Has anybody seen the boom?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

“Where are the cranes?”

If I had a nickel – heck, a penny – for every time I heard somebody say that since Katrina, my pockets would be a lot heavier. In the nearly two years since Katrina, it’s become a worn, cliché statement.

I heard the comment again Wednesday, this time from New Orleans developer Angelo Farrell, who is redeveloping the old Cosmopolitan hotel property on Royal Street.

“The skyline should be filled with tower cranes after the storm,” he said.

This talk of cranes makes me think of the “boom.” You know: that period of frenzied development following Katrina.

What ever happened to the boom? Did it happen? Is it happening? If not, when will it happen?

We asked this question on our CityBusiness poll a few weeks ago. I was surprised when about 6 percent said they already see signs of the boom.

Perhaps they are right and the boom is here. But it’s a boom without cranes on the skyline, that’s for sure.

Who sliced my cheese?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

As a middle-class citizen, I like it when companies cut costs and save me money.

But, lately, I’ve felt these cuts are reducing the overall quality of products. And I don’t like it.

For example, every week I buy gallons of water for my family. I have a habit of leaving one gallon in the car in case of an emergency.

The brand I buy uses a snap-on cap, a cheaper, flimsier and less secure alternative to a screw-on cap.

One day, while making a big u-turn, an opened gallon on the floorboard tipped over. The flimsy cap popped off, and water chugged out onto the floor, seeping into the carpet. I yelped, reached over and righted the gallon – not exactly safe driving, but I had no choice.

If the company used screw-on caps, which are thicker and probably more expensive to produce, my trauma would have been prevented. What’s the point of having a cap that doesn’t stay on?

But the problem doesn’t end with water.

There’s a fast food sandwich shop I frequent for lunch. Customers are asked if they want cheese on their sandwiches. I usually say yes, even though the cheese is so thin, I can’t taste it on the sandwich. It really is a waste of calories. So, what’s the point of offering the cheese?

It’s easy to understand the reason behind the paper-thin cheese and the unreliable caps on the gallons of water: In the fierce competition for customers, everyone is cutting costs – and quality.

I don’t know about others, but I’m willing to pay a few cents more for a sturdier cap and some thicker cheese.

They say we can reopen Charity, but should we?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

We can’t help ourselves because we would actually hurt ourselves.

That seems to be the argument of officials who don’t want to reopen the first three floors of Charity Hospital, even though New Orleans is facing a post-Katrina mental-health care crisis.

Former Charity doctor James Moises, who reportedly spent a month helping a team of nearly 200 doctors, nurses and military personnel clean and decontaminate the first three floors of Charity, says the hospital could be reopened in mere months.

“The mental health crisis goes away tomorrow if you open the first three floors,” Moises said in a CityBusiness story this week. “We can get emergency services, specialty clinic services and psychiatric services up and running.”

But, Moises says, officials with Louisiana State University System, which has authority over the state’s Charity Hospital system, don’t want the downtown hospital reopened for fear that it would jeopardize federal funding needed to build a new $1.2-billion teaching hospital.

The new hospital – backed by Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco – would replace flood-damaged and shuttered Charity.

State officials are being cautious, concerned about the impact reopening portions of the damaged charity would have on funding for the new hospital. Take the comments of Jerry Jones, director of the Louisiana Office of Facility Planning and Control, who said: “We’re trying to show and convince FEMA this damage was done by the storm. And if we go in there and start occupying the facility, FEMA may say, ‘You’re OK,’ and that there’s no need for all these repairs.”

The state’s concern is legitimate.

But, at the end of the day, the harsh reality is that people in the New Orleans area are going without psychiatric services while we wait for funding for a new Charity that will take years to build.

So, what’s the best move?

Reopen Charity, provide much-needed mental health services and possibly help the city’s crime crisis and prevent murders? Of course, that route means taking the gamble of losing federal funds for the new hospital.

Or should we keep Charity closed in order to boost the chances of winning funding for a brand new, state-of-the-art teaching hospital?

It’s a question with life-or-death implications.

Does Mayor Nagin want to be Mayor Nagin?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Mayor Nagin isn’t enjoying his job these days, according to comments recently reported by the media.

In a Wednesday interview, Nagin declined to say whether he would stick out the rest of his term, according to the Associated Press. However, Nagin said he was focused on the job of being mayor, the AP reported.

