40 Acres and a Mule

Whatever the history of this phrase, it has come to be used as a colloquial term for a promise made by the government that is never fulfilled.

With that in mind, read this passage from a Reuters article recounting a Labor Day speech given by Nagin:

Standing in the ruins of the Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin envisions for the crowd a city rebuilt from Hurricane Katrina with new houses standing high above the reach of killer storms and grinding poverty.

***

'Build your mansion,' he urges the audience, many of them former homeowners of modest means who have not received any federal housing aid.

'Let the first floor be for parking and storage. And on the second and third floor, put your Jacuzzi and your master bedroom,' he says. Even with federal aid, few in the audience will be able to build a big home, much less a mansion, but the audience hoots approval at the thought.

'You going to get your money,' Nagin promises.

A two-story mansion and a Jacuzzi, indeed.