Diogenes of the gccf...

I really hate to be cynical, but the gccf has passed along so much information that has turned out to be wrong at best; deceptive; or, at worst, downright lies.  Does anybody really believe, as Ken Feinberg told ABC News, that he "can't remember" who got the single $10 million settlement from the gccf at the explicit direction of bp?   What a whopper.

The one honest man I have found in the gccf is Bill Mulvey, the Feinberg/Rozen-gccf-casino liaison.  At that, Bill has been reluctant to pass along any more than the most general information, and nothing recently.  Local representatives and 800# people accurately pass along the very limited information that they are given.  Sadly, that limited information never turns out to be true.  And I mean NEVER.  (please see blog "letter to Bobby Moak and Windy Swetman" of Wednesday, Feb 16.)

The news articles regarding Ken Feinberg's recent announcement about casino claims, rather than being hard news, are only more questions posed.  When Interim Claims were opened in December, the gccf website stated that Interim and Final Claims would be paid within 90 days of being "presented" and "filed".  On Dec 20, we presented our claims at the local gccf office, and they filed them.  We expect payment before Mar 20.  When we speak to ten different gccf representatives, we get ten different stories.  So, of course, we never know what to try to believe.  Some representatives have told us that when the gccf said "presented" and "filed", that they did not actually mean presented and filed.  They said they actually meant within 90 days of the beginning of processing.  We were told that "processing" would begin Nov 24, after the end of the Emergency program.  We were then told that "processing" would begin Dec 17, Jan 1, Feb 1, mid-February, and when the Final Rules were established on Feb 18.  Now, two weeks later, we are told that "processing" of casino claims will begin "next week".  Are we now looking at another 90 days?

Again, we must note that in 15 days of processing, 119 Interim Claims have been paid in Mississippi, an average of about 8/day.  With about 6000, Mississippi has a very small number of Interim Claims.  However, at the current rate, we are looking at about two years to get them all paid.

We have no idea why any particular "methodology" would be required to settle any claims.  Aren't all claims best decided on individual merit?  The gccf still has over $16 of $20 billion left in the bank.  The word from the top should be "Find a Way to Pay these Claims!"  The secrecy and continued total lack of transparency is appalling, and very scary.

We are very grateful to our elected representatives and to our news media for standing up for Mississippi and our local economy.  Now we are asking for their help in finding the real truth about how our claims will be evaluated and when claims will actually get paid, not "processed", but "Paid".  The gccf is very good at blowing smoke, but is totally avoiding answers to meaningful questions.