In a July 12 story by the AP, Nagin, during a July 7 meeting on housing, reportedly used terms like “thankless work” to describe his job. Nagin also said he said he was “getting worn out” but still plans to push ahead, the AP reported.

So, what are Nagin’s plans? What’s he thinking?

He was re-elected only last year. Yet, based on recent fundraising, it is clear he is considering his next move

For example, on July 11 Nagin was in Kansas City, Mo., raising funds for his unknown political future. According to the Kansas City Star, Nagin said the main purpose of his trip was to thank Walton Construction Co., Black & Veatch and other firms for services they provided after Katrina. Then, that evening, he attended a fundraiser.

The political landscape presents some interesting possibilities for Nagin to ponder.

There’s the Louisiana governor’s race this fall. There’s the seat of Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, who will face re-election next year. Then there is the post of Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, who is ensnarled in controversy following news that his name is linked to the “D.C. Madam.”

If Nagin resigns as mayor to pursue another post, he has to consider this: His core support likely resides in New Orleans, and those votes would be crucial in an election, especially if he makes a run for governor.

But would New Orleanians vote for Nagin if he abandoned his job as mayor and ran for another office? Would they view Nagin as an opportunist who is putting his political career ahead of the people who re-elected him?

Regardless of which career path Nagin takes, his recent comments, if true, are troubling. No one in post-K New Orleans needs to hear the mayor say he is “getting worn out.” After all, no one forced him to seek re-election.

Customer complaints don’t always fall on deaf ears

By Mark Singletary, Publisher

Sometimes you have to give the devil his due, or Northwest Airlines.

I wrote an opinion piece for CityBusiness last week about a bad day on an airplane. In the column, I wondered what the airline might do to shore up their customer service.

I have an answer – theirs, as a matter of fact. It came to me in a letter, a real letter, delivered by the post office.

“Mr. Singletary,” they said, “we want to take this opportunity to apologize for the delay of Flight NW0859 on July 8, 2007.”

In the letter they went on to explain that they understand that travelers expect value. They added that the best value is a complicated mix of safety, on-time operations, courteous efficient service and a wide range of destination options.

They further explained that sometimes they compromise some of their goals to achieve safe flight.

Anyway, to make things better for me and my fellow traveler, they added 2,500 miles in my frequent flyer account.

Nice move, Northwest Airlines.

Thank you very much.

Customer service still means so much to customers.

Racial disharmony alive and well post-K

By Richard A. Webster, Staff Writer

Everything in New Orleans tends to fall along racial lines, and the uproar surrounding New Orleans District Attorney Eddie Jordan is no different.

At Wednesday’s City Council Criminal Justice Committee meeting, called by Councilman James Carter to address Jordan’s recent dismissal of two high-profile homicide cases, the largely African-American audience stood firmly behind the embattled DA and bristled as three white Council members aggressively questioned him.

“The community is outraged,” Councilman Arnie Fielkow said to Jordan about his performance.

“No, we’re not!” someone shouted from the crowd.

“We got your back Jordan!” another said.

While Fielkow described Jordan’s recent dismissals as “unacceptable” and “unfathomable,” the crowd shot back.

“Y’all want that old racist Harry Connick back!”

“They’re tryin’ to enslave us!”

With each accusation and pointed question aimed at Jordan, unrest in the audience increased. An elderly African-American woman seated behind me called Councilwoman Shelley Midura the “lynch lady” and the “leader of the KKK.”

It wasn’t only white elected officials who found themselves in the crosshairs. Two African-American politicians, state Reps. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, and J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, approached the podium and started off in the crowd’s favor by saying Jordan couldn’t be blamed for the crime of New Orleans.

The audience cheered them on, prompting Richmond to say, “You may not want to applaud when you hear what I have to say next.”

Richmond and Morrell called Jordan to the mat for failing to file audits for 2005 and 2006 and said they had severe reservations about his performance. When they returned to their seats, an elderly woman admonished them like children: “Y’all need to learn your history and read up on what they done to us. This new generation is ignorant.”

The crowd’s opinion of the hearing was apparent — it was an attempt by white politicians to scapegoat and bring down an elected African-American official. No matter how far the Council went to illustrate how Jordan’s alleged mismanagement of the DA’s office was negatively affecting the low-income African-American communities — those hardest hit by violent crime — the audience supported Jordan and accused the Council of wanting to go back to the days of “ol’ racist Harry Connick.”

