My proposal — explained more fully here — for the State of Louisiana to rebuild its own levees (rather than rely upon the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) is not one that I’d defend with my dying breath. But given a choice among two bad options, I suspect that the State rather than Uncle Sam is the least-bad way to go.
Let Louisiana Levees Be Rebuilt by Louisiana
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I think we should use Federal funds to rebuild the entire city under water. We could probably pull it off for under 1/2 trillion.
Then, for good measure, we'll build a bridge on top of the city that doesn't connect anything at all to anything. Just a giant free standing tribute to our government's ability to incinerate money.
We all know what will happen if the army corps of engineers rebuilds the levees in New Orleans (besides costing tax payers in other parts of the country to pay for a foolish rebuilding) would be when the next major storm hits the gulf coast, the people of New Orleans will blame the failing system on the federal government (who’s money they gladly accepted). Let’s face it; the people of New Orleans live in a city that is on average 6 FEET below sea level, and this doesn’t seem to bother them. This problem has affected New Orleans past and definitely will affect it in the future.
The real issue here is that the levees were not built to the correct height in the first place. The people of New Orleans preferred to preserve their “view” rather than have life saving levees erected to the correct height. The correctly built levees would have made more of an impact in stopping storm surges hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico (storms that will inevitably hit the New Orleans again).
Am I the only one who thinks the Army Corps of Engineers is an anachronism that should be replaced?
As far as building NOLA, it seems all of the governments involved are doing so with a maximum of money and a minimum of thought.
I have a proposal. The next time NOLA faces a mandatory hurricane evacuation, all people who who think that the government should be paying for NOLA's rebuilding should be rounded up and required to stay in NOLA's lowest point until the storm blows over.
The levee will break again and the history will repeat itself. If NOLA disagrees and says the levee will hold? Then let them use their own money to rebuild. After all, their investment is "safe".
"Am I the only one who thinks the Army Corps of Engineers is an anachronism that should be replaced?"
No, I suspect most people here would agree heartily. However, you could say the same about most of government, not just the Army Corps of Engineers.
Don: I normally agree with you, but here you've overlooked some factors:
1. Didn't the federal govt oversee and deliver to us the financial and engineering triumph that is the Hoover Dam?
2. Did a local govt oversee and deliver the preposersterously over-funded, dangerously constructed Boston Big Dig?
3. Didn't New Orleans local govt agents participate over the years in many aspects of constructing, contracting, inspecting, and upgrading its levees?
I don't know what the answer is, but I share your obsession with New Orleans and private answers to public concerns. I am most interested in your reply.
Let Nagen and the naacp rebuild the levee's. It's there city now they bought and paid the keep that S.O.B. as the mayor. He blames the Feds for his inabilities and his lack is good judgement. He squandered millions of dollars to help his so called brown city by giving handout after handout instead of applying money to repair the leeves in the first place. He knew just like everyone in N.O. that they needed repairing and he had money alloted for that purpose but chose to waste it on keeping his brown city happy by giving it away to the lazy no goods of the city so he could remain mayor. He knew by giving them what they wanted so they wouldn't have to work they would keep electing him.