Waste and Ineffiency in Rebuilding New Orleans

Thousands of Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers are being shipped to New Orleans, yet most people do not have a place to live.

I commute from Baton Rouge to New Orleans daily, and on any given day I pass dozens of FEMA trailers being hauled in, one by one, via pickup trucks. Some come by rail. I see them coming in, but I don't know where they go.

Most puzzling are the trailers that have been delivered. Most remain unoccupied on a resident's property because there is no electricity. This is not because Hurricane Katrina ravaged the electrical grid; it is because the utility pole is not connected to the trailer. A trailer without electricity is about as useful as no trailer at all.

For each trailer delivered, scores of people seem to be involved -- contractors, subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, etc. One person drives the trailer to a site, and another backs the trailer into its space. A different crew unhooks the trailer, and still another places it on blocks and levels it. I see separate crews arriving to inspect the trailer, install the plumbing, provide temporary electrical service and hook the temporary electrical service to the utility pole.

While we debate what it will cost to help New Orleans rebuild, we also should debate how we can cut inefficiencies from the government's efforts. Each day, as I walk through neighborhoods speaking to the few residents I can find, I realize one thing: The money being spent by Washington is not helping the citizens of New Orleans get back on their feet. Instead, it seems to be helping contractors grow fat on pork.

JOHNNY ADRIANI

New Orleans

The writer is a candidate for mayor.