Katrina fall-out

Jay Honeck wrote:

When the budget for improving the levees was cut by the Feds, New
Orleans tried over and over again to get the money reinstated as a basic
safety measure for the city. Bringing the issue to a vote in the city
would have done nothing to free up the federal funds, which is where the
money had to come from.


What would have happened if the citizens of N.O. had raised funds to
reinforce their levees themselves?

*Gasp!* Imagine!

Unheard of, I know, but couldn't the locals have actually taken action for
themselves?

Here's a tidbit for you. Reported today was the fact that the Feds gave
NO tens of millions of dollars to fix/repair/upgrade the levees. What
did they do with this money? They built a statue in town and pocketed
the rest. They got what they deserved.