Let's start by ascertaining the blame.

All the FedGov can do is throw money at the city/state. The Posse Comitatus Act prevents the use of federal troops to enforce civilian laws. That includes Nat'l Guard under federal control.

The governor also controls the Nat'l Guard. Under that authority, the Guard can be used for civilian law enforcement in some circumstances. But Guard units are mostly military - tanks, planes, that kind of thing. With the exception of MP units, they don't have law enforcement training.

From the article, it sure looks like enough Guardsmen (persons) were on duty during Mardi Gras. Yet there were still shootings very near parade routes.

Police are under the mayor's control. We know 'ol Chocolate City Ray is an idiot. If we didn't, the article makes it fairly clear he's misusing police resources. Sure, some of what he's doing is good for city coffers. As the article notes, the cops need to be used for crime prevention and criminal capture. Real criminal, not parking and speeding criminals.

You figure out who you want to blame from that.

Then remember the city after Katrina. A fair portion of the people who did not flee were those you do not want. Small time crooks who thought they could make a killing robbing abandoned homes. Drug dealers who expected to expand their territory while the competition was out of town. Assorted crime cartels including the Dixie Mafia (<== Click) maintained a presence. Members of this unsavory cast were also among the first to return in large numbers.

The city also had a major welfare population prior to Katrina. Petty crime and seemingly random killings were way too common before Katrina. The return of that portion of the population only made problems worse.

Gov Blanco, was incompetent to handle a Katrina Sized disaster. The new one, Bobby Jindal, seems to be working on the problems she left behind.

They reelected the same Mayor. No improvement there. Probably no improvement to the corruption in the city police either.

I was there about 3 weeks ago. For whatever reason, there are lots of people living openly under the overpasses. Even down on Canal Street.

But the major business and tourist areas seem to be up and running as well as before the storm. That means there are jobs. And jobs mean recovery.

The city will come back sooner or later. As long as they keep reelecting the same local management, figure it will be later.

Some of this is from news. Some from people I talk to who live in the immediate surroundings. N.O., Gretna, places like that. Take it for what it's worth.

With all this talk about climate change, I wonder if hurricanes will continue to be a high risk in New Orleans?

Fromz has given a good picture.

I'll add that the mindset that it is the responsibility of the central government to rebuild the city is essentially flawed.

Furthermore, several areas should not be rebuilt. I suggest that the city would be safer from floods if it returned to the boundaries of the old Crescent City. That won't happen.

Fromz

I have to agree with you about the former Governor of LA! What incompetence!

Now here's a really good example of why an MBA should not be running the country...

"All the FedGov can do is throw money at the city/state."

That is a load if I've ever heard one. Who goes around tossing out millions or billions of dollars without any accounting for where the money goes?

Veg,

You would find it hard to believe how poor the accounting of our government agencies is.

Not just money, either, although we're talking Big Money. A few years ago the BATF "lost" a number of their own machine guns.

Of course, in the case of aid to state and local governments, the money is usually handed over for specific purposes, but the local outfits do what they please. No accounting as a business would understand it. Sometimes some of the money is actually spent on the intended purpose.

My point. Here's a BIG change that we, who actually once OWNED this money, should demand... accountability?????