rebuilding or passing the buck?

The uneasy paradox which so many live with in this country - of being first-and-foremost rugged individuals, out to plunder what they can and paying as little tax as they can get away with, while at the same time believing that America is a robust, model society - has reached a crisis point this week.

Will there be real investment, or just more buck-passing between federal agencies and states?

The country has to choose whether it wants to rebuild the levees and destroyed communities, with no expense spared for the future - or once again brush off that responsibility, and blame the other guy.

from New Orleans crisis shames Americans BBC News

I don't think the question is "whether we will rebuild or not" but how we will rebuild and what kinds of changes to expect. Will there be funding to construct more robust levees? Will someone create an evacuation and emergency plan that can be enacted without question or blame in future disasters? Will the public be educated about the plan? Will NO finally find a way to decrease the rates of murder and drug use? In other words, NO has been sinking (literally) for quite a while. Will the extent of the help be limited to infrastructure - levees, buildings, electricity - or will all the layers of fabric finally be mended?