New Orleans Still Needs Help

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: jimkyser
Yes, I understand basic economics. Please explain to me, oh wise one, how one makes all the repairs I listed for $12k. And why is it idiotic to list the damage? Knowing the extent of the damage is the only way to make an accurate estimate of the cost to repair it. Or does the economics you understand not require that. Oh, and Home Depot has nationwide pricing, so the price for lumber and other building materials from them has not changed one iota. Now there are spot shortages of certain items, but the prices are unchanged.

I wouldn't be able to answer the question because I don't know what the labor wage rates were pre-hurricane. Lumber prices are up nationwide because of the hurricaine and if you built a house using home depot prices you WOULD pay 3 times what you could reasonably build it for. If your building a home and shopping at home depot you're not very smart, any good contractor supply store can beat home depot on the major building supplies (drywall, OSB, plywood, etc) hands down.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: charrison
You are incorrect, a new cat 5 levee system would only a cost few billlion over the course of a decade. It would only cost 10 billion if the entire job is done in 2-3 years(speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?) But even if it was 10s of billions over a couple deacads, it is still something the state can afford.

And if the state wants to charge ports fees, they can. Nothing is stopping the state from implementing such fees. However the state the LA would probably squander the money.

I have never heard anyone use this cost/speed before, I'd appreciate it if you could post a link to it. Everything I have heard has been 10-20 years, $30 billion. And don't forget, another important part of protecting the state is wetlands restoration.

Port fees would help, and it would be great if they increased them, but like I said, what Louisiana really needs is a share of the offshore oil & gas royalties. The offshore rigs are the reason Louisiana's wetlands are in such a sorry state and the platforms wouldn't exist if southern LA wasn't there. I'm not going to argue that Louisiana and New Orleans' governments are hard to trust, but you can't punish an entire state's population because of their poor leadership in the past. Once again, this way, LA isn't looking for a handout, they're looking for a fair share of profits that they've been requesting for a loooong time.

I posted an aticle on these forums a couple months ago about the construction costs of new levees. I will see if i can find it again...

 

[g8wayrebel]

Originally posted by: thecoroner
I am a New Orleans area resident and while people have done a lot to help out Katrina survivors, not nearly enough aid has been given. This is mostly the thought of the federal government of course.

1. Schools, hospitals, and other organizations are not getting the money FEMA has promised them. In fact, large New Orleans hospitals (the only few left open) are running very short on money and are having trouble paying their doctors!

2. Hurricane season is 3 months away. There are thousands of people living in tents and small trailers. Little has been done to fix the levees to withstand another hurricane.

3. Believe it or not, New Orleans is still over due for a major hit. The last time they were hit by a hurricane was in 1963 (Hurricane Betsey). That hurricane went up the mouth of the Mississippi River. Katrina, on the other hand, did not directly hit New Orleans.

4. People are not getting money for their insurance companies. Apparantly your in good hands with Allstate and State Farm is your neighbor as long as you want to wait a long time before getting your check.

5. FEMA has no clue what they are doing. They worked fine until George Bush put them under the Department of Homeland Security instead of letting them be their own department. They literally waste millions of dollars. One stupid thing I remember they're doing is instead of hiring contractors from hurricane-effected areas, they're bringing in contractors from out of state!

It's a shame that George Bush wants to play tic tac toe in Iraq when our own people need help. 1400 people and counting have died from Katrina (bodies are still being found believe it or not) and 2700 people are still missing. Many more have lost their homes. Like I said earlier, people are literally living in tents!

Post what you think here. I've given a bit of what I've heard and know of about Katrina. I live about 30 miles from New Orleans. Lucky for me, my town made it out ok for the most part. The only damage suffered to my house is the loss of two trees and the fact it needs a new roof now.

Two things come to mind.
First , after what already happened , why are they still there. You can pitch a tent anywhere. Would you stay in a flood critical area with Hurricane season approaching, not to mention the potential health issues from what happened there?
Secondly , you live 30 miles from there? How many victims are staying at your house?
I won't even go into the "depend on everyone else attitude" that allowed those people to be there during the situation in the first place , but lessons obviously haven't been learned. A check can be sent anywhere , or funds can be withdrawn from an account anywhere. Why are there still people there in harms way after all this time?

 

[g8wayrebel]

Originally posted by: thecoroner
New Orleans is the second largest port in the world (the title of largest belongs to Rotterdam). It is also important historically. Before Katrina, it was the 28th most populous city in the United States.

And besides, we PAY TAXES TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. How is someone we pay money to for protection not responsible for helping us after a hurricane?

And like loup garou said, the federal government didn't do its job with the levees. They should have withstoud the hurricane (it was under category 3 strength in New Orleans). The Army Core of Engineers did a piss poor job. Why are we constructing our levees with dirt and steel when the Netherlands have much more advanced levees than us? Are we not the richest nation in the world?

ISN'T THAT WHAT INSURANCE IS FOR?????
I have to pay for insurance on my house to have it rebuilt if it gets destroyed , why shouldn't they? We should not have to pay to rebuild something because the owner chose to put his money in his pocket instead of buying insurance. No matter who is responsible for the accident , why is it ours to pay for.
If an uninsured peson hits my house with a vehicle and destroys it , my insurance pays to fix/rebuild it and I take the hit for the claim in future rate costs. I guess that only applies to the moral working class huh?
The reason we don't have the money for better levees is that the money goes to all the people who depend on the government for a living rather than earning one. That is one of the reasons NO was one of the most populous cities in the Nation.
I have saai it before and I'll say it again. If you had been giving away Big Screen TV's in Baton Rouge , the residents who were in NO and couldn't get out during Katrina would have found a way to not only get to BR to get , but would have found a way to return with that Big Screen TV.

Just a little addition to this. Perhaps it's time to consider the insurance companies themselves. They take in huge amounts of money , invest it , then put the profits in there pockets. It's kind of like the SS program. It should be there , but it's not. The problem is the self worth of the executives. Do you believe the CEO of an insurance company should be making $20,000,000 a year plus perks?
Should the CEO of any company?
Should a pro sports person?
How about a lawyer?
ENRON people!
Everyone from the document shredding accountants to the top of Enron should be tried under the RICO statutes and forfeit everyting they have to the people they screwed. The same goes for the pirates in the insurance industry. The Corporate leaders get theirs and you are left high and dry. If you justify the "make what you can" statement I have seen many times , you have no right to bitch.

Rant on pause!

 

[dmcowen674]

20,000 Katrina evacuees evicted onto streets.

Only a handful of trailers ever got set up that all of U.S. Taxpayers paid full price for.

They are all lined up along I-59 empty and will be sold for pennies on the dollar.

The U.S. is disgusting.

 

[colonel]

And besides, we PAY TAXES TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. How is someone we pay money to for protection not responsible for helping us after a hurricane?

I know how you feel brother and you are right to feel that way watching how your state is use like a dump for the federal

 

[FuzzyBee]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

The U.S. is disgusting.

What? Not singling out the Evil Republicans?

*sigh* One day, Dave, you'll say something insightful.