On Tue, 6 Sep 2005 15:26:58 EDT, Bucks2 wrote > The local government should be implementing plans to get people out of > the area.
Certainly I agree. I'm not sure any local government has the resources to pull that off without federal help, though, especially in this era of tight budgets. > There is much controversy whenever the Feds "require" a state to do > something. Remember the "states rights" controversy that pops up every > so often. A lot of the controversy comes in because the feds often "require" states to do things without providing any funding for it. States rights is just an excuse for inaction; neither party really believes in it unless it's momentarily convenient for them. > Are you more concerned that Condi was buying shoes or that she was buying > expensive shoes? Would it have made a difference if she was buying > hip boots? I don't care if she was buying flip-flops, frankly. The point is she wasn't in a position to do the most good. No amount of communications technology can substitute for being physically in the office with key people, when it comes to getting things done. Besides, it sends a political message when a disaster happens and people in charge simply go on with their personal recreation. It looks bad; it says "those people are beneath our notice. They aren't even worth interrupting a vacation for." (And for the record, I disagree with the people who are playing the race card, here. The people stranded in New Orleans weren't ignored because they were black; they were ignored because they were *poor*.) While Condi was busy watching Spamalot, Al Gore actually got off his duff and chartered a relief flight. That's leadership.