The meeting drove home the racial divide that separates New Orleans. And the anger and resentment is not one-sided. A new batch of bumper stickers can be found plastered to light poles and stop signs throughout the city and Jefferson Parish. The messages: “David Duke for Mayor,” “Wake Up White People,” “Thank You Houston” and the ubiquitous Confederate flag.

During the mayoral election, someone wrote “Nagin Coon Town” on a lamppost on Tchoupitoulas Avenue. The racist graffiti was clearly visible at a nearby bus stop where small African-American children often wait.

And how are people of color to feel when Jefferson Parish institutes an ordinance aimed directly at eliminating Hispanic-operated taco trucks?

Just log onto one of the neighborhood chat rooms on Nola.com and the racial hatred seeps through like poison.

Lance Hill, executive director of the Southern Institute for Education and Research at Tulane University, said distrust between African-Americans and whites in New Orleans is at an all-time high. African-Americans accuse the local, state and federal governments of doing everything in their power to rid the city of low-income minorities. Whites, meanwhile, lay the blame for all of the societal ills of New Orleans squarely on the shoulders of the African-American population.

“There’s a profound racial distrust and resentment and hatred that has shaped the life of the city the last couple of years,” Hill said. “Conventional wisdom is people who went through hell are more sensitive to others, but the fact is they aren’t more sensitive. Often times they are downright indifferent to the suffering of other people.”

Hill’s theory played out in the City Council chambers Wednesday, perfectly illustrating the idea that at times it seems like the only thing the whites and African-Americans of New Orleans share is a distrust of each other.

N.O. business owners boiling over water fees

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

New Orleans businesses are not the biggest fans of the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board these days.

The S&WB wants to raise its rates for the first time in 23 years and plans to use the increased revenue for operations, not to make Katrina-related repairs, S&WB officials said.

Here’s why many businesses are upset: The increases, which the City Council might vote on in August, would affect only customers who use more than 3,000 gallons a month. Businesses argue that most residential customers use less water than 3,000 gallons a month, although S&WB Executive Director Marcia St. Martin said the average residential user uses 5,200 gallons a month.

Businesses are also disgruntled because, according to a S&WB consultant report, residential customers represent 91 percent of all customer accounts. So, 9 percent of S&WB customers would have to shoulder the increased rates, which should be distributed among more customers, businesses say.

You can’t argue that the S&WB, which maintains a busted, crumbling, aging system prone to leaks before Katrina, doesn’t need more funding.

But there’s no doubt businesses will have to cough up more as a result of the rate increases, which would be phased in over five years.

Among the worried is Helen LeBourgeois, president of New Orleans-based linen service TLC Services Inc., who uses 1.4 million gallons of water a month. LeBourgeois said the higher rates would mean her water bill would rise by 80 percent by the end of the five years.

You can’t help but feel bad for businesses, many of which are already suffering in post-Katrina New Orleans. Every day seems to bring another blow. If it’s not bad enough that leisure tourists haven’t returned and property insurance is skyrocketing, now the S&WB wants to raise rates.

Customers of New Orleans businesses, including restaurants, can expect the increases to trickle down to their tabs, because some businesses will surely have to pass the costs on.

That Lucky Dog you like so much might get a little pricier, unless it is boiled in cheaper water from another parish.

Vitter stonewall won’t hold

By Terry O’ Connor, Editor

With Sen. David Vitter’s skeleton being outed from his closet this past week, the Republican from Metairie was supposed to flesh out the sordid tales with a few details.

He hasn’t.

As long as Vitter acts as if the seamy activity of a steamy past is no longer relevant in the present, he will only engage the attention of the press, his political opposition and the constituency he was voted in to serve under the family values banner. It would still be pertinent to know:

— How many times did Vitter engage in illegal conduct?

— Did his illegal conduct such as engaging the services of a prostitute occur while on the Senate floor?

— Why did he, his campaign and his family conspire to cover this up from his constituency? Were any bribes or payoffs ever necessary to keep this quiet for so long?

— Would he ever have admitted to adulterous improprieties without being forced to by sleaze merchant Larry Flynt?

— Voters swallowed his family values campaign when he was making a mockery of it and us. How can we now believe he’s since been reborn into a pillar of family values? Fool us once, etc.

