WatchThis!

September 2, 2005
A Can't-Do Government

By PAUL KRUGMAN
Before 9/11 the Federal Emergency Management Agency listed the three most likely catastrophic disasters facing America: a terrorist attack on New York, a major earthquake in San Francisco and a hurricane strike on New Orleans. "The New Orleans hurricane scenario," The Houston Chronicle wrote in December 2001, "may be the deadliest of all." It described a potential catastrophe very much like the one now happening.

So why were New Orleans and the nation so unprepared? After 9/11, hard questions were deferred in the name of national unity, then buried under a thick coat of whitewash. This time, we need accountability.

First question: Why have aid and security taken so long to arrive? Katrina hit five days ago - and it was already clear by last Friday that Katrina could do immense damage along the Gulf Coast. Yet the response you'd expect from an advanced country never happened. Thousands of Americans are dead or dying, not because they refused to evacuate, but because they were too poor or too sick to get out without help - and help wasn't provided. Many have yet to receive any help at all.

There will and should be many questions about the response of state and local governments; in particular, couldn't they have done more to help the poor and sick escape? But the evidence points, above all, to a stunning lack of both preparation and urgency in the federal government's response.

Even military resources in the right place weren't ordered into action. "On Wednesday," said an editorial in The Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss., "reporters listening to horrific stories of death and survival at the Biloxi Junior High School shelter looked north across Irish Hill Road and saw Air Force personnel playing basketball and performing calisthenics. Playing basketball and performing calisthenics!"

Maybe administration officials believed that the local National Guard could keep order and deliver relief. But many members of the National Guard and much of its equipment - including high-water vehicles - are in Iraq. "The National Guard needs that equipment back home to support the homeland security mission," a Louisiana Guard officer told reporters several weeks ago.

Second question: Why wasn't more preventive action taken? After 2003 the Army Corps of Engineers sharply slowed its flood-control work, including work on sinking levees. "The corps," an Editor and Publisher article says, citing a series of articles in The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, "never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security - coming at the same time as federal tax cuts - was the reason for the strain."

In 2002 the corps' chief resigned, reportedly under threat of being fired, after he criticized the administration's proposed cuts in the corps' budget, including flood-control spending.

Third question: Did the Bush administration destroy FEMA's effectiveness? The administration has, by all accounts, treated the emergency management agency like an unwanted stepchild, leading to a mass exodus of experienced professionals.

Last year James Lee Witt, who won bipartisan praise for his leadership of the agency during the Clinton years, said at a Congressional hearing: "I am extremely concerned that the ability of our nation to prepare for and respond to disasters has been sharply eroded. I hear from emergency managers, local and state leaders, and first responders nearly every day that the FEMA they knew and worked well with has now disappeared."

I don't think this is a simple tale of incompetence. The reason the military wasn't rushed in to help along the Gulf Coast is, I believe, the same reason nothing was done to stop looting after the fall of Baghdad. Flood control was neglected for the same reason our troops in Iraq didn't get adequate armor.

At a fundamental level, I'd argue, our current leaders just aren't serious about some of the essential functions of government. They like waging war, but they don't like providing security, rescuing those in need or spending on preventive measures. And they never, ever ask for shared sacrifice.

Yesterday Mr. Bush made an utterly fantastic claim: that nobody expected the breach of the levees. In fact, there had been repeated warnings about exactly that risk.

So America, once famous for its can-do attitude, now has a can't-do government that makes excuses instead of doing its job. And while it makes those excuses, Americans are dying.

E-mail: [email protected]

mike734

Do you recall Condi Rice saying, "No one anticipated someone using airplanes as missiles." REALLY? Remember what the FedEx guy wanted to do?

The Bush administration is the most morally bankrupt, power grabbing, civil rights destroying administration in history. And you can't even blame Bush because he is too stupid to even know what comes out of his mouth.

ToiletDuck

There are always bigger things to worry about. One day I'm sure a comet will come at earth and people will point to Jerry Brucheimer and Armageddon and say "why didn't you take notes Mr. President? This is your fault".

Why is it the Federal Government's responsibilty to build a bigger dike for New Orleans. That is a city/state issue. I don't want my tax dollars to be spent towards a city that is on the coast and under sea level. I'd rather it be spent in my own back yards. There are plenty of improvements that can be made here. I'm not saying that what happened wasn't unfortunate, but if you go and buy a house 18ft below water then you are putting yourself in harms way.

