Louisiana: the political and governmental effects of Katrina
The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: New Orleans' losses to Hurricane Katrina are turning out to be St. Tammany Parish and Jefferson Parish's gains, if burgeoning population is considered a plus. On the other hand, the wholesale layoffs at New Orleans City Hall precipitated by the collapse of the tax base are being portrayed in some quarters as an opportunity for long-overdue reform.
Katrina, in other words, did not play fair and square with the New Orleans area. There are winners and losers, though it may be too soon to tell them apart. But all of the most heavily affected areas -- including the devastated downriver parishes, St. Bernard and Plaquemines -- now must grapple with the same question: What's the right size government for a drastically altered political reality?
The answers are not always obvious. -- Katrina to redraw region's political picture
Thanks to Ernie the Attorney for the link.