Democratic Conversation

Hurricane Katrina is in the news again. As an anniversary, that is. The anniversary also notoriously celebrates the fact that the federal government, disaster agencies, and insurance companies have yet to do all that much for the destroyed areas, the city, or the people who have lost everything. I have nothing but scorn for the Bush administration’s failures to help the people, and the insurance companies who refuse to pay people for their losses, and to the disaster-relief agencies that refuse to help the people yet needing help.

However, we all must face facts: whatever has not yet been rebuilt of New Orleans should never be rebuilt. The lands that sit below sea level? Clear the trash and give that land back to the animals and plants that once lived there. It’s pretty simple as to why an official No-Rebuild Policy should be put into effect where a de-facto one already exists: there is no money to rebuild the portion of New Orleans that has been destroyed simply to say We Can Do It!

We cannot do it. We cannot pay for it. Not now, not in the future. And what’s more, the greater American public should not have to foot the bill. I don’t give a damn if its white, black, creole, or Native Americans who were wiped out. The flood planes on which that part of New Orleans stood were a disaster waiting to happen. And so the hurricane came, and the disaster took place. Now its time to move on. Hell, most of the displaced people are effectively relocated already, and by most accounts they enjoy their new homes. They have gotten on with their lives, so why can’t the politicians, the media, the Rebuild N.O. bloggers, and the few remaining holdouts who want to return to the dump site, why can’t they all move on?

The reason, once again, is money. Everyone wants a piece of the phantom pie called “tax bail-out.” Well, that’s what insurance is for, that’s what disaster agencies are for. If you don’t think you got enough, then sue the bastards. This is, after all, America. And when you’ve gotten all you can, move on. Move out. Move away.

Life will go on.