Topic: Healthy pockets before healthy lives
msharmony's photo
Sat 11/21/09 12:54 AM
this just in,,,,


Hurricane Katrina is often called a natural disaster, as if it was all nature's fault, not man's. The reality, of course, is that federal, state and local governments ignored warnings from scientists for years, both that climate change would lead to increased storm activity, and that destruction of wetlands outside of New Orleans had hurt the city's natural defenses against a storm surge. Calls for fixing levees and infrastructure investments went unheeded while the doctrine of markets and profits held sway.

This week, a federal district judge finally ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers was indeed responsible for part of the devastation in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward and parts of St. Bernard Parish.

The failure of the Corps to recognize the hazards wetland destruction had created was "clearly negligent on the part of the Corps," said U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. "Furthermore, the Corps not only knew, but admitted by 1988 [the threats to human life] and yet it did not act in time to prevent the catastrophic disaster that ensued."



What a shock huh? People putting their pockets ahead of others lives...? I hope the dont ask me to care about anyone else culture doesnt expand too far. The same folks we ignore and look down on when we are going up,,may just be folks we need on our way back down.

JustAGuy2112's photo
Sat 11/21/09 02:33 AM
Wanna know the BIGGEST warning everyone ignored???

THEY BUILT AN ENTIRE CITY BELOW SEA LEVEL!!!

Hurricanes come into the Gulf of Mexico on a very regular basis. Did no one ever stop to think " Hey...ya know...maybe building a city basically under water isn't such a good idea "???

Of course, this is the same country that has an extremely large city ( Las Vegas ) built in the middle of a freaking desert. The same country that allowed a city ( Los Angeles ) to be built in an area where earthquakes are a regular occurrence.

New Orleans is just the same old thing.

" It's not OUR fault. Someone else should have made sure we were safe. "

I consider it to be on the same level as the idiots who rebuild their houses ( more than ONCE ) after a hurricane destroys it. Also the people who live in Tornado Alley and put their houses back in the exact same place that just got blown to hell and back.


msharmony's photo
Sat 11/21/09 02:38 AM

Wanna know the BIGGEST warning everyone ignored???

THEY BUILT AN ENTIRE CITY BELOW SEA LEVEL!!!

Hurricanes come into the Gulf of Mexico on a very regular basis. Did no one ever stop to think " Hey...ya know...maybe building a city basically under water isn't such a good idea "???

Of course, this is the same country that has an extremely large city ( Las Vegas ) built in the middle of a freaking desert. The same country that allowed a city ( Los Angeles ) to be built in an area where earthquakes are a regular occurrence.

New Orleans is just the same old thing.

" It's not OUR fault. Someone else should have made sure we were safe. "

I consider it to be on the same level as the idiots who rebuild their houses ( more than ONCE ) after a hurricane destroys it. Also the people who live in Tornado Alley and put their houses back in the exact same place that just got blown to hell and back.




I love ya just,, but I have to disagree with the comparison. Whether its to their benefit or not,, most americans expect the homes and communities they invest in to be safe. They expect contractors to build safe homes and police to keep safe communities. Most know little about what the TERRAIN might have been before the beautiful community they now live in was erected. I dont think its unreasonable to expect that the home you are being sold is safe and I dont necessarily believe it is the blame of someone who expects a certain safety for their investment. In this example though, those who TOOK the money for their services did not adequately perform them and it could have cost many more lives than necessary.

JustAGuy2112's photo
Sat 11/21/09 02:46 AM
Edited by JustAGuy2112 on Sat 11/21/09 02:47 AM
That's fair enough.

However...I know that if I am making an investment as large as a home, I am going to want to know what kind of hazards there are to be found.

Think about this....people in California build their homes on the sides of hills. They then get all kinds of upset when their house winds up at the BOTTOM of the hill after a mudslide. Does this make a lick of sense to you??

New Orleans was basically the same idea. The people themselves may not have known, but everyone who has ever held any kind of position of power in that city DID know. They allowed the areas that were well below sea level to be zoned as residential areas.

I am not taking any blame from the ACOE. However, I lay just as much blame with the people who ran the city.

The city leaders could have done a lot to improve the levee system themselves. After all, city and state leaders are awfully good at raising taxes. Why couldn't they set up a millage or other tax increase to hire engineers themselves rather than lay it all on the ACOE?? Had the city done that, then the ACOE, in all probability, would have taken notice and actually heeded the city's call.

willing2's photo
Sat 11/21/09 07:07 AM
Another consideration.
With unemployment high, competion is in favor of the employer. Are the contractors hiring compitent workers or are they subcontracting the levi reinforcing jobs to the cheapest bids?

The point of folks building below sea level is a valid point that has been proven for many years. I've seen it. I was raised on the Ms. Gulf Coast.

msharmony's photo
Sat 11/21/09 08:32 AM

That's fair enough.

However...I know that if I am making an investment as large as a home, I am going to want to know what kind of hazards there are to be found.

Think about this....people in California build their homes on the sides of hills. They then get all kinds of upset when their house winds up at the BOTTOM of the hill after a mudslide. Does this make a lick of sense to you??

New Orleans was basically the same idea. The people themselves may not have known, but everyone who has ever held any kind of position of power in that city DID know. They allowed the areas that were well below sea level to be zoned as residential areas.

I am not taking any blame from the ACOE. However, I lay just as much blame with the people who ran the city.

The city leaders could have done a lot to improve the levee system themselves. After all, city and state leaders are awfully good at raising taxes. Why couldn't they set up a millage or other tax increase to hire engineers themselves rather than lay it all on the ACOE?? Had the city done that, then the ACOE, in all probability, would have taken notice and actually heeded the city's call.



Great points, I just hope that something was learned from the whole fiasco to help those in powerful positions make better choices for citizens in the future.