Sen. David Vitter speaks at St. Bernard Parish town hall
by Benjamin Alexander-Bloch - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Generally criticizing President Barack Obama and the Democrat Party establishment and often using the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the health care overhaul as fodder, U.S. Sen. David Vitter this morning fielded questions from St. Bernard Parish residents. Parish President Dave Peralta and newly sworn-in Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann flanked him during the Chalmette town hall meeting's opening prayer and pledge of allegiance. Vitter started off by touting his recent help in a long-term renewal of the federally subsidized National Flood Insurance Program and his work with other local representatives to assure that at least 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines levied against BP will be given to Gulf states for repairing environmental and economic damage from the massive Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010. "Louisiana will get more than any other state, more of that money," Vitter said about the Clean Water Act dollars. "We have been developing a very good solid master plan to deal with the coast for more than a decade. Now the trick is funding that plan, executing that plan."