NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Controversy is brewing in hurricane ravaged New Orleans over whether to cancel the traditional Mardi Gras festivities in 2006.
One faction says Mardi Gras is just what the region needs to bring in needed tourists and their money to repair the damage left by Hurricane Rita, CBS News reported Tuesday.
"If we are going to rebuild New Orleans, we need to bring tourists back to the city of New Orleans," Sandra Shilstone of the Tourism Marketing Corp., told CBS.
Officials say Mardi Gras brings in well over $1 billion and employs 75,000 people.
However, many New Orleans residents resent the idea of a big party or spending money to throw one while they struggle with tremendous personal losses, CBS said.
"Nobody wants no Mardi Gras: We haven't got no place to live!", one resident told a recent town meeting.
