Editor,
Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that New Orleans is a risky place to live. Another Katrina is not just possible -- it's likely. People who lived in New Orleans made a conscious decision to run the risk of losing everything to a hurricane. Iraq may be a wasteful war, but wasting money in Iraq does not justify wasting money in New Orleans.
The Gulf of Mexico has the right conditions to produce another hurricane like Katrina. According to climatologists, hurricanes are getting more and more intense, making New Orleans a riskier and riskier place to live. To spend money on a city that is likely to be destroyed doesn't make much sense.
Natural disasters happen all the time. Certain areas are higher risk than others. If a person decides to build a house in a high-risk area, it is not the government's job to insure that person's house. Having an expensive home is a privilege, not a basic right.
Although Iraq is a waste of time and money, it does not mean those resources should be wasted somewhere else. There are plenty of people who live in poverty and in crime-ridden areas in the United States. Detroit, the projects of Chicago and our South Valley are
examples of areas that could use federal money. Rebuilding New Orleans isn't the best place to send taxpayers' money.
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The story of Katrina is a sad one, and it saddens me to see the city in its current shape. If New Orleans is rebuilt, another Katrina-like disaster should be expected. For this reason, people should be offered relocation options. If the people decide to stay in New Orleans, they are on their own. The federal government doesn't offer free insurance plans, and I don't think it should. It may not be fair, but the world never is.
Paul Wowk
UNM student
