Rebuilding the Gulf Coast
In the aftermath of the tragic loss of life and property that Katrina left, plans to rebuild should begin as soon as possible. Bush said that we were gonna rebuild N.O. even bigger and better, but how can you do that through hiring Halliburton to come in and fix everything, and leaving the displaced inhabitants in the same economic situation that they were in before the storm hit.
Now is a chance for government to fix the inequality that existed.
Here's my idea:
No one can dispute that there is a massive need for construction right now, and basically the Gulf Coast will be a magnet for construction workers for years. I'm sure the plan of Bush will be to have Halliburton tear down all the old houses and rebuild malls and recreation areas. I'm sure gentrification will be exponential, new luxury condos will pop up in warehouses which are still structurally there, but will have to be gutted to get rid of mold etc.. Neighborhoods will be bulldozed, and redesigned with houses that no one there can afford.
Why not this remedy: We know that there will be a high demand for construction workers, and we have a surplus of people who's homes and businesses were lost. We also have a surplus of people who were previously homeless and undereducated. Why not start a work-training program for hurricane survivors that will pay them to train while they are learning useful skills in construction. Not only will people learn something they can use when the reconstruction is over, they will regain pride in knowing they helped rebuild a great city.
We have houses that need to be rebuilt, roads that will need repair, the levy should be upgraded, buildings will need renovation, there will be massive need for cleanup crews. Hell, even exterminators, housing inspectors, engineers, they will need labor for landscaping, masonry, electric systems, painting.
I'm positive what's gonna happen is there is plenty of money there, (Halliburton has it's hands in the pot already) and people from around the country will be invited in to rebuild, they will come, build, and leave with the money in hand.
I really think that on the job training and apprenticeship programs should be instituted, experts can train NO-ites on the job, and then the trained can continue to train others and do valuable work while earning some money. Maybe even some kind of housing program should be instituted so that workers can have somewhere for their family to live while they are rebuilding.
in this way, a significant portion of the $60B can go to NO to help stimulate the local economy and eliminate some of the economic inequity, and not Halliburton so rich people can get even richer.
For a city of that size to be rebuilt, it will easily take 5-10,000 workers, if not many more than that. What I envision is a largescale internship program, where participants are paired with previously trained contractors and workers, where they can learn on the job until they are competant and then can train others. In a scenario where rebuilding will take years, I think its feasible for an intern to learn on the job in a couple months. At the end of the reconstruction, there will be a surplus of people trained in multiple areas, who will be attractive employees for new incoming companies to hire.
Potentially, this long-term solution could bring a great economic upliftment to the city, reducing unemployment and crime in the long term.
In the aftermath of the tragic loss of life and property that Katrina left, plans to rebuild should begin as soon as possible. Bush said that we were gonna rebuild N.O. even bigger and better, but how can you do that through hiring Halliburton to come in and fix everything, and leaving the displaced inhabitants in the same economic situation that they were in before the storm hit.
Now is a chance for government to fix the inequality that existed.
Here's my idea:
No one can dispute that there is a massive need for construction right now, and basically the Gulf Coast will be a magnet for construction workers for years. I'm sure the plan of Bush will be to have Halliburton tear down all the old houses and rebuild malls and recreation areas. I'm sure gentrification will be exponential, new luxury condos will pop up in warehouses which are still structurally there, but will have to be gutted to get rid of mold etc.. Neighborhoods will be bulldozed, and redesigned with houses that no one there can afford.
Why not this remedy: We know that there will be a high demand for construction workers, and we have a surplus of people who's homes and businesses were lost. We also have a surplus of people who were previously homeless and undereducated. Why not start a work-training program for hurricane survivors that will pay them to train while they are learning useful skills in construction. Not only will people learn something they can use when the reconstruction is over, they will regain pride in knowing they helped rebuild a great city.
We have houses that need to be rebuilt, roads that will need repair, the levy should be upgraded, buildings will need renovation, there will be massive need for cleanup crews. Hell, even exterminators, housing inspectors, engineers, they will need labor for landscaping, masonry, electric systems, painting.
I'm positive what's gonna happen is there is plenty of money there, (Halliburton has it's hands in the pot already) and people from around the country will be invited in to rebuild, they will come, build, and leave with the money in hand.
I really think that on the job training and apprenticeship programs should be instituted, experts can train NO-ites on the job, and then the trained can continue to train others and do valuable work while earning some money. Maybe even some kind of housing program should be instituted so that workers can have somewhere for their family to live while they are rebuilding.
in this way, a significant portion of the $60B can go to NO to help stimulate the local economy and eliminate some of the economic inequity, and not Halliburton so rich people can get even richer.
For a city of that size to be rebuilt, it will easily take 5-10,000 workers, if not many more than that. What I envision is a largescale internship program, where participants are paired with previously trained contractors and workers, where they can learn on the job until they are competant and then can train others. In a scenario where rebuilding will take years, I think its feasible for an intern to learn on the job in a couple months. At the end of the reconstruction, there will be a surplus of people trained in multiple areas, who will be attractive employees for new incoming companies to hire.
Potentially, this long-term solution could bring a great economic upliftment to the city, reducing unemployment and crime in the long term.