Enough Already

Conservative response to what they call "the blame game" has been to point the finger right back at the Democratic Mayor of New Orleans and the Democratic governor of Louisiana (oddly, they've resisted such tactics against the Republican power structure of Mississippi, even though that ultra-left wing liberal Trent Lott is admitting that mistakes were made down there). It's an interesting tactic: claiming that federal response was OK because the state response wasn't. It's hardly a statement of personal repsonsibility, a classic instance of passing the buck. If the commander-in-chief can't wade through the bureaucracy and come up with a sound crisis management plan, he isn't fit enough to lead in these troubled times.

We know that his underlings aren't. Look at this horrible decision:

The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region — and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents.

Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Mike Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29. Brown said that among duties of these employees was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.

Yes, when you're in a danger zone trying to rescue tens of thousands of refugees, "conveying a positive image" should be right at the top of the list.

And wait, there's more:

The same day Brown wrote Chertoff, Brown also urged local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help from state or local governments. Brown said it was vital to coordinate fire and rescue efforts.

Meanwhile, the airline industry said the government's request for help evacuating storm victims didn't come until late Thursday afternoon. The president of the Air Transport Association, James May, said the Homeland Security Department called then to ask if the group could participate in an airlift for refugees.

So enough already. The federal response was pathetic. Blaming the locals and the state doesn't answer the question. Desperate times call for take-charge measures. The Feds just didn't do it.

The New Orleans city budget was 40 to 50 million dollars in the red in 2002. This runs parallel to many cities over the past several years. Why are they so strapped for cash? Because the federal government is draining the states, who in turn find the money for their projects from the cities. From Medicare to NCLB to every other domestic policy of this Administration, the attitude is to spend away and stick the states with the bill. You want to ask way the state and localities might be unprepared in the event of a natural disaster? They're strapped for cash! They have no resources! Unlike the federal government, who preferred to sit back and watch New Orleans sink.