Why did it take so long to get aid? I think people will continue to complain because they are unhappy. In reality the amount of time it took was not so bad. After all there are 200 thousand people sitting in my backyard now because of this within a week. Not to mention the fact that there were other issues at stake like looting and riots..... You can't just toss unarmed personel into the middle of a riot. Have to calm things down first. Then get them in. People were shooting at the medivacs when they came in. I don't blame them for holding off.

Ninety Two, Set

It's all the Bush administration's fault...

Had Kerry been president, more people would have lived, and the aftermath would have been soooo much better...

You Bush-hating, blame-laying liberals make me wanna puke.

mike734

FEMA warned the Bush administration of the 3 largest disasters that could hit our country when he took office in 2001. The list was:

1. Terrorist in New york
2. Hurricane in New Orleans
3. Earthquake in San Francisco

What did Bush do? Appointed Cheany as head of counter terrorist committee. They did not meet once before 9-11. He also diverted funds earmarked for levie construction/maintenance to Iraq. He diverted thousands of Louisiana National Guard to Iraq.

In the days after the events there Bush went golfing and played guitar. Michael Moore must be pleased that Bush just helped him write another movie. He does not have to make this up, Bush's behavior speaks for itself.

mike734

Please puke then Ninety Two. Maybe you will get it out of your system. The facts are what they are. Who knows what Kerry would have done. I'm not comparing because that is a useless exercise. Bush failed to lead. That much is clear. Much of the nation and the whole world is shocked and amazed at the arrogance and stupidity of the man.

ToiletDuck

No it isn't a Federal issue at first. I'm not going to be paying X amount of money off each dollar to ensure someone's home built in an idiotic area is kept safe. Crime and such are one thing. Putting your home below sea level then forcing me to pay good hard earned money to keep you safe there is another. The safety of a city is the city and the states issue. Things are not federal until they cross state lines. Should the breaking of a dam harm more than one state then yes. But that city is sinking and still sinking today and if you move there and buy a house then you are accepting the responsibility that comes with it. People's ignorance to their situation is to blame. The "we've evacuated several times and it's never happened before" people are to blame. Not someone who had nothing to do with it. Those people should have picked a better place to live than under the water line to start with.

mike734

You are a rather shallow thinker aren't you? Maybe New York should handle the terrorism threat itself. After all the planes hit the buildings in NY. And what about Pearl Harbor? Hawaii should have gone to war with Japan! Why should I have to pay good money to protect people who choose to live in the middle of the ocean where they are vulnerable to attack from any direction? (Don't answer, the question is rhetorical.)

We are all on this big boat together. Sometimes we all need a little help. That's the thing that irks me most about the Red party. "I got mine, now you get yours," is a common refrain. Well some people aren't lucky or are victims of crime or nature, or are just born stupid. (anything familiar?). Maybe we would all live better lives if we all helped each other a little more and stop trying to be top dog. (Uh oh, sounds like socialism. Hide the children!!!!)

I've lived in Europe for 2.5 years, in 3 different countrys all of which have a higher standard of living than the USA. They all recognize the need to help the less fortunate/able/talented/educated/wealthy etc...I'm not saying the USA not a great country but sometimes we sure are stupid SOBs.

WatchThis!

Well, if the shoe fits..........

The title of the thread is "Federal Govt. Failure" and yes Bush IS the CIC. No matter how you slice it, the Feds could have done a much better job. Better preparation, better management, and better response. I posted that article to high lite the failure of the government, although Bush's actions (or lack of) during the last week speak volumes.

You're right, you can't lay this week's failure at the foot of any one man or women. It's a story of organizational dysfunction to the n'th degree, and at the end of the day the figurehead either can accept responsibility or he can pass the buck (or the other option ignore the issue with prepared upbeat 3 second sound bites).

Now is the time to provide food & shelter to those affected, however, the lack of accountability (and change) as time goes forward will only further divide the nation.

Ninety Two, Set

W. already took accountability for the slow start. Read the newspapers.

He's a great president, something you bleeding heart libs (Paul Krugman being a good example) could never honestly admit to yourself.

The divided nation you're talking about is the crybaby gov't nipple-nibblers vs. the people who believe gov't can't always have the solution to every single problem.

WatchThis, what kind of replies do you expect when you post political matters on this forum?