Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, just said that it makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's seven feet under sea level.
"It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed," the Illinois Republican said to The Daily Herald of Arlington, Ill.
Hastert said, "We ought to take a second look at it. But you know we build Los Angeles and San Francisco on top of earthquake fissures and they rebuild too. Stubbornness."
He didn’t mention the fact that legislation that he had sponsored and signed had given money to the Army Corps of Engineers to build the ‘Industrial Canal’ in the center of the city.
The Industrial Canal was the first structure to fail.
He also did not mention that other legislation he has sponsored and signed helped to cut funding to the Army Corps of Engineer by nearly 40% over the past two years.
Maintenance of the levees, pumps and other systems has been neglected.
Loss of coastal areas that usually reduce the impact of such storms was due in no small part to legislation that Hastert sponsored and signed that loosened development rules along the Gulf Coast.
Hastert said nothing as thousands of technicians and engineers were sent to rebuild the entire country of Iraq.
It seems to me that Dennis Hastert makes no sense.
He also assisted this President in sending over 245,000 National Guard troops out of the country.
Instead of chipping in to help he has hindered. What‘s with Hastert?

3+ days under water with all those chemicals and debris bashing against the sides of buildings is going to lead to major amounts of rot. Much of the living quarters of the city will need to be bulldozed and rebuilt because the buildings will be uninhabitable. There is no way around that, irrelevant of political alignment it is necessary and sensible.

After months of being away without a home or job, many will just start new lives elsewhere. There is a huge amount of effort, time, and money needed to drain this wet city and take out the ruins.
We are looking at what may be a much smaller New Orleans, both population-wise and area-wise. Although we can count on the city to be rebuilt somewhat for financial reasons, tourism as well as its our largest port.

New Orleans is at the mouth of the Mississippi River. It's a major American port. Help your fellow Americans or get out of the country.

Dennis Hastert, the elderly, obese and apparently ignorant Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives should have learned that in elementary school like the rest of us did.

The city will be rebulit and then, after the people have grown rich again, as people do at the mouth of the largest river in the United States, they will decide to make it nice again. That's what happens.

Originally posted by cranston36
The city will be rebulit and then, after the people have grown rich again, as people do at the mouth of the largest river in the United States, they will decide to make it nice again. That's what happens.
And then it will be hit by another hurricane and flooded again. Really, why would anyone choose to live in a coastal area below sea level where there is a constant danger of hurricanes?

Originally posted by cranston36
Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, just said that it makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's seven feet under sea level.

I just heard that on the news......and as much as i have enjoyed the carnal pleasures of NewOrleans several times in the past, i have to agree with Hastert on this one.

It makes no sense.....especially if they want to (as they most certainly WILL) use MY taxdollars to do it.

If the people of that city come up with the money to rebuild it themselves.....more power to 'em.

But it is a BAD location for a city.

Originally posted by Freethinker
I just heard that on the news......and as much as i have enjoyed the carnal pleasures of NewOrleans several times in the past, i have to agree with Hastert on this one.

It makes no sense.....especially if they want to (as they most certainly WILL) use MY taxdollars to do it.

If the people of that city come up with the money to rebuild it themselves.....more power to 'em.

But it is a BAD location for a city.

i ABSOLUTELY agree FT....

*pigs fly by my house*

LOL

Do you think George Bush will allow Mexico to occupy the mouth of the Mississippi or will let the Communist Chinese just buy it?

Rebuilding the city is fine as long as they take precautions and make sure that all systems are up to date and keep them that way. It will be hard since of course it is under sea level...but make sure the levees are secure...make regular checks on them for cracks and such. Make sure the pumps are up to date as well(if i understood it right... I dont think they were). It will be a long hard road to take to do it right and alot of money will be spent to do it right...but if it is done right...it wont be so hard and devastating to the people if it does happen again.

The last I heard the reverend George W. Bush had refused offers of international aid to help with relief effort following Hurricane Katrina.
He turned down offers of assistance from Germany and Venezuela as soon as they were made – so the story goes.
Apparently Pastor Bush hasn’t been as honest with the American people as he has led many of them to believe or he didn’t have any concept of what was going on in his own country.
As of this writing the United States government has requested aid from Europe and NATO.
The Vatican is preparing to coordinate Catholic.
The president of Jefferson Parish in Louisiana had this to say, “We have been abandoned by our own country.”
Great Britain is sending 500,000 military ration packs. Over the past 2 decades British companies have extracted tens of billions of dollars from Louisiana in oil and gas.
Germany and Italy prepared military shipments of their own that can help alleviate the crisis.
The United States, which is occupying Iraq and Afghanistan, has requested blankets, first-aid kits, water trucks and food.
Condoleezza Rice, who was raised in Alabama stated, "Nobody, especially the president, would have left people unattended on the basis of race."
The response to Ms. Rice : Truly, many times in history people have been slaughtered based on race. In this case it seems that some people were left unattended on the basis of race, but the vast majority were left unattended on the basis of income and wealth.
Barbara Bush, former first lady and mother of the President said that the relocation for those Americans forced out of Louisiana is "working very well" in Texas. She said many of the people at the Astrodome were "underprivileged anyway."

Originally posted by cranston36
Dennis Hastert, the elderly, obese and apparently ignorant Speaker .....

And yet, when the Roberts hearings start, I bet you'll hang on Ted Kennedy's every word

Originally posted by cranston36
The last I heard the reverend George W. Bush had refused offers of international aid to help with relief effort following Hurricane Katrina. He turned down offers of assistance from Germany and Venezuela as soon as they were made – so the story goes.

Newspaper accounts seem to indicate that you heard incorrectly.

Originally posted by cranston36
The Vatican is preparing to coordinate Catholic.

Huh?

Originally posted by cranston36
Great Britain is sending 500,000 military ration packs. Over the past 2 decades British companies have extracted tens of billions of dollars from Louisiana in oil and gas.

Are these related thoughts, and if so, what do they have to do with anything?
Germany and Italy prepared military shipments of their own that can help alleviate the crisis.

“As actors, it’s our duty to read articles in the newspaper and pass them off as our own opinions." - Puppet Garafalo, Team America - World Police

Originally posted by cranston36
“As actors, it’s our duty to read articles in the newspaper and pass them off as our own opinions." - Puppet Garafalo, Team America - World Police

I see . . .

No wait, I don't.

Originally posted by LionelHutz
I see . . .

No wait, I don't.

You're not the only one...:confused:

I think it takes a nation of overabundance to even think of rebuilding a coastal city so far below sea level after a natural disaster such as this. Before we just go throwing money away, we should try to do everything possible to avoid this ever happening again. I dont think this is possible, given all the particulars involved.