Speaking from confirmable knowledge about the way things actually are in the US.

For many years, the Federal government put money into the levy system for New Orleans. It was SUPPOSED to go to building better levies, and to maintain the levies that were in place. It never went there. We are talking billions of dollars over the years.

Each year, a certain mayor of New Orleans would ask for Fed funding for N.O. that would not be approved. The only fund available to be readily accessed was the levy funds so it got robbed and the levy system suffered.

Once Katrina hit, everyone complained and the Feds was stuck paying out even more since the money they had put into the system over the years was misused on a lot of pork, government corruption and secial interests. We all know where the money was spent and we know who benefitted.

Many companies allocate money to go into maintaining their pipelines but the money always finds other needs more important.

I own a farm in a rural area of central Louisiana but do not live there. In 1972, the 9 miles of road that runs past my farm, as well as others, had the money allocated that would blacktop the road. Now some 38 yrs later, the road is still dirt, filled with potholes and washed out in places. Yet on the state maps and by state dept of transportation, the road is blacktop and in great shape. I have discussed this with Senators, Representatives and one Governor. They all show me the maps saying the road was blacktopped and maintained annually each year. I flew over the area and videotaped the road for them. It showed the dirt road well and they then told me it was not the road where my farm is located. Where the money actually went is unknown. Where the money is going to maintain it is unknown.

The home in which I live is in an upperscale subdivision. The problem is there is a drainage ditch behind my house that overflows with a good rain. Several homes have gotten water in them and these are quarter million dollar homes. I went to the town government. They do not have to clean the ditch, even though it poses health hazards and is a breeding dround for snakes. The town must have 3200 homes before they have to keep the ditch up. I went to the Parish and had every one of the engineers and commission members to my house to look for themselves. They said the ditch has not been touched since 1932. They said the ditch would not be touched in the next 50 yrs either but the money has been allocated to keep flooding down. The money has been spent over the years paying commissioners and supervisors six figure incomes. They pull the money from project funds and put it in the salary budgets.

A crew came out last week to trim trees over the street because limbs were hitting school busses but we do not have school busses on this road. There was one man operating the bucket truck cutting tree limbs. Another man was operating the front end loader to put the debris into a dump truck. Another man was driving the dump truck. So we had three men working. We also had five men driving pickup trucks, with the engines running to keep their air conditioning running as they sat watching for over four hours. The drivers were being paid as political favors, they have no real duties at any time but get paid twice a month.

We have a bridge in Louisiana named for a former Governor. Only problem is it was built 1/4 mile from where the road was on one side. They then had to buy the land to redirect the four lane highway to make the roadway meet the bridge. The land and added construction costs billions but the land they bought the original road was across land belonging to a high level politician and then had to make a road that costs more to make it meet the bridge.

Just saying.