New Orleans isn't the only American venue with problems.

Obama declares the fiscal situation (deficit and the debt) are untenable. He seems to be supporting a tax hike for any earnings above $250k, but many Americans would prefer to see a spending cut. Both may be necessary as the debt approaches 100% of the GDP. Neither may be possible given our legislative process. Congress has not scheduled any action on the tax hikes scheduled for 2011. And these are just tweaks, real tax reform like the Fair Tax seems impossible.

We still haven't spent our way out of the economic mess according to Keynesian economics but we are trying. The dollar sinks a bit lower as we spend more money we don't have. Most of the TARP bailout funds have or will be repaid as the banks find taking federal money even more toxic than sub-prime mortgages.

The war in Iraq is over (?) but Afghanistan is not and plenty more opportunities for war are at hand. The defense budget remains untouchable. Efforts to promote Mideast peace could have calmed things down, but are inexplicably undermined by renewed Israeli building on the West bank. Unemployment is staggering along, officially under 10% but many have dropped out and others are underemployed. 42 million Americans are now on food stamps.

Hey the Sandinista's and Daniel Ortega are even back in control of Nicaragua and working on a common currency with Cuba and Venezuela. They want to call it the SUCRE, sucker!

As one pundit put it "I blame Obama for Bush's mess."  Seems fair!

In the meantime Paulette Irons, somehow now city court division M judge (remember when she ran for Mayor against Nagin), voids the traffic cams in Orleans based on the city's charter. She is stayed on appeals. Then upheld when the appeals court rules against the city but the cameras continue to operate. The city will have difficulty replacing the $15M the cameras produce.

The Jefferson School Board is replaced after disappointing test results upset the voters.

No one wants to pay to test seafood. The government says its safe, but they have gotten everything wrong so far (drilling safety, MMS regulation, spill flow rate, remaining oil in Gulf, moratorium) so why believe them on this topic. We can just wait until people get sick and try to figure it out then. Those toxic Chinese crayfish are looking better every day.

Oh and by the way the Saints are winning! Everyone in New Orleans is following this story and has detailed knowledge.

Les Miles Tigers are undefeated by a whisker (at least for now) but as Les can assure you winning isn't everything.