Other than extreme partisans or idiots, it should be clear to everyone that there have been failures at every level in dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, including FEMA and Bush. Mayor Ray "dont-blame-me-for-anything" Nagin and Governor Kathleen "when-and-how-should-I-ask-for-help" Blanco are equally culpable, if not more so.
This has been one of the most disappointing events in my lifetime, and there are loads of examples pointing to things most of us have known for decades about this country: the cowardice and failure of people in "public service" to plan for anything beyond their watch; the attentiveness of politicians in an election year contrasted with their unconcern when not up for re-election; the culture lawlessness a citizenry acquires when personal responsibility is zoned out and it's-not-your fault platitudes become the norm; the idiocy of not paying attention to obvious environmental problems in the name of progress...I could, of course, go on.
You can easily ascribe which ostrich holes one party or the other will stick their heads into, which is again a problem in itself: no one speaks for me, no one speaks for you, no one seemingly speaks for America. Most politicians only speak for themselves and their "base." Until we quit electing career politicians and start electing true public servants we will continue to have severe problems in crisis situations. 9/11 was different in a sense, because we actually came together as a country. With respect to New Orleans, all there seems to be is finger-pointing and Soviet-style blame-passing.
Since I try to follow my own advice of give solutions, don't just point out the problems, here goes:
1) Shoot the looters and the roaming gangs. Period. They're bad for the country and they're not going to be the ones rebuilding.
2) Ask for the resignation of FEMA Director Michael Brown. If he won't give it, fire him. This is not all his fault, but he's not blameless, and there are times that a leader makes a change to restore confidence to workers and constituents. FEMA isn't like being the ambassador to Sweden, or some other non-important cushy post; appoint someone with a job history of crisis management, not someone who needs a political favor.
3) Bush needs to apologize for the failure of FEMA and not split hairs about it. However, since lots of people seem to want to blame the federal government for not bailing them out all along, the federal government gets to have a very heavy hand in restoring the city. As in:
3a) Put Bernard Karik (or another corruption-reducing big-city police chief ) in charge of restoring the New Orleans police force. Fire the current idiot police chief who can't even speak the English language or accept any share of the blame. The idea is to permanently change the image of the NOPD.
3b) Create an enterprise zone to encourange re-development of the area that will be in place for a minimum of 5 years.
3c) Send the Army Corp of Engineers in to rebuild the levees AND reclaim the wetlands; they get to set the parameters after sending a contingency to The Netherlands to look at how people actually build dikes & seawalls that work. Houses and businesses in the former wetlands will have to be eliminated. (This is when eminent domain is not only acceptable but necessary.) That will upset both environmentalists and industrialists. Too bad.
3d) Impose 90 days of martial law. If you're in the city and out past sundown, you get arrested. If you resist, you get shot. That will hasten the evacuation a bit.
4) Tourism must be restored, and the first place to start is by imposing new rules on the French Quarter. It needs to be a safe place to bring your family. Mardi Gras will never be the same, but again...too bad. If you're that hard up for debauchery, go to Vegas and spend your money on gambling or a prostitute. At least you aren't likely to get rolled.
5) Create a new slogan for the city. No more "Big Easy." I don't have a name (nor am I qualified to come up with one), but it should harken to the history, the people, or the natural beauty. There are plenty of places to head with this (jazz, cajun, creole cooking, blues, the delta), but it needs a new feel and a new direction that isn't rotten and sodden.
6) Offer discounted (or even at-cost) housing to anyone who left the city and wants to come back to rebuild. This will take care of whatever insurance doesn't cover and/or encourage people to rebuild even better structures. In return, participants must sign up to work for the reconstruction of the city for a minimum period (2 years seems good). There will be lots of positions needed: construction workers, office workers, logistics people, even low-skill jobs like clean-up crews. Bottom line, if you're serious about working, the jobs will be there for you. If they are not completely filled up by people who were displaced, offer the same deal to outsiders so as to repopulate the city with fresh blood.
As bad as this situation is, here is a golden opportunity to improve an entire city, while showing the rest of the world as well as U.S. citizens what America can do when crisis strikes. Anything less is unacceptable.
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4 comments:
"...early reports from CNN... indicated that the city had no plan for evacuating all of the prisoners in the city's jails—so they just let many of them loose. There is no doubt a significant overlap between these two populations--that is, a large number of people in the jails used to live in the housing projects, and vice versa.
