----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Seeberger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 02, 2005 5:15 PM Subject: Re: Our commander in chief
> You and me and Damon seem to be the only ones who care about the > actual people. Personally, I haven't said much about what is happening because I don't think I have much constructive to add yet. I think that discussions on lists like this are very useful in the "lessons learned" phase, but unless I am triggered by a particular comment, I don't say much. But, since comments are asked for, I'll repeat what I said on another list, and add a few other things. I don't think the mayor of New Orleans should be acting like he's been victimized. He was mayor, who was directly responsible for the safety and security of the citizens in New Orleans. He knew that New Orleans could sustain catastrophic flooding. He knew that there was no plan to bus out those folks who didn't have cars. New Orleans is a wonderful place to visit. I've been there for work a number of times, and have talked with a lot of people who lived there for a while. I would argue, from what I know, that New Orleans is one of the worst places to have a catastrophe....because of the massive inefficiency of the government. This problem has a long historical tradition. Corruption has, for longer than I can remember, been a part of New Orleans politics. Things have been done "good enough" for a long time, with the savings going into the pockets of those who are well connected. The movie "the Big Easy" gives a decent take on this. Louisiana also doesn't have a reputation for good government: I know of no other state with bumper stickers "Vote for the Crook: It's Important." I'm not arguing, BTW, that the Federal government should be given a pass on this. The response to the levies breaking was too little and too late. But, for example, I would only excuse the mayor for FEMA's lack of knowledge of the situation at the Civics' Center if his repeated calls to the head of FEMA or a high ranking official in FEMA were turned down. It was his job to be on top of the local situation and pass information on to higher levels of government.....and to make sure the right people knew what was going on. I think we are now getting to the point where the temporary breakdown of the federal system of government is ending...and we are going to see a reasonable response. But, we should take a long look at what went wrong, to help us improve our response to future disasters. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
