The president did not mention New Orleans or Katrina once in the SOTU last night which got me to thinking. Is the United States more obligated to rebuild Iraq or New Orleans? Is our responsibility more to the people of Iraq or America? Discuss
The failure to rebuild New Orleans after Katrina is but one of a long list of failures this administration will be known for. Trouble is, it hits closest to home. Obviously, George W. Bush cares more about the people of Iraq than he does the people of New Orleans.
sorry i dont like this question. if you broke it you should fix it. iraq is a mess because of our actions. we have a moral and legal obligation to help rebuild it.
New Orleans has had $110 Billion in federal funds thrown at it. The federal government can not usurp local authority and do the building for them.
Oh, I agree But does that take precedent over our own citizens? Seems if we weren't in Iraq we would have the resources to do the right thing in New Orleans. Or do we have the resources for New Orleans and are just shirking our obligations?
I think with the exception of 2 or 3 diehards on this board, everyone agrees that the admin screwed up when it sent us to an unnecessary war in Iraq. Going back to it is just crying over spilled milk at this point.
The Corps of Engineers is limited in what it can do in non-emergency situations. I do believe the Corps of Engineers has been vital to the dike repairs and reinforcements and getting the Port of New Orleans going again.
The Corps can't rebuild a city without competent local authorities. Incompetence in local gove't seems rampant. Five years after 9/11 and we still have nothing done at ground zero.
the fact that it is 2007 and we don't have anything at ground zero is not incompetence at the local gov't level?
I can assure you as someone who lives in New York that it is complete incompetency. BTW, I think most people define beucractic idiots as incompetent.
Well first off you're kind of wrong to assert that nothing has been done. They have broken ground on the freedom tower, started the superstructure and have already started rebuilding several buildings including the new transit hub and the outlines of the memorial. But to the point of gov incompetence, for an area that is at the epicenter of the financial world, with the interests of many business and organizations, I think it's amazing that they are moving as fast as they are. I mean the OK memorial took 12 years to finish.
I'll take your word for it then, no problem. I have not followed it closely, but everything I've read has indicated that lawsuits and permits/politics have been a heavy contributor. I guess that is a form of incompetence. Carry on.
hotballa really! I didn't want to derail the thread but can you site anywhere where politics have slowed down reconstruction of ground zero. By all indications the rebuilding of GZ has been one of the most bipartisan efforts by local gov we've ever seen. Now I will grant you that that knucklehead Silverstein has caused some slowdown what with his fight with the city and insurance companies. But that is hardly incompetence on the gov level. Anyway! Back to why bush sucks!
