Death of an American City (Page 2)

Exactly. 

Of course it's more than just a port. But my point is, if jobs are there, people will be there. Current and/or displaced New Orlenians are very likely to be the ones to want the jobs since they have a passion/connection/history with the city. This would bring people and money back - more so than a one week festival. New Orleans is also more than just Mardi Gras and tourism.

Maybe I'm over-optimistic, but it seems to me that New Orelans is a city with such amazing history and culture, that it will refuse to die.

 Port business, yes, it's there and vital to the country. Oil business, there somewhat, though mostly consolidated into Houston. New Orleans lifeblood, though, is tourism, the selling of its culture, its music, its food, its heritage.

The problem is that the whole area, or large parts of it, are in danger. Unless the hurricane protection system is rebuilt stronger than before, you will not have room to house those to staff "blue collar workers, skilled workers, and white collar business."

Got to agree somewhat that the lower lying areas should be foregone and not redeveloped.

It seems to me that the fundamental issue is trust.

It's a shortened Mardi Gras with the length of time and number of parades and routes cut down from the normal.  It isn't being held to hold up some false idea of how good it is here, but it's about local pride and tradition as well as bringing some money into the city via tourism.  If we weren't having it, people would complain about that as well.