Washington | FEMA exposed taxpayers to significant waste – and possibly violated federal law – by awarding $3.6 billion worth of Hurricane Katrina contracts to companies with poor credit histories and bad paperwork, investigators say.

“This confirms what we already knew about FEMA — there was a staggering level of incompetence, and the victims of Katrina, as well as taxpayers, are taking it on the chin,” Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who requested the audit, said Monday.From TIME Magazine: (AP news)

The continuous barrage of news like that this makes me want to pack my bags and leave this slimy, corrupt shithole. I know there’s corruption in all areas of government and no matter where we live… but at least other cities function despite the corruption. At least they try to hide it behind functional public transit, clean streets and pretty buildings.

I bet other places, people also don’t have tourists throw up on the wheel of their bike while they’re in A&P, buying an apple.