Who runs Barter Town?

Instapundit linked to a poll
that says that 54% of the
people in the US don't think
that the New Orleans area
should be rebuilt as it was.
That the flooded houses
should be relocated elsewhere.

I don't agree. New Orleans
with just the central business
district and the french quarter
will be just an adult disneyworld,
and it will quickly lose the
character that made it New Orleans.

South Louisiana does have something that the rest
of the country needs and wants: Oil and Gas production
and refineries. The era of cheap gas produced by polluting
Louisiana while the enviro-nuts in california get a free
ride is over. Embargo. Who runs Barter-town? We do.

New Orleans should be rebuilt, houses can be raised or
rebuilt above MSL. The land can be raised above MSL
as was done for Galveston after the 1900 hurricane,
if they could do this in 1900, we should be able to do a better
job now.

Rebuilding New Orleans should be part of a comprehensive
plan to restore the surrounding barrier islands and the delta,
even if it means losing some towns down in the delta, or suburbs
like St Bernard Parish. All of this can be paid for out of revenues
from offshore oil production, which averages at $4.3 billion/year.
Also, a 5% tax on gasoline refined in Louisiana would generate
billions and have the added impact of making other people build
refineries.

This doesn't have to be just a disaster. A city on a newly created
hill can be rebuilt, maybe not as big as it was but better.