Big boatloads of government waste

Speaking of Todd Tiahrt and cracking down on Katrina waste: The congressman joined a call to investigate the contract between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Carnival Cruise Lines to provide temporary housing to Katrina evacuees. The cost to taxpayers for using the ships for six months is an unbelievable $236 million. It literally would have been cheaper to send the evacuees on a real cruise.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

14 Comments

  1. dr
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 1:04 pm | Permalink

    Its clear they don’t require writers or editors at the eagle to be cabable of addition. And apparently tihart failed to do the math as well.

    The SMALLEST carnival cruise ship has a capacity of 1400 (The Holliday, from carnival.com)

    1400 persons X 6 ships X $1000 for 7 day cruise X 26 weeks = $218 million in lost revenue + maintence costs

    Sonds about right to me….but then again I bothered to do the math….Something you didn’t bother to before you spouted of Phillip

  2. dr
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 1:08 pm | Permalink

    lol….Oh wait I forgot you are a ex-CPA….lol.

    I guess you can do math. So I guess you were just being lazy or dishonest? Which one?

  3. Brian
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 2:03 pm | Permalink

    dr,

    From what I understand the contract was for 3 ships, not 6. The 3 ships would house around 7,100 people. So using your own calculations

    $1,000*26*7,100 = $184,600,000.

    So, you COULD send them all on a cruise for 26 weeks for less money than the contract.

    Maybe you owe Mr. Brownlee an apology. I frankly doubt he’ll get one. What I fully expect is some sort of rant directed atr me. Oh well…you live and learn. At least you live.

  4. Galahad
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 4:01 pm | Permalink

    Right, Brian, and one would assume that costs would be considerably lower since the ships weren’t actually going anywhere (lower fuel costs), entertainment need not be provided (the faux Los Vegas shows), and housekeeping would be minimal since evacuees need less laundry done etc.

  5. Proudman
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 4:02 pm | Permalink

    Actually I doubt anyone here has a good handle on the costs. For ‘refugee’ housing I’m sure a lot of the things you normally get on a cruise are included. For instance no entertainment provided, different food, and the maid service probably won’t come by everyday to change the sheets. The boats are also likely not leaving port as well. All of these add up to reduced costs of operation.

    At any rate, common sense says it must be cheaper to bus everyone to put them up in public housing for a month and tell them to get a job.

  6. Galahad
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 4:03 pm | Permalink

    Isn’t it funny how conservatives like DR have no problem with gov’t shelling out a quarter billion to a big corporation but would scream bloody murder if it actually GAVE the money to evacuees.

    Why, that would be . . . WELFARE!

  7. Proudman
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 4:03 pm | Permalink

    Wow, I really need to proof my posts.

  8. Sum1
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 5:24 pm | Permalink

    How many people could be sequestered for 26 weeks with no access for employment or anything else.

    The idea of isolating that many people is incredibly naive.

    Maybe as naive as adding about 10k trailer homes to a small community without beefing up the infrastructure.

  9. Ray Thomas
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 5:36 pm | Permalink

    A couple of weeks ago, it was headlines…”no cost is too much, we NEED relief, NOW”. So…without the normal time consuming process of bids, contracts, etc., the costs are going to be whatever has to be paid to provide relief NOW.

    Anyone want to step up to the plate and demand the hurricane victims wait it out while the government lets bids and evaluates them?

    Haste makes waste…old saying that is abundantly true in this case.

  10. dr
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 10:02 pm | Permalink

    Brian, you are correct I do indeed apologize to Mr. brownlee….I aparently can’t read because I don’t know whre I got 6 ships.

    Galahad….yeah the company actually did something for the money

  11. Jed
    Posted October 4, 2005 at 11:08 pm | Permalink

    Galahad,We need to take up a collection to send Ian back to Cuba. We sure don’t want him, and I’m sure Fidel could find something to do with him.

  12. Galahad
    Posted October 5, 2005 at 2:40 am | Permalink

    But I get dibs on his sweet butt.

  13. Galahad
    Posted October 5, 2005 at 9:06 am | Permalink

    Heh, you notice how all little sh*t Puny always posts at 2:30 in the morning (local time).

    Posting over other people’s names, yup, fits a pattern of a despicable liar.

  14. Puny - except for the brain and that other thing
    Posted October 5, 2005 at 11:22 am | Permalink

    Galahad is a buzzflash drughead. All pee and no peeer.