Protect US Economic Heartlands From Storm Surges

We're midway through a roughly 25-year cycle of warm waters in the Atlantic Ocean, so the conditions are perfect for a major hurricane to hit the north-east coast of the US and perhaps even New York city.

Instead of spending 500 billion on Iraq, the America could have taken significant meaures to protect key economic areas from storm surges. It is difficult for me to calculate the cost of doing so, however you don't need to be a scientist to know that the 500 billion could have made a significant difference, as well as stimulated the economies in these areas and in the South given lots of people some well needed work.

By Abrams Tomlin of Boston, Mass.