I agree with the previous posters to a certain extent. I do
not think the
people of New Orleans are buffoons, but the
politicians of New Orleans
are. Then again, I think that most, if not all, politicians are buffoons.
A week after Katrina, there was talk of the city being in a bowl, and all the money (Federal tax dollars) being spent to keep the city dry. There was a link that I posted in a thread around that time, about the Old River and the money (Federal tax dollars) being spent by the Army Corps of Engineers to divert the Mississippi River to keep New Orleans dry. In my opinion, we (they) are fighting Mother Nature, and eventually we are going to lose, if we are not losing already. I feel that we need to stop trying to divert the river. If we do that, then nature will take it's course, and the Mississippi Delta will start to be replenished, which will "move" New Orleans further away from the Gulf of Mexico.
Unfortunately, much of the 9th Ward and other areas South and East of New Orleans were built on parts of that same Mississippi Delta. The river was diverted, the land was compressed and dried, and the politicians said, "Go ahead and build homes there."
My original opinion was to not rebuild the city
at all. Especially since the city is indeed in a bowl. However, I have slightly changed my opinion to at least rebuild certain areas. However, those people that intend to rebuild should only have one chance. If you rebuild, fine. However, if you are flooded again, you will receive no money, and you will then be forced to move.
A few people remarked about the stupidity of having a city that was below sea level. Others pointed out the stupidity of building a city on a major earthquake fault line. I could be wrong, but I don't see where San Francisco is getting BILLIONS of Federal tax dollars to divert the fault line. They may, however, be receiving Federal tax dollars to design "earthquake resistant" buildings.
As Gary pointed out, if the politicians start pointing the finger and themselves, instead of everyone else, and if we leave New Orleans alone, the city will come back. And, I think we need to spend tax dollars wisely, and rethink what we are going with the money that is being spent.
My $0.02
Debbie said:
My buffoon fear is because noone in the New Orleans government/infrastructure can agree on anything. Many do not want FEMA trailer parks set up near their homes-thus it sets off the racial accusations. The traffic here is horrible, but New Orleans is one of those cities that never plans for the future. The politics are going to doom the city. The school board constantly fights.
The proposal is to wait four months for citizens to declare their intention to rebuild. If not enough percentage commits; the area will not be rebuilt. People are screaming they have the right to rebuild on their property. Yet if not enough come back to an area; will these same people cry that there isn't a firestation nearby, a police station, hospital, schools etc? There isn't any sense in replacing any of these services and their buildings, to serve a handful. Will these same people cry again that noone came to help them bacause they didn't heed the mandatory evacuation? I think some places shouldn't be rebuilt, some rebuilt with higher standards. The 9th ward everyone has heard about, was 75% blighted property. It wasn't safe to stop at a red light.
One thing is for sure, New Orleans is getting closer and closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Flying over the coast gives one an eyefull of how much coast we lost just to this last storm.
