Throwing Good Money After Bad?

If a current $20 billion request is approved by congress, the running totals for hurricanes Katrina & Rita will be somewhere around $100 billion. I understand the federal government funding the rebuilding of infrastructure and debris cleanup in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, & Alabama. While these costs should be offset with some state money as well, I have no problem earmarking money used for these applications. However, I hope the Bush administration & congress will think hard before throwing more money at a literal money pit. $4.2 billion of the current $20 billion that will be reviewed by Congress will be earmarked for compensation to residents whose homes were either damaged or destroyed. I wonder if we are not overcompensating here; and I wonder if some of this money is strictly a knee jerk reaction to racial guilt?

Are mid-western families federally compensated every time a F3, F4, or F5 tornado tears up dwellings by the hundreds? No. If the situation warrants it, money is spent on clean up & vital supplies that are initially needed, but there is no offering of money going towards property damage or long term financial burden. Isn’t that what insurance is for? Are the victims of an act of God in the gulf more deserving of compensation? Those who believe they are entitled to free money because they are American citizens are living in an alternate reality.

We also need to consider if it’s marketable to invest in the future of New Orleans. It had a good run, but I think that Katrina only hastened its slow and predictable demise. Countries & governments rise and fall, and so do cities. The novelty of New Orleans has been losing its charm for some time and must have certainly lost many tourists to more charming and intriguing locations both in the U.S. and abroad over the past 20 years. I visited New Orleans for the first time a few weeks after Mardi Gras in 2005. I was appalled by the condition and atmosphere of the much ballyhooed French Quarter section of town. While walking down Canal, Bourbon, Iberville and other recognizable thoroughfares, my senses were often overcome by the heavy stench of rotting garbage and urine. The palpable atmosphere of debauchery was more sleazy than charismatic. Hordes of emaciated panhandlers spinning intricate tales and unlikely stories through missing or rotting teeth left me feeling depressed and constantly securing my white-knuckled grip on my wallet like an OCD victim. After a quick tour of the tourist hot spots, I fled to the sanctuary of my hotel room and counted the hours left until daylight at which time I would gladly leave the "Big Easy" and hopefully never return.

I would only ask the powers that be to please reconsider before rebuilding New Orleans. When pride begins to cloud common sense, poor decisions are made. If we are to believe the ocean level forecasters and some climatologists, any sort of flood-plain land reclamation and protection in the gulf would be foolhardy as water levels are only expected to rise with the melting of arctic ice caps & glaciers. What happens when a category 4 or 5 runs aground then? Hell, what would be left if one goes through this summer or fall? Keep in mind that Katrina ended up losing a considerable amount of steam and was downgraded to a category 3 shortly before landfall.

For those who want to stay in New Orleans, I say go for it, it’s a free country but don’t cry when it gets completely wiped off the face off the map. Those who don’t realize that we live in an influx world do not grasp the concept of the nature of things and are unable to adapt. I appreciate any person’s heritage and way of life, but what good are submerged roots?