There were many decent, innocent people trapped in New Orleans when the deluge hit--but they were trapped alongside large numbers of people from two groups: criminals--and wards of the welfare state, people selected, over decades, for their lack of initiative and self-induced helplessness. The welfare wards were a mass of sheep--on whom the incompetent administration of New Orleans unleashed a pack of wolves.
All of this is related, incidentally, to the apparent incompetence of the city government, which failed to plan for a total evacuation of the city, despite the knowledge that this might be necessary. But in a city corrupted by the welfare state, the job of city officials is to ensure the flow of handouts to welfare recipients and patronage to political supporters--not to ensure a lawful, orderly evacuation in case of emergency."
Source: TIA Daily -- September 2, 2005
This is a portion of an article written by Robert Tracinski that passes enough blame around for everyone to share. And yes, there really is a good bit that can be blamed on the powers that be. My personal favorite being the appointment of our current/possibly fired FEMA director, the one that was only an administrative assistant to the Assistant. Well done...
While I agree in theory with Mr. Ryan's post parts of it are highly impractical; and Mr. Ottobre is just plain silly in remarking that New Orleans be "moved". How does one go about dictating such a thing? And precisely who decides which cities deserve to be rebuilt? I hope not our kinder, gentler Republican party.
As someone that has actually weathered hurricanes and had a tornado divide my living room in half I can say with a small bit of authority that having your home destroyed leaves one feeling a bit bereft, helpless and/or hopeless. I can see where it would be v. easy to wait for the cavalry, if you will. To see not only your home, but your whole town destroyed might multiply the intensity of such feelings. For most people the realization dawns quickly that you are on your own to tough it out and make the best of a truly dire situation, but for some it does not dawn at all.
Maybe, instead of saying everyone is shiftless and good for nothing we might exercise a bit of patience and compassion, and then demonstrate the courage and strength required to make New Orleans whole again.
By the way, this is the south... we like our seediness, it blends well with the humidity and slo gin.
Ms Mely,
I appreciate your POV because you do bring up some good points. But I do take exception with you positioning yourself as someone who has knowledge that the rest of us don't. I personally have been through 4 tornados, and earlier this year rode out Hurricane Dennis on Key West. I have also seen tornados rip through my mother's neighborhood twice, fortunately sparing her house both times, but destroying homes in close proximity. I fully understand the destructive power of storms and the powerlessness that people feel when their property has been ripped to shreds.
I guess where I take exception is your suggestion that I'm proposing that "everyone is shiftless and good for nothing." I neither intend nor suggest that. I will tell you this, though: I am a musician that has played all over the northern hemisphere, and I have been in some incredibly seedy spots and found myself in some very questionable places. I have never felt as much a target as the times I have been in New Orleans, and have told my wife as much (who is from Mississippi and is seemingly oblivious to the danger). Seediness only goes so far in my book before it degenerates into outright lawlessness and, at its core, a lack of respect for fellow citizens. And that's exactly what we saw in NO: a lack of respect for other human beings. Therefore, I don't think my suggestions are at all impractical. In fact, they are highly pragmatic. But that is, of course, my opinion.
Oh Mr. Ryan...
I suppose now I shall have to elaborate just a bit on the points with which I disagree.
4) While I agree that tourism is essential to the restoration of New Orleans' economy I disagree about the nature of the tourist. Charleston or Savannah may be a more appropriate destination if one is in search genteel Southern history or a family friendly vacation spot. This is New Orleans - not Disney. Very little about New Orleans is genteel, it isn't meant to be. And Vegas, while highly entertaining, will never - ever - be what New Orleans is. Neon lights, sequins and Sigfried and Roy/Celine Dion do not equal New Orlean's eloquent seduction. Vegas could never give us Tennessee Williams.
5) Again, New Orleans is an extremely popular destination for travelers because she was able to revel in herself. She had no need to be ashamed of her beauty and charm nor her seediness and corruption. New Orleans, as she was pre Katrina, was the perfect reflection of her history and people. This is a state that embraced corrupt politians, scam artists, gin joints, hot jazz and food that will clog arteries in one visit. She demanded you love her as is, not as hoped.
Asking New Orleans to change would be like asking New York to change. Impossible.
With great regard,
Ms. Mely
I skimmed through a couple of your post and jumped to a conclusion that I have drawn from them: America isn't America anymore. This country might as well piss on the graves of our founding fathers for currently ruining a civilization that they fought so hard to create.
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