OPINION:
On an oil rig off the coastline of New Orleans, John McCain touted offshore drilling and oil exploration on Tuesday, and the potential that exists for finding new energy sources. “This rig survived a hurricane,” Mr. McCain said. What may have been lost among observers was the symbolism represented as the visit fell on the heels of the third anniversary of the devastating hurricane that slaughtered the Gulf Coast.
President Bush arrived yesterday in New Orleans to remind Americans that the city “would return” after Hurricane Katrina. Actually, he said in 2005 (standing in Jackson Square), and thereafter that it would return “better and stronger.” The latter was left out of his remarks this go-round, as progress has been much slower than anticipated - crime is on the rise, re-population remains stagnant at around 70 percent, bickering between government entities persists and “better and stronger” isn’t something that can actually be measured with any certainty.
What can be said of the recovery, aside from FEMA’s consistent “head-in-the-sand” missteps, is that $126 billion tax dollars have been committed to the effort - most of which is in the hands of state and local officials. The Army Corps of Engineers has repaired 220 miles of levees and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has dispersed more than $2.6 billion to care for the poor and uninsured.
Most promising is the federal government’s shift in focus that does away with the old, failing system which put residents at risk, to be replaced with a more stable, transparent and accountable structure - from levee replacement to a housing system that moves low-income residents (the majority of whom suffered most) and from government-run housing projects to more stable, permanent mixed-income communities.
The education system is another shining success story of what can happen when school choice and competition are allowed to flourish - better test scores and the 80-plus new charter schools now makeup 50 percent of public schools currently operating in New Orleans.
Mr. McCain, who has frequently mentioned New Orleans recovery in speeches and town hall meetings, credits the educational gains among the city’s successes, in addition to the ability of people over government to get the job done. “New Orleans could not have been on the path - and they’ve got a long way to go - on the path to recovery if it hadn’t have been for the faith-based organizations who are still operating in New Orleans, much to their credit, and thank God,” Mr. McCain said on Saturday.
Millions of volunteers, also known as “armies of compassion,” have been an integral part of the re-building effort, along with the can-do spirit of a community determined to restore all that was lost. With full levee restoration slated for completion by 2011, New Orleans appears to be on its way.
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