What's a few hours of overtime worth to send the world the message that Mardi Gras is wonderful and that New Orleans is open again?

It's common sense. This is a city people love to visit, and this is one of the events that makes New Orleans what it is.

I want to be business friendly, because we're living in a tough time and too many people are leaving.

If no tourists came, we'd still have Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is a state of mind.

This city has lost so much. It's time New Orleans begins on the road to recovery.

Katrina dealt us a bad hand. But to say you're going to cut Mardi Gras is the wrong approach. That would be another financial hit for the city as well as a psychological hit.