The Clarence Jackson Jr. Jackpot

As I was reading today's N.Y. Times I came upon this article
. For those of you that choose not to read the article, Clarence Jackson Jr. bought a
ticket for the Connecticut lottery in 1995. By state law, he had 1 year
to collect his winnings. That ticket was worth 5.8 million dollars.
Everyone I know would consider that a good deal of money. This man was
taking care of an ailing father and the other hurdles that life brings
about. In the process of doing that he did not get around to cashing in
that ticket, until three days after the 1-year anniversary.

He has been lobbying the Connecticut state legislature for 10 years, in
an attempt to claim the money that was originally rightfully his. His
efforts have yet to be rewarded. The Hartford Courant conducted a poll
in 1997 that showed the public overwhelmingly supported enforcing the
deadline. The writer for the Times took an informal poll of individuals
purchasing tickets at a 7-11, and even those people don't think the
lottery commission should bend the rules for future winners.

What we have here is a man who was legitimately entitled to money from a
state government, who did not act in a timely fashion and therefore was
unable to collect. This man's life would have been permanently bettered.
This money was set aside, but only for a certain time and then that
money went back into the general fund of Connecticut.That is truly an
unfortunate tale. I wonder if that same thing could happen on a larger
scale?

What would happen if a major natural disaster hit a region of the
country? Of course, the President would come down to say Jackson Square,
or some other landmark, saying all the right things. Congress said and
did what was expected in the aftermath. Well, we all know how this is
playing out. My question is obvious. Is New Orleans the next tragic
recipient of the Clarence Jackson Jr. Jackpot, caused by the actions of
Gov. Blanco, and Mayor Nagin?