The rest of NOLA should strictly be a tourist destination paid for by the private sector.
The state of LA should dissolve and parts of it can merge with surronding states.
I agree. I also know it's not going to ever be resolved that straightforwardly and sensibly, unfortunately.
What I've long opined is that the port should be rebuilt, a causeway of concrete and steel that can withstand substantial hurricane and flood onset be built to the port from inland Louisiana, and then the rest be left to the private sector and/or the Mississippi River and surrounding water level and natural conditions. The French Quarter can continue as quaint antiquity for tourists and the rest, let it be rebuilt if private industry has a plan without high density rental housing.
In fact, little to no rental housing, at least that which is supported by public dollars. Any publicly funded room, apartment, house or structure then built, rebuilt inland and among more realistic territory, if at all.
If private homeowners are bought out or lent, make it a one-shot responsibility: stay and rebuild and receive nothing more, ever, if remaining in that area (rebuild at your own risk) or leave and rebuild elsewhere.
I'm still not clear on why people would even want to rebuild in the NO area, and what is wrong with building somewhere nearby but in better circumstance, less risky geography.
I like the idea of a fine causeway to keep and maintain the ports as working well, and the ports as working well, but the rest of it, let private enterprise build floats, moats around structures, or whatever, but what they rebuild is their responsibility.
By the mere fact that taxpayers are paying for private homes and approaching $100,000. for each, well, that is a huge amount of money for the taxpayers to poney up for all the indivduals there. Just huge. Not huge in relationship to the property values pre-flood/storm, but huge when you think about that being, literally, money donated from the public to individuals in need. It's a lot of money many times over.
Louisiana has lost perspective. Or has never established perspective. The Senator is, quite literally, sounding like a spoiled, and quite petulent, child.
But then we'd have to take a star out of every flag! Think of the mild annoyances! lol