re: If you could fix only one thing in NOLA

I would replace their corrupt government with a competent one. A competent government would be able to properly fund a police department, da's office, and public defender board and start locking up criminals.

A competent government would be able to fix and maintain the pumps.

A competent government would maintain at least some semblance of discipline in the schools.

A competent government would know how to clean a f$&king catch basin.

A competent government would have a fast and transparent permit process which would spur business investment all over the city.

A competent government would go a long way in solving most of the problems the city faces. However, governments are a reflection of their constituents. The constituents themselves demand a corrupt and incompetent government because that is what the people are. The corrupt incompetent government's policies ensure there are ever more corrupt incompetent people. It's a self-feeding cycle of self-destruction.

Destroying the federal entitlement system would fix literally all of these problems within the span of a generation.

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The problem is Public Schools are only as good as the students in them and the parents of those students.

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This is true and you need the bad schools for those bad students to attend. I think they are on the right track with charter schools being an option for good students that can't afford private.

I'd remove all of the racist statues and monuments in the city

once those are removed, all the other problems will go away on their own

I think the long term solution is to fix the schools. But the schools are the way they are, because of the corruption and because of the lack of care at home. Even if magic was an option, I don't know how you can magically fix those schools given the corruption and lack of care at home.

You could fix the corruption. But what's the old saying... one day the people are going to get good government, and they aren't gonna like it? Good government would fix the pumps and the corruption, but that also means sweetheart deals go away, brother in law deals go away, letting ATVs race down city streets goes away, etc. There's a lot of people in this city who DON"T WANT higher standards, which is what good government would bring.

I'd blow a hole in the levee and let all of the flooded areas go back to wetlands.

The revolving door judicial system.

Majority of the suspects arrested for violent crimes have a lengthy rap sheet but keep getting off with slaps on the wrist and released.

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The problem is Public Schools are only as good as the students in them and the parents of those students.

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As a teacher, I wish everyone thought this way. According to most people and parents its the teachers fault.

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Funny no one ever mentions the fact the largest pumping station system in the US will be completed by the end of hurricane season this year.

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That's because it won't be used for daily drainage. It will only be used when the canal gates are closed at the lake.

And it's only used to pull water out of the three outflow canals. We don't have problems in this city because of the outflow canals... the problem is we can't get the water to the outflow canals. Even if we closed the gates for every rain storm and pumped the outflow canals down to the bottom, won't do any good if we can't get water into the canals.

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Schools are only as good as the desire of the populace to be educated.

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ya, i can mostly agree with this line of thinking too...and because of this i largely believe "fixing" nola is a lost cause

my only theory was to let airbnb run rampant for the next ~10 years, become a total tourist city, which would then price the culcha completely out - but that ship has sailed.