Blaming Bush Will Make Disaster Response Worse
Sigh...
I think the political left's adoption of Katrina as an issue to skewer the President with is going to harm disaster preparedness in the New Orleans area and maybe the whole country.
If the local officials had done their job Katrina probably would have been just another hurricane. Noteworthy for property damage and a few lost lives, but nowhere near the catastrophe it is now. But is most of the country talking about what the local officials did? No. Instead we're all watching the MoveOn.org people out in front of the White House who are telling us that we shouldn't put any blame at the feet of local Louisiana officials.
That protest is going to make things worse. In response to it federal politicians will probably expand federal disaster response bureaucracy, but even with that expansion its probably going to remain in effective. Why? Because in a country as large and diverse (both geographically and demographically) as this one it just doesn't make sense to manage disaster response on the federal level. Having federal disaster response available to back up local response is fine, but the first responders have to be on the local level as they are the people with the most knowledge of the area and are best able to plan for all contingencies. This is why Federal money is typically handed over to local agencies so that they can use it to develop the best defense and response mechanisms for natural disasters possible. Unfortunately the system relies on the assumption that local politicians will actually spend the money where it is needed and ot on pet pork barrel projects.
We could be having a national discussion about the best way to keep federal disaster money out of the hands of corrupt and greedy local politicians, but we aren't. We could be talking about how to improve FEMA, but we aren't. Instead, we're all just standing by watching as the media and the left scores some political points against a President they hate.
MoveOn members and supporters march in front of the White House in Washington, DC, in protest of the administration of US President George W. Bush and its handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. MoveOn Washington Director Tom Matizzie said the federal government did not do enough to help the people of the Gulf Coast region after Katrina caused widespread damage and killed possibly 10,000 people. The organization called on the president to 'stop blaming the victims of Hurricane Katrina, including state and local officials, for the poor rescue and relief effort and focus on helping them.'(AFP/Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)
I think the political left's adoption of Katrina as an issue to skewer the President with is going to harm disaster preparedness in the New Orleans area and maybe the whole country.
If the local officials had done their job Katrina probably would have been just another hurricane. Noteworthy for property damage and a few lost lives, but nowhere near the catastrophe it is now. But is most of the country talking about what the local officials did? No. Instead we're all watching the MoveOn.org people out in front of the White House who are telling us that we shouldn't put any blame at the feet of local Louisiana officials.
That protest is going to make things worse. In response to it federal politicians will probably expand federal disaster response bureaucracy, but even with that expansion its probably going to remain in effective. Why? Because in a country as large and diverse (both geographically and demographically) as this one it just doesn't make sense to manage disaster response on the federal level. Having federal disaster response available to back up local response is fine, but the first responders have to be on the local level as they are the people with the most knowledge of the area and are best able to plan for all contingencies. This is why Federal money is typically handed over to local agencies so that they can use it to develop the best defense and response mechanisms for natural disasters possible. Unfortunately the system relies on the assumption that local politicians will actually spend the money where it is needed and ot on pet pork barrel projects.
We could be having a national discussion about the best way to keep federal disaster money out of the hands of corrupt and greedy local politicians, but we aren't. We could be talking about how to improve FEMA, but we aren't. Instead, we're all just standing by watching as the media and the left scores some political points against a President they hate.
Wing Chun Geologist
Dino
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Rob
gustave776
Rugby Reader
Neiman
Move_Zig
robert108
