How much could the NO levees have been fortified for $191 billion?

[OrlandoGator]

http://costofwar.com/

How much could New Orleans' disaster response program have been enhanced?

How many new pumps could have been purchased?

How much could evacuation procedures have been perfected?

How much good can you do with 191 billion dollars?

[natrat]

1. we dont care

"we dont care"-screaming thugs recently

[Wickerman]

2. For 191 Billion I could turn Iraq into an Islamic state

Wait, that's been done.

The not dones and what ifs in this horror are criminal, there needs to be a special prosecutor and hearings.

[Xenotime]

3. You could rebuild the whole city.

But because nothgin is being done, money or whatever, you are not goig to see quick progress.

W could take a lesson from CIndy and return attention to family when crisis strikes. Cindy could be a better president

[htuttle]

4. Hoover Dam orignally cost about $175 million, IIRC

Of course, that's not adjusted for inflation, but it's clear they could have built a very nice concrete reinforced levee in New Orleans with just a little bit more money.

on edit:

Had to figure this one out. If the CPI in 1931 was 15.2, and it is about 195 today, that would mean that Hoover Dam would cost about $2.25 billion in today's dollars to build it nowdays?

That seems a bit too cheap, but shows you how much we did with our federal money back then (and how little we do with it nowdays). They spend about 5.8 billion per month in Iraq (and have no Hoover Dams to show for it)...

[The Stranger]

5. For $191 Billion you could rebuild New Orleans on the moon . . .

except that after Halliburton gets its cut, you would pay three times the amount.

[OrlandoGator]

6. How much health care? How many teacher salaries?

How many police officers and firefighters?

I know money isn't as important as the loss of human life in Iraq, but ir sure is damn staggering.