Who should get funding and can the federal government rebuild?

[michaelskis]

Even though this is tied into parts of other threads, I feel that this is an interesting question and deserves it’s own thread.

This is going to be a multifaceted question concerning the 200 billion it will take to rebuild New Orleans. Do we rebuild the people or the place? What I mean by this is that there were a lot of low income individuals who rented apartments in New Orleans before the floods. Should they get funding to rebuild or should the person who owns the building. Do we limit it do just people who own actual property to rebuild, or distribute the money equally to all those who lived in New Orleans. But then that would limit the actual funding for the reconstruction of many buildings. What funding distribution would be the most effective for the reconstruction effort?

Part two of the question is can the Federal Government rebuild a city? I remember reading about a 1930 Supreme Court Decision that prohibits federal governments from being in the City Building Business.

[Coragus]

I feel like New Orleans has a great opportunity. It would be difficult and time consuming, but if they emminent domain the destroied structures, they can tear them down, concurent with the adoption of a forward thinking plan that would allow the construction of great new structures that are designed to allow for the mitigation of future natural disasters while being attractive. In doing so, they can bear in mind the type of younger generation crowd that cities like to attract, and put in place the businesses and occupations to bring them to New Orleans and keep them there. In doing so, they could reinvent a large portion of their city, and the end result will be a better, more viable and liveable city than before.

On the other hand, being the somewhat pessimistic person that I am and not having any faith in the decision of large groups of people, I think state and local officials will climb all over themselves like starving children at a McDonald's trying to get their share of the free money that's being shovled down there!

[Planit]

Using the Washington DC model when the capital district was launched. Acquire all the property with certain property rights to be returned to the rightful landowners when the plan is developed (quick synopsis). In today's world however it would be tied up in the courts forever

[abrowne]

You're dreaming if you think this will be limited to $200 billion. I think the people should be provided with decent living conditions and a leg up to getting their life started again. Then again, I think a lot of Americans should be helped out the same, regardless of disaster or no-disaster.

But there is also a very real question about whether or not New Orleans is safe to inhabit. If this is just going to keep happening every five years because of a supercharged Gulf, the country cannot afford to keep rebuilding. Rita looks like another mega hurricane. Will we get another? And another? If only we could see the future. :P