NOT AS PREPARED AS YOU MIGHT THINK
By Schuyler ThorpeAuthor and Political Activist
Remember Katrina?
Remember all the chaos which ensued in New Orleans? Remember how ill-prepared and ill-equipped the government and Homeland Security was in dealing with that disaster?
A disaster which could’ve been marginalized had the right people been put in charge of the whole operation–instead of a bunch of inexperienced pack mules and political circus clowns running the show?
Yes, America…
This is your government for you.
But things get even worse.
A report yesterday revealed just how ill-prepared most US cities are in the wake of either a terrorist attack or another Katrina-like storm.
Of the 75 cities listed in a Homeland Security poll, only six of those cities actually have any real chance of dealing with either of the above. But even those six aren’t completely immune.
Why?
Because like with all things, old turf rivalries, political grandstanding, and cultural differences still remains–5 years after Bush promised he would fix these things.
Five years!
But as usual, our own government has turned a deaf ear to the pleas of community leaders, emergency responders, and communication directors.
It isn’t a lack of federal funding which has caused a serious lax of interest in the Bush administration, or the former GOP-led Congress. It’s the fact that most of the monies promised by either isn’t enough to overcome the problems of building a fully integrated and well-drilled response system.
And since Bush is more concerned with blowing billions on his tax cuts and funding his wars–while cutting back on key domestic provisions at home–the next terror attack or Katrina-like storm will just remind all of America once again how ill-prepared we really are.
And since we can no longer rely on our own government for help in times of crisis, I think it’s time we ditched the feds and start looking out for each other.
It’s the only way we can survive.
Schuyler Thorpe is an author, a political activist, and a frequent letter writer to The Everett Herald of Snohomish County. He can be reached at: starchildalpha1@yahoo.com
posted by Schuyler Thorpe @ 1:59 PM
1 Comments:
Happy B-day Sky!
Like your place. Now I have a new item on my blogroll. I had one small problem with the framing, though:
Yes, America…
This is your government for you.
This is not your government for you (it certainly isn't for me). This is conservative* government for you. Conservative government screws up consistently over time because conservatives don't believe in government. Conservatives believe
government is the problem, not the solution. But really, It is conservative government that is the problem, not the solution.
But as usual, our own government has turned a deaf ear
No, not our government- conservative government. Conservatives don't believe that they need to listen to the people because they don't believe government is an expression of the common good. They believe government is just a license to steal tax money (whether in office or in the lobby) or is just way to regiment society into various haves and have nots. They promote selfishness as a virtue. Conservatives believe in leaders (haves) who must be obeyed and followers (have-nots) who must obey.
we can no longer rely on our own government for help in times of crisis, I think it’s time we ditched the feds and start looking
out for each other.
We can't rely on conservative government. To say we can't rely on the government to help us is to say that we can't rely on us to help ourselves and "promote the general welfare [the common good]." Ditching the feds- or any level of government- is
ditching we the people. We are the feds. We look out for each other by making the federal government work. If we don't make it work then we admit that conservatives are right: that government doesn't work and only gets in the way.
We Democrats believe we're never on our own and that government is the expression of the common good. We believe we the people have/are the power in a democracy to create change. We are the leaders we are waiting for.
-Andy
*or Republican.
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