Rebuilding the Coast...

I have seen a lot on TV lately about the rebuilding efforts after Katrina.

I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist, but I have too tell you that if you are in the deep south and have 16,000 trailers for people to live in and several months into reconstruction you only have 600 of them up you are doing something wrong... and someone, somewhere is messing with the government.

I have seen southerners with an IQ under 70 set up more than one trailer in a day. I could take care of this situation within 48 hours. First, you have a big meeting and you give everyone a key to their trailer. Then tell them that if they "ain't set up by nightfall, in a place with electric and septic- you don't get to keep 'em. " And I can gar-on-tee you that all 16,000 would be set up by 4 O'clock, leaving the other 38 hours to... Drink beer? Set up more trailers?

I saw a project where FEMA was building a new trailer park- complete with paved streets and street lights... And just down the road is a man who owns a trailer park- with hookups already in place, roads and all- it just needed to be cleaned off and he would have room for 150 people- so WHY are they building a brand new place (probably on land rented at an exorbitant price) when they could be cleaning up the already built place, which has to be done anyways. The man who owned the trailer park had already cleaned a number of lots that where ready to house trailers but Noooo, the government wouldn't allow people to move their trailers down there.


If I were Philosopher King I would have everyone moved into the trailers already, would have the lower 9th ward cleaned out, and be deciding house by house which could be rebuilt and have crews ready to go on each house as approved. Think Henry Ford and assembly lines...

Of course, if they're smart, New Orleans could really do some outstanding social improvements here- like insisting on concrete pillars for support (stronger and termite resistant- termites are a huge problem down there.) more insulation, raised floors. All flooded homes must have their inside walls removed to the level of the water- thus it would be such a good time to reduce electric demand through insulation and stop flood damage through raising the floors.

I hope the plan they design is functional and that they spend more on the people than on the plan. I wouldn't bet on it, though.