There are more questions but this would have been a good start. For Vitter to say he’s not going to answer “endless questions” from the media is an insult to all the constituents he’s wronged. He hasn’t answered any questions. He’s just made cryptic statements and vague apologies.

Vitter’s disappointments lately extend to his job performance where he’s been AWOL during crucial congressional votes.

How many employers would tell an employee accused of committing a crime to take a vacation? How many employers would allow an employee not to answer questions about such alleged indiscretions?

Would your boss allow it?

As an employer of David Vitter, the voters who elected him not only have the right to expect more, we have the obligation to demand more.

As for the senator’s wife and family, we understand this is a trying time. But it’s not the press, it’s not the voters and it’s not Vitter’s political enemies who created this scenario. It was Vitter himself all by himself.

Vitter continues to claim he takes full responsibility for his sins yet he refuses to answer any questions about them. That’s evading responsibility, not shouldering it.

Vitter does not have to be relieved of his office nor should he necessarily be removed for these alleged and proven improprieties. But he does have to answer for them. To all of us.

We’re not in Kansas City, so why is Nagin?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Ben Wren, the late Loyola University New Orleans professor who taught a popular Zen course, had a saying: “Do what you are doing.”

The phrase might be interpreted differently by different people. I took it to simply mean do what you are supposed to be doing, when you are supposed to be doing it.

I thought of Ben Wren and his expression after hearing that Mayor C. Ray Nagin was in Kansas City, Mo., this week, apparently raising funds for his unknown political future.

There’s nothing wrong with Nagin, a lame duck, thinking about his next move. But when he leaves town in the middle of the week to focus on his future, well, it makes one wonder whether his focus is where it needs to be: the recovery of a busted city.

As mayor, Nagin is an employee of the city and the people. My employer requires me to get permission before not reporting to duty on a work day. Of course, it’s impractical to expect Nagin to ask every resident for permission to leave town. But the point here is that most residents would not be OK with the trip on the grounds that it had nothing to do with the recovery. Moreover, there’s so much for Nagin to do here at home.

Voters re-elected Nagin to continue fighting for the recovery. So, when it’s a normal workday, most people expect the mayor to be 100 percent engaged in rebuilding the city. Save the fundraising for the weekends and holidays.

As Ben Wren said, “Do what you are doing.”

Vitter scandal becoming circus

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

The news that Sen. David Vitter’s name is connected to the phone records of the “D.C. Madam” is a lot to digest, especially for those of us in Louisiana still trying to recover from the 2005 hurricanes.

But if that wasn’t enough, Larry Flynt and the former madam of the now-shuttered Canal Street brothel have stuck their heads into the spotlight, making a frenzied situation even more frenzied.

Flynt, Hustler magazine publisher, is taking credit – and gloating – for exposing Vitter’s name on the “D.C. Madam’s” phone records. Flynt said he wants to root out hypocrisy among members of Congress.

“I don’t want a man like that legislating for me, especially in the areas of morality,” he said.

Since when did Flynt care about morals anyway?

Jeanette Maier, who operated the Canal Street brothel, has also joined the chaos.

On Tuesday, Maier said Vitter was once a client of her brothel. Maier hasn’t produced any proof that Vitter was a customer, and her attorney said Maier never made mention of Vitter as a client. Maier’s attorney, Vinny Mosca, also said Vitter’s name was not part of any evidence in the case.

On Wednesday night, Maier, who apparently hadn’t had enough publicity, called WWL-AM 870 radio and gave a mind-numbingly confusing explanation of why she leaked Vitter’s name. Even the radio host, Tommy Tucker, admitted confusion.

In explaining why she leaked Vitter’s name, Maier talked about the public being able to “do the math” and figure out that he had been a client of the Canal Street brothel. Huh?

She then went on and on about how she likes the job Vitter is doing and she wants him to keep fighting for the recovery of New Orleans. What a way to help the recovery; Vitter hasn’t been in Congress all week, likely due to all the controversy. Later in the radio interview, Maier also admitted that she thinks Vitter would be mad that she leaked his name.

I’m waiting to see who’s going to jump into the bedlam next.

Canal Street madam leaves room for questions

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

The woman who ran a brothel on Canal Street says Sen. David Vitter was a client of her now-shuttered establishment.

