Who thinks that New Orleans should be rebuilt and who thinks it shouldn't and why?
472162
Of course it should. We (the U.S.) spend billions of dollars a year on bailing out farmers who couldn't grow anything due to drought, we spend billions rebuilding million dollar houses on the beaches of the Carolinas and Florida, and we spend billions after landslides & earthquakes in California.\n\nWhy should New Orleans be left out?
879089
Sorry, no bashing from me. This year, our community suffered a devastating flood. We were a Federal Disaster Area and had over 100 million in damages. The community immediately set out to repair our own damages. We cleaned out mountains of trash, mud, silt, raw sewage, waste products, etc... No one sat down and said, "Poor me, where is my government check?" We just took care of our own and got on with life. \n\nToday, less than 4 months later, many of our businesses and homes are open and livable. Tell the people of New Orleans to stop sitting around waiting for government handouts and clean up their own messes and renew their own lives.
994790
I think they should rebuild the twin towers as they were (with better infrastructure though)
623146
yes, and they will be rebuilding homes in New Orleans and other affected areas for years to come.\n\nmany people were put into temporary housing of one form or another, but as it was temporary,  many of these people are going to have to find other alternatives since it will take so long to recover the lost homes and businesses affected by Katrina.
650901
we already have welfare, food stamps, government housing, and medical care. there shouldnt be any other special programs. new orleans has been taken down in the past by hurricanes, it will happen again. it is a stront city, it has rebuilt on its own in the past without the help of the government. i lived in texas where rita went through. i lost almost everything as far as possessions go. i'm not accepting handouts from the government. i moved, life continued on. when the weather dictates that you evacuate, you dont just sit there and then expect compensation for your own lack of listening. i say the government should completely back out of rebuilding new orleans and let it do what it needs to to rebuild itself. people with money will invest, it will come back bigger, better, and stronger.
315651
First, let me say that if you lived on the other side of the canal, you are NOT from New Orleans, you are in fact a Metairian from Jefferson Parish.\n\nSecond, the politics are so bad b/c of the political framework that has developed primarily since Huey P. Long which supports patronage and a welfare state.  These two components have been in place and supported by the electorate for so long, no one knows how to think differently.  This is obvious by the #2 vote winner in last week's mayoral election.\n\nTrue change cannot come overnight and will be very painful for those who most gain from the existing system.  This includes the politicians, their buddies in the businesses which are required to keep government going, the poor who depend on the state to help them by giving out money and equivalents, the list goes on . . .\n\nYou can fix it by doing two things: First, move into Orleans Parish.  If Orleans Parish does not succeed, your precious sheltered life in Metairie will quickly follow.  Second, get involved on city politics. You don't have to run for office,  but be informed and participate where you can.\n\nThe greater New Orleans area will recover but everyone has to make some sacrifice and also participate in the rebuilding of the arguably greatest city in the country.\n\nFollow Up: Point well taken!  I believe that the interconnectedness of the area still has its centerpoint in the economic health of Orleans Parish.  More power to you if you support Orleans with your actions, as you mentioned.  But,  your vote only counts if you live in the parish.  If you want to fix the politics, you must live in the parish so you can vote there.  Thanks for being someone who is committed to the rebuilding of the city, even if you won't live in it.
76631
no, New Orleans was a hazard waiting to happen and nothing substantial should have ever been developed there, the people who lived there were in danger the whole time they've been there, it was just simply overlooked
3949
Unfortunately, the government does. Hence the reason they were in poor shape before Katrina and destroyed afterward.\n\nNew Orleans is/was one giant welfare state. Nearly the entire popuplation was government-dependent, and that is why most of its citizens acted so helplessly after the hurricane. This is never a problem in other cities, where citizens are proud of their self-sufficiency and laissez-faire capitalism.
499086
There is no assurance that New Orleans will be hit by another hurricane, just as there is no assurance they won't be.  While I'm not a psychic, from previous years and studies of hurricanes, it's very unlikely that another hurricane will hit them this year and even more unlikely that a large hurricane will hit.\n\nMany younger adults, mostly people in their twenties, are taking advantage of the large amount of homes available for sale.  While the homes need much repair, a recent college graduate who was looking at a small house in another large city can afford to buy a big house in New Orleans and then renovate it for the same price.  While home insurance is expensive in the city, the price of the home, repair, and insurance still doesn't meet what you'd pay somewhere like California.\n\nThere's also the fact that many people don't have a choice to live somewhere else.  While many people have moved out of the city, most of the people that were displaced by the storm are extremely poor.  They didn't own their homes, many didn't have insurance, and Fema has drastically cut the amount of aid they are giving to people.  However, many of the cities they have been living with are also cutting off aid and so they are forced to return to their broken homes, the only thing they own, and attempt to rebuild (they certainly can't sell their homes in the state in which they are in). \n\nFinally, New Orleans is still a major shipping and oil port and people are needed to work the jobs to get things on and off ships.  My mother's oil company has actually offered large amounts of money and incentives to get people from her KY office to move down there and work.  Hope this helps explain things.
93169
It's a waste of our tax dollars. New Orleans is 60-65 feet below sea level. And is basically an island in a sense (picture a bowl in a bath tub full of water). Not to mention this is not the first time they had this storm. I feel no pitty for most of them down there. Nor do I support the fact my tax dollars are being wasted in New Orleans.\nI really think New Orleans and the the state it resides in. Should pay back money from tax payers over a period of time. Why you may ask? Because Stupidity is not an excuse.
130810
Thanks for the special mention of me in the question.  Katrina wasnt bush's fault.  Last time I check he didnt have power over the weather.  If he does, I could have done without the snow last week.  I dont see anyone going on and on about the appointment of Robert Kennedy to attorney general.  Mistakes are made.  However one should also keep in mind that the Mayor and Governor were both Democrats and both failed to call in the national guard.  As for his "faith based" decisions, pehaps we give him our support because the majority of U.S. citizens believe in those decisions.  Most of us arent in favor of the abomination known as gay marriage and many oppose the systimatic murder of unborn children by claiming its a constitutional right.  All one needs to do is look at a map of the 2004 Presidental election and the fact that many states passed marriage laws and/or amendments in that election to see how the majority of us feel.
743996
what region? the US south?\n\nthat would be New Orleans, the trade center for the entire Mississippi and a tremendous cultural asset.
429092
I don't think New Orleans does anymore.
21669
The historic French quarter should be protected, BUT most of the rest of the city should be relocated to higher ground using eminante domain if neccessary. Industry should also be transitioned to property above sea level, while most of the surrounding land should be returned to its natural wet-land state, including controlled yearly flooding to bring silt for deposit. Best evidence suggests that this is the best we can do given cost/benifit analysis.
716833
Since so much of the city was run down before Katrina, there is much opportunity for 'gentrification'.  For it to work, it wuld have to include moderately priced housing solutions which do not destroy the neighborhood feeling that most of the city has.  If you mean the destruction of the housing projects then the answer is that it is necessary for the city to rebuild.  Many projects are close to the city's center and that real estate should command a premium.
107170
cyanne2ak: I'm glad to hear that destroying a city is a laughing matter to you\n\nThis city must be rebuilt\n\nAnd to clarify, New Orleans was not below sea level when it was first built in the 18th century - subsidence over the centuries caused most areas to sink below sea level.
153378
The people that lived in New Orleans voted down - Multiple times- raising money/taxes to upgrade the levees. They were stupid to not improve their defenses when a huge section of the city was below sea level.