Stones Cry Out

How old are you? Your comments remind me of a kid writing his first editorial for the high school paper.

kevin---
why not read mark's bio?? he's the most thoughtful, well grounded, honest thinker in this blog...not to mention a masterful political tactician (not represented in his Bio...but beknownst to me as I was able to work on a campaign with him).

if you do know his skill, intellect, and writing skills to be sound as they are…why not backup your insult with justification and fact as you criticize this particular post??? It seemed well thought out to me, and particularly honest given his biases.

High school was quite an insult unless you can back it up. Please, tell me professor, why does Mark earn such a low mark for this post?

I don't agree with everything that Mark says, but skibrian is correct that Mark's musings are always thoughtful. To my knowledge he avoids the brash statements that are common by some other posters to this blog. Kevin, if you have specific criticisms, please back them up with substantive statements. Insults are not persuasive; they merely demean you and detract from any point you may be trying to make. Admittedly, I started out the same way. I have tried to change my ways. If I can do it, so can you.

Brian and dem thanks for your comments. I should note that Brian was the person who passed me the story about Hastert.

Kevin, If you have an issue with the substance of my comments, you should feel free to post those. With respect to style, particularly the Hastert comments, I was very intentional in my style. I meant to convey a tone of exasperation. If you picked that up, then I think I was successful. As for the comments on the President, they were stream of consciousness. So it may be that they seemed a bit disorganized. If so, my excuse is that I am a fan of the President, and criticism of him does not come easily from me.

After much deliberation...I'll post for the world what I wrote in a private e-mail to Mark after he responded to the Hastert quote I sent him (rambling stream of thoughts at midnight Friday):

"Funny thing is, I told my friend sean that i wondered myself whether we should rebuild the shell of a city only to have 50% to 75% of the residents return home (at the time on Tuesday I said 50%. Today, I wonder if even that many will return as the police turn in badges and others say that Houston will be their new home).

"Why rebuild all the homes there when many will take their insurance/FEMA money and build elsewhere? what about the next storm? flood? next foot of elevation lost as the land sinks into a depleted oil reserve?

"The FUNNY THING IS...I said all that to Sean with the caveat that NOBODY in their right mind would suggest it publicly, would deprive the hearts of the native population, would stomp on rebuilding their great city (as I understand it to be never having been there). I mean, if this happened to my beloved Kansas City...or to London where my affections are growing...I would want my old memories back, the jazz to play again, the BBQ to be on the smoker, and in London's case, hand pulled bitter to flow freely.

"Financially, Hastert could be right. I had the gall to say so on tuesday. I told Sean there was no way anyone would support my thoughts, no way anyone would ever dare say what is likely the honest truth. And Hastert did. I couldn't believe anyone would be so stupid. I did not even divuldge my economically based, purely rational thoughts to my wife. I (and Denny) might have been right...in an economic case study considering the "rational economic actor"......BUT......

"What he said was so insensitive. Bad timing. Very bad. When you know the $10 Billion is going to be given by unanimous consent...why say it? I agree with your blog post. Just STUPID. If we double that, triple that aid...maybe...later...honest discussion needs to occur. Starting quietly among the House leadership, on both sides of the aisle. Not in the local Illinois paper when you are a leader of the Republican party! I too am understating my feelings as I type.

"Anyway, his comment seems to be drowned out for now. hopefully there won't be much longterm damage. Ugh!

"(PS---I still don't think it is right to compare 9/11 to Katrina in terms of outpouring and aid. NYC had functional communications between most emergency services, workers and others still had homes, and those remaining were at great loss...but not at the end of their rope with nothing left.

"Seems unfair to compare the two when talking about two things (and are the current favorite topics of pundits):

"1.) The task of rebuilding lives and property in the damaged areas cannot be compared (the devestation per sq. mile and per capita in NYC was nothing compared to Katrina).

"2.) Criticizing the behavior of those in the area reacting to the tragedies. In NYC, people had the means to be helpful...in New Orleans, there is nothing left...not even a drink of water. The police themselves have no homes and are leaving.

"PPS (my first pundit thoughts...instead of criticizing pundits):

"Criticizing the lack of leadership is entirely fair, and if one comparison can be drawn among the two disasters, it is fair to say that local leadership has been pathetic in New Orleans vs. outstanding in NYC; and federal leadership hasn't been completely crap...but if it were stronger early in the week, it could have really catapulted the President...but he missed that chance. Why didn't he go? Probably cause he didn't want to get in the way...like in the episode of West Wing where "president" martin sheen showed up at an Oklahoma tornado and all the relief effort was delayed because the president and his media entourage had to be attended to. I can respect that if that is why Bush delayed his trip...but in hind sight given the lack of local leadership, he dropped the ball.)"

There is absolutely no question that NO must be rebuilt. The commercial port of NO is the largest in the US. It is purpose built for the efficient transfer of high weight and low value (per unit of weight) goods. E.g. grain. Without a port at the mouth of the Mississippi the agricultural Midwest is no longer a viable economic entity. Nor would there be the capacity for importing raw bulk goods, so what little manufacturing still exists in the Midwest is gone as well.

And none of that counts the fact that 25% of the energy used by the US originates or passes through NO. We fought critical battles in the War of 1812 and the Civil War to retain this city and its importance has only increased. This is not just a place for drunk girls to flash their breasts, it's the hingepoint for the physical economic infrastructure of the United States.

All of which tells you that the insight, knowledge, and raw brainpower of the House Leadership is exceeded only by its ethical and moral behaviour.

While Hastert's remark may have been ill-timed, and Jon's remarks about the largest port in the United States is right on target, one must wonder about the wisdom of having nearly half a million people (data for Orleans Parish, LA from Census.GOV using the Population Finder on the right side of the home page)live in an area that requires levees around 360 degrees to keep it from flooding.

I wonder if there is a way to move the residential sections to the north side of Ponchatrain. Traffic would be a bear, but with an effective mass transit system between the port and the proposed residential section, we might avoid the loss of life we've seen with Katrina.

I wonder if there is a way to move the residential sections to the north side of Ponchatrain. Traffic would be a bear, but with an effective mass transit system between the port and the proposed residential section, we might avoid the loss of life we've seen with Katrina.

I hope I don't seem flippant when I say that won't work. Any economic entity is naturally going to have multiple levels of workers, ranging from Upper class (CEO, Upper Mgt) to Middle Class (middle mgt, skilled labor) to Lower Class (janitor, unskilled labor). Usually it's really critical that the jobs for the lower class be done on time, meaning that those workers need to either live close by or have very dependable transportation. Dependability and poverty are diametrically opposed. Thus, if you want to keep your job and hopefully work your way out of poverty, you live nearby. Besides areas around port facilities inevitably get considered blighted, thus opening up (perhaps inadvertently) affordable housing. If you had such wonderful mass transit it would increase property values near the stations to the point where the working poor are forced out (see development in Mission Valey in San Diego, or near BART stations in the SF Bay Area).

You cannot get facilities like these on the cheap. It takes solid civil engineering to construct the port, control the river and protect the workers. There are only two rules in solid economic planning: Nothing worthwhile comes for free, and you get what you pay for.

Our Federal Government is the insurer of last resort to ensure we maintain our economic infrastructure. There will be no escaping the huge costs of rebuildng SELA because our economy requires it. This is why we tax ourselves, to insure and thuse ensure our viability as a nation. It is just as critical to have things like FEMA and rebuilding assistance as it is to maintain our nuclear deterrance, perhaps more so.

Jon--

Figured SCO didn't need the comment space filled with this, so I posted my reply here.