Jeanette Maier released Vitter’s name Tuesday, the day after Vitter apologized for his name appearing on phone records connected to the so-called “D.C. Madam.”

Vitter’s office has not responded to Maier’s claims.

Maier has kept the list of her brothel’s clients secret since she pleaded guilty in 2002 for running the operation. According to the Associated Press, guilty pleas in the Canal Street brothel case had the effect of keeping the brothel’s customer list unpublished.

Maier’s claim about Vitter is open for scrutiny, if only because her attorney, Vinny Mosca, said Maier never made mention of Vitter as a client. Mosca also said Vitter’s name was not part of any evidence in the case. It sounds like Mosca is all but calling Maier a liar. I wonder if she’ll use Mosca as an attorney again. And will Maier produce proof to show Mosca and others that she is telling the truth?

On a different note, with Maier offering Vitter’s name, should she disclose the names of others? Ever since Maier’s brothel was shut down, many in the New Orleans area have longed to see the client list, which is thought to include the names of prominent lawyers, doctors and elected officials.

Is it fair for Maier not to disclose other names? Has she released Vitter’s name only because he is in the spotlight for apologizing for being associated with the “D.C. Madam”? Why could she not offer up names before?

Hurricane Center drama poorly timed

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

While the 2007 hurricane season has been calm (knock on wood) office politics at the National Hurricane Center have not.

The hurricane center, an otherwise drama-free group, has had more controversy lately than an episode of “Desperate Housewives.”

Director Bill Proenza, who took the helm of the agency in January, generated opposition after he criticized the center’s aging equipment and insufficient federal funding.

Last week, half of the center’s staff called for Proenza’s ouster, saying his comments have eroded public confidence in the center and caused too many distractions.

Then, on Monday, Proenza was temporarily reassigned. Deputy Director Ed Rappaport will be acting director.

The center couldn’t have picked a worse time for infighting.

When it’s the middle of hurricane season, the last thing you want to hear about is turmoil at the National Hurricane Center. It’s a bit like flying in a plane through turbulence while the pilots are arm wrestling. You really wish the pilots would just concentrate on flying.

For those of us on the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Katrina still fresh in our minds, hurricane season is stressful enough already. Hearing about strife at the hurricane center does not help our blood pressure.

Toll booth blues

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

I’m not the type of person who gets ticketed weekly or monthly for anything.

Maybe once a year or every two years I’ll get one of those orange tickets from the city for an expired meter.

I play by the rules.

I tip my waiters. I only take one newspaper from coin-operated newsstands. I don’t sample grapes at the grocery store, like some people I know.

So, imagine my surprise this week when I opened my mail and found a list of 22 violations from the Crescent City Connection, which claims I owe them $47 in fines, including a $25 fee, for not paying tolls.

The violations date from 2004 to this past June.

They even sent me a picture of my license plate, apparently to prove they got the right guy.

I was stunned, because I have been pre-purchasing tolls for years, and I always use my toll tag when I pass through the booths.

The only time I can recall not using the tag or paying for tolls was during that period after Katrina when they suspended tolls for everyone. Boy was that nice while it lasted.

Anyway, I don’t know why I’m being cited for so many violations. When I have passed through the toll booths, the sign has always flashed either “paid” in green lights or “low balance” in red. When my balance is low, I give the CCC a check. Always have. Always will.

Is the toll tag reader too weak to read my tag? Is my tag broken?

I drive through the booths slowly to make sure my tag is read, even though impatient drivers behind me honk in disapproval at my sluggish speed.

The CCC allows appeals, but I’m not going to fight it. I’ve already sent in my fine payment. How can I possibly appeal a violation from three years ago, anyway?

So, I’m at a loss. Has this happened to anybody else?

No parking on the neutral ground

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

The city’s Department of Public Works this week announced a crackdown of parking on medians (the neutral ground, if you’re from here) and sidewalks.

In case you didn’t know it, parking in such places is illegal. So is urinating in such places, but that’s a blog topic for a different day.

Apparently, parking in these places is a big problem in New Orleans, so much so that the city’s Department of Public Works has made it a priority to catch offenders in a list of nine illegal parking hotspots: North Broad Street, Jefferson Davis Parkway, Napoleon Avenue, Louisiana Avenue, Claiborne Avenue, Earhart Boulevard, A.P. Tureaud Avenue, Canal Boulevard and Simon Bolivar Avenue.

