This disaster and its impact on New Orleans and the Gulf coast was not only predicted but there were detailed plans prepared showing what needed to be done to strengthen the levees around New Orleans and the coastline along the Mississippi river. These studies and simulations were prepared in 2001 and 2002 for the Bush administration. They were almost 100% accurate as to the consequences of failing to rebuild this infrastructure in the largest port in the United States. George W. Bush ignored these studies and the warning contained in them.
The studies clearly indicated what it will take in terms of rebuilding the levees to withstand category four and five hurricanes as well as repairing the coast line along the Mississippi. The cost to rebuild the region would have been in the $20-$30 Billion range according to the studies. Bush, rather than starting to implement ths essential rebuilding, actually cut the funding for the Corps of Engineers to that region beginning in late 2001. He diverted the money to the war in Iraq. The truth is that our priorities are DEAD WRONG! With 10% of what George W. Bush has spent in Iraq, we could have completely rebuilt the levees in New Orleans and the Mississippi coastline and prevented this disaster from occurring. Now we need to rebuild an area as large as Great Britain and still need to repair the levees and the Mississippi coastline. The cost in human lives and dollars are many times what it would have been if Bush had his priorities in line with the NEEDS of this country!
In addition, water levels are rising because of the global warming and here again the Bush administration has done nothing to protect our environment and ignores a growing problem that the use of fossil fuel is helping to create. Rather than seek alternate energy sources with the hundreds of billions of dollars that we are dumping in the Iraq War, we ignore our energy needs. There are studies that show the infrastructure of the United States is aging and that it will take more than $1 trillion dollars to repair all the levees, bridges, roads, electrical grids, dams, schools, water and sewer systems throughout this great nation. There is NO money for these needs but we have SPENT 1/3 of what it would cost to rebuild the infrastructure across the entire Unites States with what we have spent in Iraq. The time has come to redirect the priorities in America to meet the long term needs of our people and not the political ideology of the conservatives in this country! Bush cuts the federal revenue with tax cuts and ignores essential repairs. He starts a war that did not make us more secure and spends the money needed to help rebuild America on that war. WAKE UP AMERICA!
IF THERE IS ONE USEFUL THING KATRINA HAS DONE, IT IS TO SHOW HOW WRONG THE BUSH AGENDA IS FOR AMERICA!