Mayor Nagin wants people to come back to N.O. The Feds don't.

[Redstone]

Theories?

This isn't flamebait. I won't criticize anyone for offering any kind of opinion or theory, and that's a promise.

I'm genuinely interested in hearing your opinions regarding why the Mayor seems to have such a sense of urgency in repopulating the city, even though the infrastructure doesn't look to be ready yet. (I'm not casting any aspersions on him; I just think he may have reasons that he doesn't feel comfortable sharing with the public.)

Yet the Feds don't want anyone to come back at all, though their rationale seems weak...they just say "we're not ready yet," without being specific at all about when they think the time might be right.

There's some kind of race going on here, methinks, but for the life of me, I can't fathom what's going on behind the scenes.

Can you?

Redstone

[datadiva]

1. They don't want

any witnesses to their greed.

[Stephanie]

2. they want to gentrify NOLA

Nagin is right to get people back to their property as soon as possible

[judy]

3. Stephanie, you nailed it...

Agreed...Nagin is trying to defend the people against the gentrification of NO, and to make sure that they can come back home instead of being pushed out.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. I agree...

...and put them to work reclaiming THEIR city.

[RC]

10. gen·tri·fi·ca·tion

gen·tri·fi·ca·tion ( jµn”tr…-f¹-k³“sh…n) n. 1. The restoration and upgrading of deteriorated urban property by the middle classes, often resulting in displacement of lower-income people.


For the lurkers and freepers among us.

[JuniperLea]

16. I agree

I think a lot of people stayed when told to leave for this reason as well.

[zippy890]

5. I've wondered about the same thing

why does Nagin want people back when there's no running water, toxins everywhere etc?

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. The areas that have been drained have running water

The pipes are backflushed and the restrictions are lifted at that point.

Electric is already coming back to sections of the city and businesses are starting to reopen.

I don't blame Nagin for trying to get the city going again, the sooner the better and the less likely BushCo will get to turn the place in Disney Land.

[zippy890]

20. what about the toxic crap from the water?

Bobby Kennedy Jr. on Ring of Fire was making it sound like seriously poisonous stuff that people shouldn't be around without wearing gas masks

[DoYouEverWonder]

27. St Bernard Parrish is toast

from the sounds of it. But there are large areas that aren't that much worse then they were before the storm. New Orleans has had the worst drinking water in the country for decades.

Toxins and mold? They were there already too. NO floods any time it rains and they already lived in one of the most toxic places in the US.

People need to be told what they are going back to and be instructed on how to take proper precautions but it should be up to the individual not BushCo at this point.

[kestrel91316]

29. What does "toxic crap from the water" have to do with the Garden

District or French Quarter?? They didn't flood.

I hate to suggest this, but is entirely possible that Bobby Kennedy Jr. is being just a tiny bit alarmist.

STAY OUT OF THE FLOOD WATER and DON'T DRINK IT. Pretty basic. No need to panic. If people on-scene are smelling lots of petroleum fumes and don't like it then they are free to leave. If they are willing to take the risk of harm, let them stay.

[LiberalFighter]

38. Who are his base when elections are held?

Does he want to risk having them kept out possible locked out and unable to vote in the next election?

[kestrel91316]

25. Where did you hear he was wanting people back into the parts of the city

that don't have running water?? The reason they have to do things in stages is because it's taking a while for the water to get running and treated/potable again.

What specific toxins would you be referring to, say, in the Garden district or the French Quarter, and where are they located?

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. I hate to agree with the feds....

But I would have difficulty living in a city without clean running water, dependable phone or 911 service.

[kestrel91316]

30. About the water, read post #14

[Aviation Pro]

7. Yes....

...he is unbelievably right. We've already seen that the federal government is run by incompetent morons. Why should anyone take their advice anymore?

(Note: the incompetence is found in the highest levels of government, not the average worker bees who, for the most part, are dedicated professionals working under very trying circumstances).

[xray s]

8. Nagin's a business guy at heart

I think he just wants to get the city moving again. He wants to get business up and running. That means tax dollars coming in.

I think it may be as simple as that.

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. I fear that is it too.

[SeattleGirl]

18. That may be true (don't know a whole lot about Nagin)

but on the other side of the coin, getting businesses up and running means there are jobs for people to go back to if they are still around, or for those who are still there to have. If there is no business, no commerce, how will people survive? Much as business gets a bad knock (and oftentimes deservedly so), they also serve a good purpose, i.e. providing goods and services, and providing incomes for people.

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. At this point my #1 concern is for the health of the people. Property is

very important, yes, so are jobs, but none of that does you a lot of good if you get sick from the toxic sludge. Esp if there are no healthcare services to deal with any illnesses that arise from exposure to God Knows What.

