In my pocket . . . not one penny
And my friends I haven’t any
Nobody knows you when you’re down and out

At the very same time that permission has been cleared for demolition of public housing units in New Orleans—at the same time the U.S. is burning through about $12 billion per month in Iraq—FEMA is planning to close the trailer parks in which displaced New Orleanians have been warehoused for the past 28 months.

Susan Saulny reports for the New York Times about the displaced residents camping out in front of City Hall, and in the linked video, we hear people explain that the rents have doubled—as have the number of homeless—since Katrina. There are now 12,000 (at least) who have no roof over their heads. A FEMA spokeswoman says, “We’re with them every step of the way.” Is FEMA with the man who has a job cleaning up after Superdome events but has to live in a tent across from City Hall? Will the president and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson explain to them the principles of compassionate conservatism and the ownership society?

Here are some numbers to call to press for help:

FEMA : 1-800-621-FEMA
HANO (Housing Authority of New Orleans) : 504-670-3300
Housing and Urban Development, WDC : 202-708-1112
HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson
Mayor C. Ray Nagin : 504-658-4000
Senator Mary L. Landrieu : 202-224-5824
Senator David Vitter : 202-224-4623