Where are they going to put all of these people? And I am serious. Where are they going to put all of these people?
Reader Interactions
19Comments
Comments are closed.
by John Cole| 19 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
Where are they going to put all of these people? And I am serious. Where are they going to put all of these people?
Comments are closed.
Trent
Those communists at MoveOn.org have set up a database for people to offer and request housing.
Word is, they have 30-40K offers. That might help.
Fucking terrorists…
jobiuspublius
To locations where they can not take their anger out on Dear Leader at the polls.
Miller
There must be tens thousands of available rooms in the South at budget hotels. The Fall is the low season in most of this area. The rooms could likely be rented by the month at attractive rates. Relief agencies and governments could share the cost.
Anderson
Tent cities just don’t seem an option … it’s summer in the South until October at best.
It’s going to be awful whatever happens. The long-term suffering is going to make 9/11 seem minor by comparison.
Btw, here’s Newt Gingrich:
Oops, he didn’t get the memo—we’re not allowed to ask these questions yet. Maybe next month. Watch your local conservative blog for exact dates.
But looking at what Newt says, the next week or two would be a splendid time for a big Qaeda attack, while we’re still whipped from this one.
neil
I read somewhere that the military was going to be charged with constructing some housing. But since I can’t find a link, I will turn to snark instead.
Maybe someone should ask Michelle Malkin — I heard she had an idea for housing thousands of displaced ethnic minorities.
pmm
While the differences outweigh the similarities, the scale of the displaced person crisis reminds me of Bosnia. I wonder if USAID, the State Department, or the NGO’s that focus on this sort of thing overseas should be standing up teams and getting ready for that phase of recovery operations.
Trent
Snark much appreciated! HA!
pmm
That’s some pretty good snark.
Tim F
Here is one answer. You’ll love who’s organizing it.
Cromagnon
How many can they hold at the Crawford ranch??
Lis Riba
There must be tens thousands of available rooms in the South at budget hotels. The Fall is the low season in most of this area.
Via
docG
I’m sure “Brownie” could tell you. He’s doing a fantastic job, as I hear it. Or perhaps Mayor Nagin has his panties pulled up by now and has some ideas beside name calling and hand flapping. Appears to be a great deal of bi-partisan, multi-jurisdiction recto-cranial inversion in this mess. Colin Powell, where are you?
Phil Smith
While some of the commenters here were sitting around showing their asses, the biggest Evil Republican(tm) that I personally know was out paying for hotel rooms for evacuees.
If you haven’t personally given until it hurts, you are a “chicken-benefactor”. And before you shitheels even ask, yes, I have.
jobiuspublius
Some people find them selves needing rescue if they give till it hurts.
Phil Smith
Indeed, jobius. And that’s how much I expect the loudmouthed fucksticks to give. The amount is irrelevant — show how much they care about their fucking neighbors.
Or are they just going to cavil about this from their keyboards instead?
CaseyL
I think what John meant is, where will all those people go long term?
They can’t stay in hotels for the rest of their lives, or with the people volunteering to share their homes.
At some point, they need to make a permanent new start. They need houses, jobs, clothes, housewares, schools, cars… everything.
How many people in NOLA had insurance at all, much less enough insurance to replace everything?
How many businesses in NOLA had enough insurance to get started again? How many people who owned and operated businesses in NOLA are even still alive?
Even outside NOLA… look at the Guld Coast of Mississippi. Look at all those collapsed casinos. They were supposed to be the next best hope for a chronically impoverished, chronically underemployed population. How many of them will rebuild? Esp. if the changes in the weather, the increased likelihood of devastating hurricanes, are permanent?
Private enterprise can’t do it: private enterprise is supposed to turn a profit, and the Gulf Coast won’t be profitable for years. Even if major corporations are willing to do some heavy lifting on this – and some are – their shareholders won’t stand for it. The latest estimate I heard of economic losses is $100 billion – and that doesn’t include projected costs of long-term job loss.
So that leaves the government. That leaves the government to plan and budget for a recovery effort unprecedented in our history. And where is the government supposed to get the money? We’re already running $300-400 billion deficits every year – and that doesn’t include Iraq.
A tax increase? Sure – right after pigs sprout wings.
Cut social services, SocSec, and Medicare to the bone? Right when those programs are most desperately needed? Yeah: that makes sense.
Oh, and none of this even begins to address the probability of more Katrinas. If the weather change is permanent, there are going to be more Katrinas.
notamerican
you need a reality based gov’t and this whole “spin” thing needs to stop… you guys (‘murkins left and right wingers) look ridiculous.
has bush ever FIRED anyone?
Anderson
Paul O’Neill.
scs
About 30% of New Orleans residents are below the poverty line. I would guess that a large portion of the refugees were from the poorest segment of New Orleans, meaning that most of them were probably below the poverty line. People below the poverty line usually get public assistance provided by the Federal Government. In a way, the poor may be the most likely to rebound from this because they will most likely continue to get their assistance any place they move to in the immediate future. Hence they don’t have to worry about immediate income coming in or only moving to certain areas where there specific job skills are needed and they are actually the most free to move to any state. The challenge will be to find housing for them. I think every state should be asked to take a reasonable portion of the refugees, around 2,000 maybe, and try to work them into existing housing programs around the state with rent vouchers. I think this can be done in not too long of a time. If after a year or so and New Orleans is reestablished, they could be given first priority to return.