The Republicans want to tear down Housing in New Orleans?

Question

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wants to demolish about 4,500 public housing units at four of the city's largest complexes and replace them with mixed-income neighborhoods. The St. Thomas redevelopment has been a major source of distrust of housing plans in New Orleans. After it was torn down, a Wal-Mart superstore was built and most of the former residents wound up in other neighborhoods.
Candidate John Edwards says ""There is a housing crisis in New Orleans today — the result of government policies that have failed the people of the Gulf. Rents have doubled, families are being evicted from FEMA trailers and now the current administration is trying to make a bad situation worse."
When lots of housing was destroyed and people were left homeless-The Republican promised to "REBUILD" the city. Well, their rebuilding plans seem to be to kick people to the streets and make money for investors and big builders.
What do YOU think of this?

1. Let's talk about promises. US government was SUPPOSED to maintain the levees. Didn't!
2. Holland has been protected by Levees--What's wrong with US?
3. They are going to build--Upper and Upper Middle Housing and Business...NOT the housing they let be destroyed!
4. US KNEW that levees were bad LONG before Katrina and Bush VETO'ed the repairs necessary--TWICE!
5. PLUS, Administration PROMISED to Rebuild--NOT make money for developers!

P.S. I am not from New Orleans, I simply believe in keeping promises!
1. Promise to maintain the levees!
2. Promise to Rebuild
Don't talk about billions spent--TALK ABOUT BILLIONS WASTED--Trailers that sat in the MUD--UNUSED in Arkansas!

Answer 1

The media isn't totally honest about the REAL reason NOLA housing project tennants strongly oppose the demolition and rebuilding of these crime infested hotbeds of impoverished squalor.

Don't you find it somewhat odd these people are publicly saying to the world they would rather move back into these buildings that make Third World slums look like fancy hotel palaces?? They all have been given assurances they'll return to live in much safer, cleaner decent apartments.....but still they decry out in strong protest. Why???

Because the new aparment complexes will be designed to allow stronger more prevalent police presence, thus ruining opportunities for illegal drug sales and crime to flourish...but that's not all.....

HUD and the State of Louisiana both will also have in place new apartment tennant policies and laws, making Welfare and "living assistance" program abuses difficulut--if not next to impossible to enjoy as these urban project tennants have long enjoyed for many many years.

And these HUD policies are tough: meaning these people will have to find honest employment, face permanent eviction if busted on illegal drug or other violent crime charges, feel close Census and Welfare / IRS monitoring, ever watchful against criminal abuses of taxpayer supported programs....and see a heavy presence of uniformed (and undercover) NOPD officers--just a whistle away.

So it is understandable why these people decry aloud in protest---and they may slow down the demolition schedule. But there's nothing they can really do to stop things--it's a new day of change. They will have no choice but to comply with these long awaited changes; either that or cozy up for several years in jail or prison.

Answer 2

Man, you are so misinformed about the issues aren't you.

Building mass housing for the poor in one area just creates segregation and does nothing to help the poor. The new strategy is to build mixed income neighborhoods that includes middle class, poor, working class and higher income residents instead of segregating the poor in one isolated area (i.e. HUD housing).

This way the kids of the poor will go to the same schools and have the same quality of education as richer families and the parents will have the same opportunities for jobs and be able to live in a safe secure neighborhood.

Now, if you stick with the past like you are suggesting, where you just crowd all the poor in these HUD housing complexes, you will just end up with every other HUD housing complexes with high crime, bad schools, no businesses near by and no job opportunities.

The new mixed income neighborhoods have shown to work a lot better than mass HUD housing for the poor.

Answer 3

Have you seen the housing units they want torn down and replaced? YIKES. I want them torn down, and I only have to drive by them a couple of times a year! There is a very nice development of mixed income housing right next to the WalMart that got looted after the storm. They are Victorian style and a large portion of them are income-dependent. If they are maintained, they may be a much better alternative to the crumbling monsters along Washington now.

Housing is short in New Orleans. I'm not sure it rises to the level of a crisis because the population is also smaller than it was before the storm. Good housing has been in short supply and overpriced compared to other cities for the entire eight years I've been traveling to and spending time in New Orleans. A lot of homes in the area between the river and Magazine are being gentrified, so low-income housing in that area is being squeezed, but it doesn't look like "big builders." For the most part, it looks like people flipping the houses.

I do not want to diminish the impact of badly handled FEMA trailers, but don't simplify the problem too much, because, like New Orleans itself, it is extremely complex, local to the area, and difficult to negotiate. Bureaucracy is a night-mare, and bad ideas are plentiful there from all sides of the political spectrum.

Answer 4

The issue with Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans was mishandled all over the political spectrum. But I ask that you keep your facts straight.

The particular bill that you states Bush vetoed twice was the US Troop Readiness, Veterans Care, Katrina recovery and Iraq Accountibility Appropriations Act was vetoed by Bush on May 1st of 2007 as the bill included a timeline for troop withdrawl. The bill did pass and was signed into law on May 25th 2007. Without the ammendment establishing a timeline for troop withdrawl.

This bill did provide for appropriations to Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies.

As for my feelings on the issue of housing in New Orleans. I am not very familiar with the situation at hand. If there are public housing buildings that need to be torn down, then I support them being torn down. I only hope that New Orleans is doing something for those who need government housing.

As I understand it the population of New Orleans is not the level it was before Hurricane Katrina and as such housing isn't as needed.

Answer 5

It is about time that you and other people from NO start accepting the fact that you are grown ups and quit looking for "government Cheese" handouts. If development companies are rebuilding in these areas and your jealous of this then go and get the training that is needed and stat your own business and become a part of the solution rather then the problem. Everyone in NO was warned well in advanced about the Storm and there was adaquate reasources to get you out, but you ( those that stayed) decided to stay. Now you have to live with your decisions.
There ae huge options to make money in NO for those that want it.

Answer 6

Isnt it a shame that people will have to move to housing that is above sea level where the threat of being flooded again will be greatly reduced and they will be much safer. Yes, Republicans learn from our mistakes of the past but liberals, such as youself, want to continue making stupid mistakes by electing ANOTHER Clinton.

Answer 7

The last time I was in N.O. was about 1992. Most of it looked like a 3rd world country and you took your life into your hands driving around in it in the day, but it was suicide to go through sections at night. John Edwards is an idiot and no one should take seriously anything that snake oil salesman has to say. We were glad to get rid of him here in NC. The housing to be torn down is unfit to live in. It is old and has been completely trashed by it's occupants. Not worth trying to remodel or save.

Answer 8

Rents have doubled because I can be extremely safe in saying that it's because of the insurance premiums and new construction. I live in Florida, and am well aware of these two basic facts. New Orleans will never be the same because of this. Get over it, move on.

Answer 9

I don't think this as much of a political issue as you are making it seem. Why in the world do we want to re-build the lower scetions of New Orleans anyway? Now there's "fuzzy logic" for you: building residential neighborhoods in area's that are below sea-level!!

Answer 10

Rat,Roach and Termite infested housing,it would cost more to clean up that mess than to rebuild.
Louisiana was given over 50 billion for levy and flood pump maintainance and used the money for other things,so who's to blame?