Not carefreee this Mardi Gras ...

    Here’s a Mardi Gras story:  St. Bernard County, downstream from New Orleans, has begun issuing fines to property owners who aren’t maintaining their property, including things such as not mowing their grass or otherwise neglecting the land.  The proposal is aimed largely at absentee owners who aren’t attending to a clean-up, and the fines can be forgiven if work is done.  But is still seems like an awfully broad mandate.

   Meanwhile, the stories from New Orleans include tales of people who are fed up with the slowness of promised government funds, the inefficient government, and frayed relations with neighbors.  All in all, the level of hope seems to be significantly lower than it was at last year’s Mardi Gras.