William Jefferson Clinton
55 West 125th Street
New York NY 10027
March 15, 2006
Dear Mr. Clinton:
When I heard that 10,000 (yes, ten thousand) FEMA-purchased new
trailers for the displaced victims of Katrina have been languishing
for weeks in a little used airfield in Hope, Arkansas without being
shipped to the families in desperate need for shelter, my first
reaction was:
“Why that’s Bill Clinton’s home town! Why isn’t he raising the roof
on this bureaucratic nightmare?”
So I ask you, why aren’t you trying to expedite delivery of these
mobile homes (valued at $400 million) out of your home town? It is
not because you are unfamiliar with the back and forth between
federal, state and local jurisdictions over Katrina—induced needs.
You are identified with the Bush-Katrina Fund and have visited the
devastated area. You can cut through the perceived overcome-able
obstacles, like the floodplain policy that has been described as a
snag between the state of Louisiana and Washington, D.C.
Hope, Arkansas, as you well know, is a town with a population around
10,000. Often you used the name of your home town as the metaphor for
your 1992 Presidential campaign. “The man from Hope.” Well, I am sure
that many Katrina displaced families now homeless, or huddling with
friends or relatives or in shacks wish that you would give them some
hope. They were certainly encouraged in that regard by your many
expressions of hope and support post-Katrina.
Let’s say that the situation in your home town, where some say the
trailers in the mud are deteriorating, is a special responsibility of
yours.
Along with many other Americans, I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Ralph Nader
P.O. Box 19312
Washington, D.C. 20036
