Give New Orleans Residents an Opportunity to Rebuild (Decatur Daily)

[NorthernSpy]

Great editorial in the Decatur Daily! The paper calls for organizing something along the lines of the Works Progress Administration so that the money for rebuilding New Orleans can stay in New Orleans and in the pockets of the people of that city:

... What's to keep the federal government from setting up a Works Progress Administration like that of the Great Depression to help these victims help themselves?

It doesn't take much learning time to master a chainsaw. Most people can learn to drive a nail straight within a few hours; and they need the money that goes with the cleanup.

Most of them have lost everything. They've got to start over. So why not give the victims the first opportunity at these jobs, even if they require on-the-job training?

(...)

Big corporations such as Halliburton may be able to do things more efficiently, but paying storm victims to do the work will keep the money in New Orleans where it is desperately needed.

Of course, we know that Halliburton actually can't do much of anything "efficiently", but the editorial is spot-on in any case: even if rebuilding with Halliburton were more efficient, the greater need is to make sure that the resources pumped into the area stay there and that the people who were displaced have some kind of livelihood. Bringing the displaced back to rebuild their city can accomplish both of those ends.

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/opinion/editorials/051007a.shtml