[kestrel91316]

33. Where have they found "toxic sludge" in the French Quarter or

the Garden District???? They didn't flood. Last I heard, sludge lacked a means to get up and walk around.

[GreenPartyVoter]

40. Is it in the water? Are there any airborn microbes around?

[Raksha]

49. Not necessarily.

Re >>Last I heard, sludge lacked a means to get up and walk around.<<

SOME sludge has no trouble walking around.

Examples:
George W. Bush
Dick Cheney
Donald Rumsfeld
Condoleezza Rice
etc. etc. etc.

Sorry...that was just too good to resist!

[SeattleGirl]

34. GreenPartyVoter,

I hope my post regarding the importance of business to communities didn't sound like I was putting business before people. I am 100% in agreement with you that the health of people (and animals) is the most important thing. I was thinking more along the lines of getting the areas in NOLA that are not buried in the toxic sludge up and running to help the city start to recover (though of course, just opening a few businesses is only a small part of the enormous job it's going to be to help NOLA and the other affected areas recover).

[GreenPartyVoter]

41. Oh, no. I never thought you were putting biz ahead of people *hugs*

[SeattleGirl]

43. Thanks GPV! *hugs* back to you!

[xray s]

21. yes but...

if the interests of business comes before public health and safety...you get a disaster.

sop in the usa.

[kestrel91316]

32. You get a Gold Star for common sense. Thank you.

[gatorboy]

15. That could be true.

He's already stated that the city has zero money now to pay any of the city workers.

[OzarkDem]

48. He probably knows

that Bushco won't be giving the city much in the way of financial assistance and needs those tax revenues to keep meeting payroll, maintaining services, airport, etc.

Bushco will no doubt give billions to the gambling casinos, developers, energy companies, and a few high profile infrastructure projects, but won't be giving much to the city itself.

[SeattleGirl]

9. Been thinking about that myself.

One thought I had regarding the Mayor wanting people to come back sooner rather than later is that maybe he doesn't want "Disneyland on the Gulf" like many at DU also fear. He said he wants the city to breath again, and I cannot blame him. If something of this magnitude happened here in Seattle, I would want the city to come back to life asap.

Regarding the Feds, I have suspicions about their motives (Disneyland on the Gulf), but I also think they are expressing concern about some real problems in NOLA -- the fetid poisonous water, the lack of clean water, and the mold. Some molds can literally kill people, and I've seen a lot of footage showing the mold, which looks horrendous. So the Feds do have some good reasons for wanting people to stay out, at least out of the really hard-hit areas, until things get cleaned up.

It's a nightmare no matter what your view.

[kestrel91316]

35. The French Quarter and Garden District are in no sense of the word

a "nightmare". They merely lack reliable utilities, but that is rapidly being remedied. Water is running and possibly potable, electricity is being put back on line, trash pickup is starting again, the city is beginning to function in the least impacted areas. They will drain, clean up, and tear down or restore buildings and services over time.

[SeattleGirl]

37. I seem to be a little off kilter today....

No, those areas aren't a nightmare, and I did not stop to think about the specific areas the Mayor was talking about. Sorry 'bout that. Hopefully I will be more ON kilter tomorrow!

:hi:

[kestrel91316]

44. Check out wwltv.com and nola.com for local info - I use them for my

info rather than national news sources. I figure the locals DO know what is going on.

The schedules for re-entry to various areas are very informative.

[SeattleGirl]

45. Thanks for the links.

Didn't mean to imply that all of NOLA was destroyed, as I know that is not the case.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. He wants his city back

and I don't blame him.

Why in the world would he trust the feds at this point? They weren't there to help when he really needed them. If I was the mayor, I would want the feds out ASAP.

[Igel]

12. If people show up, and there aren't basic services, it

makes FEMA/feds look bad. Nagin can complain, and people will complain.

If people show up, and the feds get things running, Nagin can claim he pressured them, and deserves responsibility.

The only recourse by the feds would be to blame the mayor, or the people ('victims') that went back in too early.

Nagin: no downside, if the press breaks his way.
Feds: no real upside, if the press breaks Nagin's way.

Moreover, the faster there's economic activity, the faster he has a city. The faster he has a city, the faster he's really mayor of something. And the faster people come back, the less likely they are of reestablishing themselves elsewhere, and the less of a ding Nagin's city will take.

As for any supposed land grab: presumably there are deeds and such, and most of the territory Nagin wants repopulated wasn't flooded, anyway, at least not seriously.

