Guest guest Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 I am posting this press release to some groups which are probably unaware of C3, so allow me to explain. C3 is a local New Orleans Activist group of which I am a part. So far, C3 is the only group I am aware of which has actually come up with a reasonable plan for recovery of New Orleans. Business groups want to eliminate poor people from the city. Who do these people imagine are going to pick up their garbage, wait tables in restaurants,, and clean hotel rooms? Certainly not the children of the rich! Alobar Press Release from C3 PRESS RELEASE September 12, 2005 Marty Rowland, Ph.D., P.E. * Urban Planner, Registered Professional Civil / Environmental Engineer, Infrastructure System Expert, Community Activist A Vision for a Post-Katrina New Orleans Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and left close to one million people displaced, scattered all over the U.S. People have lost homes and jobs, and now face an uncertain future. Host cities that have welcomed them cannot support them in shelters forever, and cannot absorb them permanently. Meanwhile, public officials, including Mayor Ray Nagin, are meeting with real estate developers to plan the rebuilding of the City. They have not given and it appears they do not intend to give New Orleans residents any vote in the matter. There is currently no plan to welcome the displaced residents back to the City. The powers that be seem to have written them out of the equation for the future. The Wall Street Journal (September 8th) quoted an influential businessman who said that the " … new city must be something very different … with better services and fewer poor people. " This evokes a dire vision of a City of, by, and for business interests, the monied upper class, and tourists. That sentiment was expressed by Mark Drennan, the chief executive of the private organization known as Greater New Orleans, Inc., who the New York Times (September 9th) quoted: " We're looking to raise money to hire the most talented consultants and urban planning people out there to help us rebuild. " This appears to exclude the citizens of New Orleans, which is undemocratic and worthy of a 3rd world dictatorship. Does anyone have an alternative plan? Marty Rowland is a practicing civil and environmental engineer with a doctorate in urban studies, who has a stake in the future of New Orleans because he is a long time resident. He represents the grassroots activist group C3-concern, community, compassion — that advocates social justice and for affordable public housing. He offers this alternative plan for rebuilding New Orleans: Alternative Plan for Rebuilding New Orleans — Dr. Marty Rowland 1. Allot sufficient federal dollars to complete the rebuilding, not to pre-Katrina conditions but to conditions that are more protective of the people of New Orleans. This includes levees built to withstand Category 4 and 5 hurricanes, and a mass transit system across Gulf Coast States that allows speedy evacuation of at risk populations. 2. Hold 2006 municipal / State elections and Congressional mid-term elections as scheduled in New Orleans. The voters, perhaps still scattered throughout the 50 states, should select leaders who will be accountable for post-Katrina New Orleans. 3. Allow people from those areas of the City that were never flooded or are now dry to stay to help rebuild their City. Relocate evacuees back to New Orleans, provide them skills training as necessary. Preferentially hire them for reconstruction jobs. Pay competitive wages per Davis Bacon federal law. 4. Expand the stock of affordable housing in New Orleans. Before Katrina, thousands of families were queued for public housing units that were left vacant by HUD and the City. Now, the number of evacuated residents needing housing has skyrocketed. 5. Provide affordable healthcare to New Orleans citizens. Before Katrina, State officials were cutting funds for Charity Hospital, reducing staffing, and eliminating beds. Provide federal funds to make up the shortfall. 6. Implement a 4-point plan to finance this rebuilding effort. First, a windfall profit tax on oil companies for gasoline priced above $1.10. Second, eliminate no-bid contracts (common in Iraq). Third, Congress should utilize long-term, low interest debt (permitted by the U.S. Constitution). Fourth, shift funding from ill-advised foreign wars toward the nation's infrastructure needs./DIV> * Dr. Rowland is temporarily living in Michigan and is available for interviews regarding his plan and his personal experiences during the evacuation. You can reach him at (313) 884-6817 or (734) 241-5217, or by email at romar1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 So this is the sequel to Dr Stranglove, or how to reconstruct the world after the Bomb... On Behalf Of Alobar Wednesday, September 14, 2005 10:22 AM cacklinggrackle ; ; JacksonSquare_Psychics ; RavenFolk C3 Press Release I am posting this press release to some groups which are probably unaware of C3, so allow me to explain. C3 is a local New Orleans Activist group of which I am a part. So far, C3 is the only group I am aware of which has actually come up with a reasonable plan for recovery of New Orleans. Business groups want to eliminate poor people from the city. Who do these people imagine are going to pick up their garbage, wait tables in restaurants,, and clean hotel rooms? Certainly not the children of the rich! Alobar Press Release from C3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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