Thinking Outside of the (Flooded) Box
16 July 2006
The Editor, New Orleans Times-Picayune
To the Editor:
You say that "Louisiana's fortunes are also tied, for better or worse, to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers" ("Counting on corps reform," July 16). You then understandably bemoan how easily Washington politics can pervert reform of big bureaucracies such as the Corps.
So think outside of the box - or, rather, outside of Capitol Hill. Let Louisiana rebuild her own levees. The projected cost of $3.5 billion can be financed by bonds, with repayment spread over several decades.
Sure it would be nice for Louisianans to have this bill paid by Uncle Sam. But because the Army Corps is so infected with grotesque politicization - politicization that might well bungle the rebuilding - by assuming this responsibility themselves Louisianans would likely in the long-run save money and much heartbreak.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
The Editor, New Orleans Times-Picayune
To the Editor:
You say that "Louisiana's fortunes are also tied, for better or worse, to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers" ("Counting on corps reform," July 16). You then understandably bemoan how easily Washington politics can pervert reform of big bureaucracies such as the Corps.
So think outside of the box - or, rather, outside of Capitol Hill. Let Louisiana rebuild her own levees. The projected cost of $3.5 billion can be financed by bonds, with repayment spread over several decades.
Sure it would be nice for Louisianans to have this bill paid by Uncle Sam. But because the Army Corps is so infected with grotesque politicization - politicization that might well bungle the rebuilding - by assuming this responsibility themselves Louisianans would likely in the long-run save money and much heartbreak.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Wednesday April 18, 2007 at 3:55pm