New Orleans, my beloved hometown, is 'œdying,' said Brian Schwaner in the Associated Press. Two years after being devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the Big Easy is still a cesspool of physical ruin, broken lives, and neglect. More than 160,000 residents'”about 40 percent of the population'”have left, probably never to return. Once-flourishing middle-class neighborhoods are rotting ghost towns, choked with weeds and scarred by 'œgruesome' graffiti. Many schools, transit routes, and firehouses remain closed; electricity, garbage collection, and other basic services haven't been fully restored. Drugs, crime, and mental-health problems are rampant. 'œI can't believe this is the United States and, after so long, so much is still not fixed,' said Tulane University researcher Melanie Ehrlich. 'œIt's scandalous, unforgivable.'
So much for President Bush's 'œrosy promises' about the city's future, said Jason Berry in The Boston Globe. Instead of a coordinated federal, state, and local recovery effort, residents have gotten bureaucratic bungling and 'œstillborn' initiatives. The Army Corps of Engineers is four years away from rebuilding the all-important levee system to withstand a direct hit by the strongest hurricanes. Road Home, the $8 billion state-run and federally funded program to help homeowners rebuild, is going broke. 'œStories abound of insurance companies short-shrifting policy holders,' leaving thousands with homes they cannot afford to repair. Don't blame the stagnated revival on 'œred tape alone,' said Douglas Brinkley in The Washington Post. Consumed with Iraq, the White House isn't interested in making the 'œherculean' commitment in money and willpower that's required to turn things around. It's as if this administration's heartless social Darwinists are content to let the city's poorer neighborhoods 'œdie on the vine.'
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 18, 2024Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - a rocky road, innovative legislation, and more
-
5 arguably hilarious cartoons about the 2024 presidential debateCartoons Artists take on the candidates' age gap, sleepyheads, and more
-
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: a solid summer blockbusterThe Week Recommends The big-money movie might be 'a bit silly' but the effects are excellent
