Why is it all taking so long?

Detroit News:

"The failure of Washington, D.C., so far to commit to construction of a greatly enhanced levee system is cited most frequently as the root cause of the city's collective inertia.

'We are in limbo,' said Kroloff. 'Because the federal government won't make a decision in a timely fashion, because the federal government basically is holding the city hostage. Part of it, I think, is willful. Part of it is just the way Congress works. Things take time.

'You have a city that is effectively put on hold. ... Everything else hinges on those levees. Insurance companies won't insure. Businesses won't invest. Nothing can happen until people understand, without a doubt, that in the shortest possible order this city will be protected from at least the giant storms and then quickly thereafter will be protected at a higher level.'"