Apply the Patch, Then Reboot


So, a new report is out on the structural failure of the levee and floodwall system during Hurricane Katrina. Short version: bad design/construction, poor maintence, neglect, etc., all contributed to the disaster. World Class New Orleans makes a good point:

Yet another report shows that New Orleanians have been defrauded by the Army Corps of Engineers. As will be shown in an upcoming post--inspired by helpful comments by a guy writing under the pseudonym "MikeMoser," the real estate and insurance markets were for years distorted by the intervention of the ACOE; people built and insured homes in an area that was not as safe as the government led us to believe. Thus, costs did not reflect realities.

Raymond B. Seed, a professor of engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and the chief author of the report, said, "People died because mistakes were made," he said, "and because safety was exchanged for efficiency and reduced cost."

Nobody here wants to whine about this. We just want well-paid government professionals (and even-better-paid government consultants) to explain what flood protection is possible, what it will cost, and how the cost will be assessed to citizens. That's all. Then we can all make decisions about our futures.

I'll add the following, which relates to my post below: this gives the wingnut crowd yet another chance, and it'll be interesting to see what they make of it. They can either get to work fixing the system...perhaps even adopting, in part or whole, the suggestion on the part of the Independent Levee Investigation Team for a comprehensive National Flood Defense Authority...or they can whine, make excuses, and blame, in no particular order, Bill Clinton, liberals, Bill Clinton, liberals, Jimmy Carter, liberals, Kathleen Blanco, Ray Nagin, the Landrieu family, and/or Bill Clinton...in other words, reiterate their entire domestic agenda to date.

Of course, they could also opt for a domestic version of Operation Enduring Clusterfuck, that is, throw massive amounts of money down here--and end up with nothing to show for it--but I doubt that will happen: too much of the wingnut agenda is specifically geared towards treating "those people" punitively (I presume everyone knows what they mean when referring to "those people"). In fact, the storm gave them the perfect opportunity to display their inner racist...once they got back from vacation, of course.

I also see, thanks to Suspect Device, that the 'nuts are already off to the races with both this AND the "let's abandon New Orleans" themes...well, to hell with 'em...and here's hoping they either freeze to death in the dark next winter, or suffer some similar fate. But their batshit insane rantings don't absolve--for a second--the responsibilty that rests with the national government at present. Once inaugurated, you don't get to pick and choose when you'll be responsible.

The levees and floodwalls failed on THEIR watch. Now it's THEIR responsibility to get them fixed. Again, citing my post below, if they don't, won't or can't, then call them what they are--FAILURES--and get someone in who can.