[Rhodes22-list] Katrina Update

[DCLewis1 at aol.com]

Brad,
 
Two comments re your post:
 
- Bush is no conservative?  How many hundred posts have you made  defending 
his actions and his record?  After years  I think  I’m hearing a new story 
line.  Let me add to your disillusionment; jr’s  father was no fiscal 
conservative, nor was Reagan - the fiscal record shows it  unambiguously.   And yes, our 
children will be paying all their bills  for a long time.  And some of our 
children won't be around to pay those  bills because of jr's adolescent militarism 
(Note: this does not say you  shouldn't fight terrorists and terrorism, 
rather it says you should pick  your fights carefully, and win them.  Fighting in 
Afghanistan - necessary,  go for it.  Fighting in Iraq - unnecessary, poorly 
thought through,  dumb.).
 
- Re the gulf coast rebuild being all about the private sector: Clearly the  
private sector has an extremely important role to play, but just as clearly  
infrastructure, landfill permitting, permitting of all sorts, flood control,  
etc, etc, are legitimate govt functions (legitimate here doesn't mean the govt  
CAN take on those tasks, rather it means the private sector WONT take them on 
 because of liability issues so the govt has to take them on or they won't 
get  done).  Rebuilding from a catastrophe will be very much easier with  
competent and coordinated government assistance - for example rebuilding public  
bridges, highways, and dikes will all be funded and supervised by the government  
if only because no private entity wants the liability should a public bridge 
or  flood control dike break.  So how about a focused, competent, and timely  
effort?  How about a focal point and leader that reports to the President  and 
speaks for the President?  How about some one person who can stand up  and 
report how the rebuilding is coming along, what resources are required, what  
capabilities have been restored and which will be restored next, encourage the  
populace, etc.  I suspect Cheney could pull it off, he might actually  
accomplish something useful if he took the task on. 
 
What boggles my mind is how little focus, attention, and visibility Bush et  
al have given the gulf coast disaster.  Did he even mention it in his State  
of The Union address?  Instead he drops in occasionally for a photo opp  while 
flying to and from his dude ranch in Texas.  The citizenry,  particularly the 
gulf coast citizenry, deserve better.
 
Dave