Gustav

I'm not saying they need to rebuild everything to where it was previously, I'm just saying I think more could be done and the progress that has been made over the last 3 years probably isn't sufficient.

You're starting to sound like Barack Obama, incredibly vague.

:)

In my opinion, the results - to date - in NO have been adequate. The results in Iraq, prior to the troop surge, were woefully inadequate.

Well I guess that's where we agree to disagree and move on.

Well I guess that's where we agree to disagree and move on.

You're right, it comes down to a fundamental disagreement as to what the federal government is responsible for providing to its citizens in a time of need.

You're starting to sound like Barack Obama, incredibly vague.

:)

Without properly reseaching the issue I'm not going to sit here and try to say that X and Y must be done. I'm not pretending to be an expert. Not that you are... I'm just saying.

And that's an area we agree on. If it's profitable to live and work there (even with the storms), then the people who wish to make a living there will make it work. If it's not, even with government assistance as to the levees, then the business will migrate upstream.

I think that's the most important thing. The problem in NOLA isn't universal. It's a rich vs. poor situation. New Orleans, like most cities has a pretty visible class system. And the people who are still without help are the ones who do not have a lot of money. Most of the rich people live either on the outskirts like uptown or in the more touristy version of the city. Each of which are better protected that places like the 9th ward.

That said, I have a friend from Slidell (a district of NO that was hit hard). He told me that they are back in their home. He didn't say when, but he gutted what needed to be gutted with a couple of his friends and they rebuilt what needed rebuilding. He didn't say whether he had trouble, but I know many people had issues getting their power turned on in their homes. Many of the electric companies tried to charge citizens for the time that they were out of power, that's flat out wrong.

I am personally considering moving to New Orleans because I've never to be any place like it in my entire life. The French Quarter, uptown, Garden District, all of that is amazing. You just can't move that to some other location. I would be heart broken if they just decide to abandon the city of New Orleans. The levees are federally built, and they're only built to stand up to a Cat 3. The federal government needs to do a better job. There are federally built levees all across the country and I don't hear anyone suggest that because some of middle America has levees around their homes, that they should move.

As for the suggestion that people who are hit by multiple natural disasters should abandon their homes...that's just retarded. That would constitute the majority of the United States. The majority of the southern U.S. is hit by Hurricanes or threatened by tornadoes, California is always experiencing earthquakes, hell we face hurricanes and tornadoes where we live. It's naive to think that we should all just move to somewhere where nothing can possibly happen. It's not naive however, to assume that when the government institutes a system to protect you, you should hold them to their word. I'm not saying that the government should rebuild homes, but they should make strong levees.

There are federally built levees all across the country and I don't hear anyone suggest that because some of middle America has levees around their homes, that they should move.

They used to do this all the time. A city would flood because it is ina flood plain and the federal gov't would come in and tell them to move the town.

The problem with NO isn't that it is prone to natural disasters in a simlar way to other US cities. It is prone to natural disasters because it is part of the ocean that we have decided to convert to developed land. That will never change. We can build better and bettet buildings to withstand earthquakes and tornados. We can't drain the ocean which w'd need to do since water is the most destructive force on earth.

I think that's the most important thing. The problem in NOLA isn't universal. It's a rich vs. poor situation. New Orleans, like most cities has a pretty visible class system. And the people who are still without help are the ones who do not have a lot of money. Most of the rich people live either on the outskirts like uptown or in the more touristy version of the city. Each of which are better protected that places like the 9th ward.

That said, I have a friend from Slidell (a district of NO that was hit hard). He told me that they are back in their home. He didn't say when, but he gutted what needed to be gutted with a couple of his friends and they rebuilt what needed rebuilding. He didn't say whether he had trouble, but I know many people had issues getting their power turned on in their homes. Many of the electric companies tried to charge citizens for the time that they were out of power, that's flat out wrong.

I am personally considering moving to New Orleans because I've never to be any place like it in my entire life. The French Quarter, uptown, Garden District, all of that is amazing. You just can't move that to some other location. I would be heart broken if they just decide to abandon the city of New Orleans. The levees are federally built, and they're only built to stand up to a Cat 3. The federal government needs to do a better job. There are federally built levees all across the country and I don't hear anyone suggest that because some of middle America has levees around their homes, that they should move.

As for the suggestion that people who are hit by multiple natural disasters should abandon their homes...that's just retarded. That would constitute the majority of the United States. The majority of the southern U.S. is hit by Hurricanes or threatened by tornadoes, California is always experiencing earthquakes, hell we face hurricanes and tornadoes where we live. It's naive to think that we should all just move to somewhere where nothing can possibly happen. It's not naive however, to assume that when the government institutes a system to protect you, you should hold them to their word. I'm not saying that the government should rebuild homes, but they should make strong levees.

I agree and that's basically what I was trying to say here. NO is the way it is because of an inadequate levee system, which can be directly attributable to the Fed. Providing a strong levee system in a high risk area shouldn't be too much to expect.

You're starting to sound like Barack Obama, incredibly vague.

:)

Making an informed decision on this topic is just above Matty's pay grade, that's all. :D

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/New_Orleans_Levee_System.svg/538px-New_Orleans_Levee_System.svg.png

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/New_Orleans_Levee_System.svg/538px-New_Orleans_Levee_System.svg.png

And?