The Post-Katrina Reconstruction: The Grant Administration Revisited?

In light of the enormous sum pledged by the federal government for the reconstruction of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, it is worth cautioning the bureaucrats who will dole out this vast amount of (borrowed) cash to be alert for fraud and abuse. Chastised by the media for their lackluster post-Katrina reponses, federal officials, in their diffident state, might be tempted to eschew the usual checks and balances in the upcoming distribution of reconstruciton funds. Already, there are rumblings of fraud and abuse in the $2,000-per-family debit card scheme.

Let me urge them to examine the mismanagement and outright graft of the Grant Administration officials who oversaw Reconstruction in the aftermath of the bloody Civil War. Beware of patronage jobs and dubious projects. Insist on measurable outcome and the use of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). And along with the Army Corps of Engineers, send in the corps of GAO auditors for good measure.

Nevertheless, two hundred BILLION dollars (that's 200 times ten to the 9th power!) is a lot of money for any bureaucracy to effectively oversee. I urge members of the Fourth Estate to be equally vigilant and hold public officials accountable for the use of public funds.