I don't claim to know the answers, but spending $15 million for tourists to piss and vomit on Bourbon St. ain't it.

bern

:mad::mad::mad:

[Surfmonkey]

I hate the "entitlement" mentality...N.O. is entitled to ZERO...they have not been held accountable for what they got after Katrina, why would you give the ignorants more to be held unaccountable for.
They should be giving it to the people that "DIRECTLY" make their living from the coastal waters, i.e. launch owners, charter boat owners, seafood processors, seafood fishermen, etc.
They got to stop it someplace...

Show last 5 years tax returns and you get 50% of that. If you did most of your work for cash, tough shish kabob...MAN, YOU GOTTA DRAW THE LINE SOMEPLACE...

[Speckled_Tiger]

Don't get me wrong New Orleans is important to Louisiana but New Olreans is not everything. I had my fill after Gustav and all the headlines said "Louisiana not hurt by hurricane. Little damage to New Orleans." All the while many louisiana families had their homes and lives completely turned upside down by the storm. It's really sad to see so much money being dumped into New Orleans when there are so many on the coast that have and will lose the business and lives their families have worked so hard to build (many of them over several generations).

[bernmurd]

I'm sure that it won't amount to anything, but you can contact the Lt Gov. via the state website here. http://www.crt.state.la.us/ltgovernor/ltgcontact.aspx

[Racechaser]

Well it's for Tourism which is why Lt gov got it.

I want to see fisherman made whole also but BP has already given each of them $5000.00 initial installment. Plus most are working a few days a week in the "vessels of opportunity" program. A 24' charter captain is getting $1000.00 a day to taxi people.

BP has given seafood board 2 million dollars to educate people in America about La seafood being safe.

Tens of Billions of our State GDP comes from Tourism. Seafood Industry is about 2.5-3.0 billion of our GDP. It is only natural tourism gets more because it generates much more as a percent. It was affected too make no mistake. People have canceled trips because the news said you can smell the oil in the air.

Plus you don't know the content of the ads. If people come won't they come to charter fish if the ads say it is open? Won't they eat La seafood in our restaraunts?

It is all very intertwined and we can't deny that a dollar trickles all over when spent here. If the busboy doesn't get tipped because of no tourists he won't buy bait and launch his boat will he?

[LuvDaTigers]

Hold a sec fellas. This money was part of a grant from BP to LA, MS, FL and AL earmarked to counter the negative publicity the oil spill has had on those states tourisim. It is in no way funds that would have otherwise gone to fisherman or other industries impacted by the spill. It was set up just for tourism.
And as I read that article, it doesn't state the full $15 million will go to N.O. tourism. I beleive it stated that it would be split evenly between NO, the coastal parishes and general marketing efforts.