Thank you for your kind and temperate comments.
As for being wary of lawyers, I hope you never need one. At least, not for the purposes of litigation.
I believe that the common law system of justice is one of the crown jewels of our civilization. But it's a rough business.
It beats the alternatives, though. In most parts of the world, if you are damaged through the fault of someone else, you have no recourse whatsoever, just suck it up.
But I didn't set out for this thread to be a referendum on me, or on lawyers, or the American legal system.
Others, who know a lot more about engineering than I do, have pointed out that it appears that the flood controls in New Orleans were improperly designed, improperly constructed, and improperly maintained.
If so, the onus -- it appears to me -- ultimately falls on the Army Corps of Engineers, who are charged with flood control in the region.
If so, the people who lost everything may have legal recourse, and I can't help but think that's a good thing. A lot of business owners who were the backbone of the community for generations have lost everything. People who never asked for a handout in their lives.
I don't think they are greedy parasites if they seek compensation.
And if you do, or anyone does, it's a free country, they're entitled to their opinion.
What do you have to say about flood insurance, which is nearly free, considering that taxpayers pay the burden for people who choose to live in unsafe areas?
Shouldn't flood insurance cover those who purchased it? I mean the chances of being flooded in NOLA are (and were) 100 percent.