Disney New Orleans
The prospect of trying to rebuild New Orleans "safely" seems beyond stupid to me. Indeed, to do so would be to rip off every American taxpayer to make a futile gesture of defiance towards Mother Nature.
It has been estimated that it would take 15-20 years to build levees which could handle a Cat 4 storm, much less a Cat 5 - which is why the decision was made, years ago, not to. There will be another big storm before that time. Thus another disaster is guaranteed, regardless of expense. My first reaction is "Not on my nickel." As an investor, I wouldn't invest a penny. Would you?
But I have had an inspiration. Disney New Orleans. Call it "Disney NO" for short. Let Disney rebuild it as a tourist attraction, with their own money and their own insurance. I can see it now - Disney's jewel in their crown. A cleaner, neater, civilized New Orleans that America could be proud of. No poverty, no creeps, no dirt, no crime and no-one who would make a church lady from Dubuque uncomfortable. Happy, upbeat lite jazz coming at you through loudspeakers on the streets. Blackened Seafood-like Product at Chez Mickey's. Aerial tramways not just for around town, but also with express lines running to high ground shelters, just in case. Just rebuild the charming tourist stuff, OK? The French Quarter, the jazz bars, the restaurants, etc. Maybe a golf course or two, of course, where the rest of the city has been bulldozed. Golfers love seeing gators lying around: they add a bit of excitement to the otherwise brain-damaging effects of the game. Or they could kill all the gators and scatter mechanical gators around. Hey, and the best part - they could do a Mardi Gras parade daily from 1-4 pm. Maybe they could run the numbers and depreciate the entire investment and collect massive profits before the next hurricane drives Mickey to Baton Rouge.