[garthranzz]

17. Given the track records - go with Nagin

Jefferson Parish is largely up and running. I have a friend who's in his home, with electricity and running water. He's running his business from there. He took a tour of parts of Orleans today. Eerie. Police/NG/soldiers everywhere, Entergy (electric company) trucks and that's it.

Many business owners have gone back. What I haven't heard or seen, and would like to, is the location of the toxicity. I know mold will be a problem in many homes that were under water. Parts of the city, particularly in the east, will require years. But the "St. Charles corridor" - running from the French Quarter up St. Charles, for say a mile on either side, should be ready for occupancy soon. Electricity will be up. The only question is the water table. And considering how shrubco has polluted the EPA, can we trust what it reports? I'd rather go with the state assessment.

I'm planning on moving back in November sometime, and going back sooner to assess conditions. Tulane University is planning to open for the spring semester, and they've got to be sure the campus is not a health hazard.

I don't trust anything coming from the "administration." Anyone with a conscience or integrity should have resigned.

[skids]

22. I think this is hype.

The MSM is trying to make a conflict here where none exists.

Nagin would be crucified by his own people if he was the one telling them "no." They are all chomping at the bit to rush in and get blasted by hurricane Rita. So he did the math. Technically it isn't so dangerous that he can really stand there and say he has good ground to keep them out by force.

The army says no, they think it's too dangerous. The army would be crucified by, well, the army eats its own, but anyway, if they let people in and something happened it would be bad, bad, bad for them and they don't have to worry about NOLA residents' voting preferences.

Keep in mind the neighborhoods Nagin is letting in were lightly damaged, and if I am correct here, contain large groups of people who are likely gentrification advocates. Those who automatically side with every little thing that Nagin does need to do a bit of reading of his bio. I think he's got a lot of respect for the people of NOLA now that he's been through this, though, so it's hard to say what his motivations are as far as corporate elitism. However, one thing is for sure. He stands in these people's way, he gets voted out.

But are the army and Nagin going head to head? Nope. They are just both doing their own thing. It's the MSM that's trying to make it sound like a wrestling match.

[zippy890]

24. thanks, some sense there n/t

[Bumblebee]

23. I am not sure re that one and the possibility of self interest here

on his part for he needs the city back to be a mayor of something! The conditions are probably not there for any return yet.

[MercutioATC]

26. The PEOPLE want to come back...

They want to start rebuilding where they can. My take is that Nagin is just supporting the peoples' wishes.

[DoYouEverWonder]

31. After 2 hurricanes last year

No matter how bad it is, there is still no place like home. Even if it's a tent in the front yard. It's still better then life in a shelter.

[MercutioATC]

36. Hell, I'd want to go back if I lived in one of the less-affected areas.

I'd still be paying the mortgage. I'd want to start working on getting things fixed as soon as I could. I think most people would feel the same.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

28. I think the Mayor

has a few reasons for wanting people to come back. One is to avoid the gentrification of New Orleans and the other is to get business and tourism back up and running.

[applegrove]

39. Nagin is mayor. His interest is in people. Bush is president of corps

- he isn't president of anything else.

Think of tornado Rove. It hovers over LA, MS & AL and sends down a shoot. If the air is hot enough - and he has chosen a looser to rule through - he can let his tornado of neoconism touch down and suck up all the locals. And then rule through that structure to garner changes in thinking and votes for his 30 year rule.

If Nagin does it on a grass-roots & private property basis - this goes against tornado Rove.

Nagin is competition. Competition for voters. For control. For building a new structure.

Why would Rove want poeple to go back to LA and clean their property and fix the house and move on?

Why would Rove want this?

[Lindsay]

42. I don't know about Nagin, but I heard Mr. Broussard

from Jefferson Parish on the radio the other night, saying something on the order of, "Forget about the timetable we set. Just come home. Come home." (There were some heavily damaged areas where he told people to wait a few days.)

If Nagin is anything like Broussard (or me), he knows that the city is nothing without its people. The businesses are nothing without people.

And none of us trust the Federal Government any further than we could throw the Statue of Liberty.

[earth mom]

46. I saw this story on the news tonight-glad to see it here.

I support what Nagin is doing. It will make it more difficult for the * Inc cabal to steal property and profit from other peoples misery.

[Redstone]

47. Thanks, everyone, for pitching in; there's a lot of good thinking here.

I've seen a whole bunch of theories that confirm what I was thinking myself, plus some opinions that make me consider angles of the questions that I hadn't even thought about, and no tinfoil-hat stuff whatsoever.

Now, if the Federal Government could only harness the collective power of DU thought, we might be on the way to being able to solve some of the problems we face in America...

Redstone