What should the aftermath of a flood look like? In 1900 Galveston, Texas, was damaged much worse than N.O. and no federal aid was forthcoming, nor expected. It was rebuilt by the people who wanted to rebuild it and it has been a thriving city for over a century since then.
Surely you are not saying Texans are tougher than Cajuns! :-)
The people who live in New Orleans (Creoles) predate the Cajuns. And my own Louisiana ancestors predate both! (1720, Pointe Coupee.)
But that's beside the point.
What "should be" or "should not be" are questions for public policy wonks, and ultimately for voters.
I am a lawyer. I don't deal in "what should be" or "what should not be." I deal in "what is."
And I am just telling it like it is. We can pay them now, or we can pay them later, but one way or the other, we will pay.
The Baker Plan means buying up these properties at sixty cents on the dollar. If we wait, we'll ultimately have to buy them up at 100 cents on the dollar, plus legal fees.
Not to mention what the default and bankruptcy of 300,000 people will do to our economy.