Idiots

One distinguishing characteristic of the post-Katrina period upon which historians will remark for years to come has been the stellar performance and vision provided by the leadership.

Aiming to maximize federal grant money and offer proof of his city's recovery, Mayor Ray Nagin is urging Hurricane Katrina victims still living elsewhere -- and longing to return -- to record New Orleans as their home when the U.S. Census Bureau conducts its decennial head count next spring.

Problem is, that strategy doesn't mesh with census rules, federal officials say.