[StBernard] Baker Bill the Answer - Editoral by the Crimson White

[Westley Annis]

Editorial from the Crimson White - Newspaper for the University of Alabama
<"http://www.cw.ua.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/19/43cf37ad04406">

Baker bill the answer


Our View
January 19, 2006



Months after Hurricane Katrina left much of the Gulf Coast in ruins, large
swaths of New Orleans, a major metropolitan city, remain in desperate need
of help. One congressman is proposing an expensive solution.

Rep. Richard Baker, R-La., is proposing the creation of a federal
corporation, an aptly named Louisiana Recovery Corp., to buy out landowners
and then sell property back to local developers. Baker's plan would call for
the use of up to $80 billion to rebuild the Big Easy.

For Baker, a Republican from Baton Rouge, the plan is a bit out of step with
his historical views on policy. In the past, he has chastised Democrats for
not supporting a free market economy and has railed against the evils of big
government. So why is he supporting government intervention into local
matters to the tune of $80 billion?

Baker and others who support his plan realize that now is not the time for
petty ideological disagreements. His buyout plan could create jobs, spur
development and ease the burden on homeowners still paying mortgages on
homes lost or rendered unlivable.

Katrina was a disaster of unprecedented scale, and it has left a lasting
scar on our nation. A disaster of such proportions requires similar big
picture ideas - exactly what the Baker bill offers. If not this plan, then
what other solutions do we have? Few politicians are offering any concrete
plans for the reconstruction of New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana. These
are important areas that need to be rebuilt, not places that we can allow to
become wastelands.

This is not a question of fiscal responsibility. Likewise, a debate on the
merits of small government versus big government is an argument for another
day. This is why we have a national government, one able to aptly handle any
catastrophe that overwhelms state and local governments. 

Alabama's own Sen. Richard Shelby is the chairman of the Senate banking
committee. He will play a key role in determining the fate of Baker's plan
in the Senate. Assuming it passes the House, with Shelby's help, the plan
can make it to the floor of the Senate. 

Without Shelby's assistance, it could die in committee. Shelby's
constituents may not have a direct stake in the rebuilding of New Orleans,
but surely he realizes that Alabamians and Americans alike would benefit
from a revitalized New Orleans, rebuilt and made whole once more.

A couple of generations ago the federal government responded to the Great
Depression with a myriad of programs that brought life back to economically
ravaged areas with the Tennessee Valley Authority in North Alabama and
Tennessee serving as a lasting reminder of the government's commitment.

We can only hope our government today will show that same level of
commitment.

Our View is the consensus of the Crimson White editorial board.