Louisiana’s Democrat Attorney General Charlie Foti announced this week, that’s the week of February 26, 2007, that he is going to be holding community meetings throughout the state for citizens who were impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita on possible problems “in dealing with property damage claims and their insurance companies.” (read the AP article here).

Now that’s all well and good, but Hurricane Katrina made landfall at 7am on August 29th, 2005.   Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco declared a State of Emergency on August 26th, 2005. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour declared a State of Emergency on August 27th, 2005.  The Federal Government declared a State of Emergency on August 27th, 2005. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin issued a mandatory evacuation order for the city of New Orleans on August 28^th, 2005.  On September 24^th, 2005 Hurricane Rita made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border. 

Louisiana Attorney General Charlie Foti’s first public meeting addressing problems his state’s citizens may be having with property claims with insurance companies occurs on, because he hasn’t had one yet, March 9^th, 2007.  General Foti seems just a tad late in using his office to protect Louisiana’s consumers.  This isn’t like shutting the barn door after the horse has gotten out – this is like shutting the barn door after the horse has come and gone as it’s pleased for 1 year, 6 months, and 10 days – with all of the other horses!

Could it be that Foti is just getting around to hosting these high–profile, town–hall–style meetings because of all of the tabloid-esque press his fellow Democrat A.G. in Mississippi has gotten these past few weeks?  Maybe Charlie Foti is beginning to realize that, like his colleague in Mississippi, this is an election year, both Louisiana and Mississippi have statewide elections in 2007, and he’s been on the losing end of the Katrina headlines.  What headlines you as? Why check out our first post here – our second post here, and our third post here.