Certain types of locations will be targeted, like bars and night clubs, restaurants, churches and auto mechanic shops.

Churches? Is the city suggesting that people are illegally parking to go to church? I wonder if they ask God to forgive them for their unlawful parking.

Public Works plans to work with the New Orleans Police Department in enforcing the parking laws. The fine for parking on a media is $75. It’ll cost you $20 if you park on a sidewalk. I just hope NOPD is not diverting crime-fighting resources to focus on illegal parkers. Didn’t we just have six killings last weekend in New Orleans? Seems NOPD has bigger fish to fry.

Still, something should be done about illegal parking, if for no other reason than it’s illegal. Public Works Director Robert Mendoza deserves credit for addressing the problem. Unless it’s an emergency, vehicles have no business on medians or sidewalks. Who the heck is parking on the sidewalk, anyway? Did you fly over the curb from driving too fast?

Maybe the city can advertise the law by remaking that classic song by Midnight Star, “No Parking on the Dance Floor.” How’s about “No Parking on the Neutral Ground”? I see a new hit in Benny Grunch’s future.

What’s interesting, though, are the issues the city makes a priority of and those it ignores.

For example, I’ve reported at length about how the city has had lax enforcement of illegal dumping laws in eastern New Orleans for decades. Makes you wonder whether the city views an illegally parked car as more of a priority than a mound of hazardous material illegally dumped on the side of the road in the Almonaster area.

‘Corrupt’ label doesn’t apply just to Louisiana

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Louisiana has tried to shed its corrupt image, especially since Hurricane Katrina.

Following Katrina, citizens led a movement to get rid of the archaic seven-assessor system in New Orleans.

Since Katrina, the Recovery School District has opened more than two dozen public schools in Orleans Parish. (RSD, operated by the Louisiana Department of Education, was created in 2005 to take over 102 failing public schools from the much-maligned Orleans Parish School Board.)

Also since the storm, New Orleans hired an inspector general to root out government corruption and waste.

True, we have a long way to go.

But it’s time for the rest of the nation to stop pretending Louisiana has cornered the market on corruption.

Today, for example, I came across a story by The Christian Science Monitor on how private dollars are leading the post-Katrina recovery in New Orleans.

The story refers to “famously corrupt southern Louisiana.”

This story ran on the same day that the Bush administration said it is not ruling out a pardon of former White House aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who was convicted of a felony following the 2003 leak of the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

I’m not saying that Bush is corrupt by reportedly considering a pardon. Rather, I bring up the Libby case to point out that stories of corruption investigations don’t flow exclusively from Louisiana.

In fact, Washington, D.C., has had its fair share of scandals in recent years. What about the indictment of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who was accused of illegal campaign funding activities? Then there’s former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who last year pleaded guilty to kickback and fraud charges.

What about former President Bill Clinton and his sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky?

Yes, Louisiana does claim former Gov. Edwin Edwards, who is serving time for racketeering charges.

But there have probably been more reports of corruption coming from Washington in recent years than from Louisiana. We’re not the only state with less-than-honorable politicians. Connecticut, Mississippi and New Jersey are also referred to as corrupt states. For that matter, show me a state that has never had a case of political corruption.

If Louisiana doesn’t watch out, its “famously corrupt” label” – to use The Christian Science Monitor’s description – might soon get stolen away by another state.

Caution: iPhone on Board

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Add one more thing to the long list of driver distractions.

I’m talking about the iPhone.

Since it launched 6 p.m. Friday nationwide, iPhone craze is sweeping the nation. It seems to be all people are talking about this week. It’s all over the Internet.

The phone features, of course, a phone, Internet capability and widescreen iPod, which plays music, videos, movies, TV shows and audiobooks.

While many people, including myself, are impressed by the gadget’s bells and whistles, I can’t help but view the iPhone as yet another driver distraction, of which there are plenty already.

The phone starts at $499. So, maybe the price will prevent a lot of drivers from owning one. Then again, cost doesn’t stop many people from simply charging things to their credit cards.

And, of course, there already is a host of driver distractions: newspapers, cell phones, CD players, navigators and fast food, to name a handful.

Maybe for all that money iPods should come with a bumper sticker to warn other drivers: “Caution: iPhone on Board.”