The Government Fails, Time and Time Again

The government fails, time and time again, and it is due to its massive size, politics, hubris, incompetance, and graft.

While I wasn't blogging when the Department of Homeland Security was created, I stated in web forums and email lists that creating that department was nothing but a waste of time and money.

If its main job was to prevent another 9/11, all that had to be done was to add a cabinet position to head over seeing of the different 3 letter agencies to make sure that they share information in a timely and efficient manner. Then all that had to be done was to give that position the authority to fire people at will and remove regulations that prevented information from being shared. That position should also have had an inside track to be able to go to congress and state what laws needed to be changed or removed to bring down the legal barriers between the different 3 letter agencies.

Note: Some of those laws are the reason for "The Wall" and those laws are on the books because of prior abuses by the different 3 letter agencies. I know this, but some of the resulting regulations were a burden.

As anyone should be able to see right now, putting FEMA under Homeland Defense was a stupid move. And putting Brown in charge of FEMA was also a stupid move. Yes, it was everyday politics, but the man is in over his head.

Before the hurricane, the mayor of New Orleans said that because of the size of the hurricane, the people of NOLA would be essentially on their own. After the hurricane hit, he was on the air, rightly, blasting lack of a response from the federal government.

Well, he should have included local government and state government in that, but he didn't.

Note: I'm on the road again and I just don't feel like web surfing to find the links to back what I'm writing. Yeah, I'm lazy, cranky, my head hurts, and I ate some bad airport food that is tearing my stomach up. So go look for it for yourself.

The local and state authorities told those who couldn't get out to go to the Super Dome. They did. Then they were subject to searches before being allowed to enter the Dome. The local authorites in the Dome, apparently, couldn't do anything about the criminals who entered the Dome and took advantage of the situation. They should have let people keep knives and such.

Note: I've started to question what is being reported about the crime. Not because of race issues, but because of things like this. Yeah, I linked it. It's in another tab right now, that's why.

Trying to get back on track....

The local and state government failed those who couldn't get out. They failed the hospitals. When the local police were in search and rescue mode, they let the looters rules, so they failed to protect those who needed protecting.

The authorities are sending children without parents or guardians to locations outside of LA. Now you have parentless children, possibly STATES away from their family. Children are being harmed while being saved. This is like foster care. When it goes right, it goes right. When it goes wrong, the foster care system destroys families and harms kids. (Don't. Even. Get. Me. Going. About. The. Foster. Care. System).

There is a radio interview being played on talk radio concerning a woman who is relaying her experience with FEMA. FEMA asked her for an address. She has none. They asked her for her telephone number. She has none. She was calling from a temporary space set up by Allstate. The location? A field. They asked for a fax number. She had none.

Oh, and let us not forget about the NOLA evacuation plan that called for buses to be used to transport people out of The Big Easy. Instead, they are flooded.

That's the government in action.

The government is best at confiscating money from tax payers. But otherwise, people should consider to be on your own and operate from that premise.

If you didn't know before, now you know.

And to anyone who is surprised by what I'm writing, it's because you never asked, otherwise I would have told you something like this before.

Comments

[Lester Spence]

Ed your position is ahistorical. THIS government fails time and time again, NOT because government is inefficient but because the people in charge of this administration do not believe government should work for anyone but themselves. Check out the response to the hurricane in Florida if you don't believe me. When these guys really want government to work, it does.

[tootsie]

Barbara Bush after visiting the Astro dome "What I'm hearing is sort of scary,is they all want to stay in Texas.Everyone is so overwhelm by the hospitality,so many people were underprivileged this is working out well for them".Government don't have a clue.

[Temple3]

That's a great point Lester. I do believe there is a great deal of empirical support for your position.

[DarkStar]

Hmmm....

Let's see....

Million dollar toilet seats, hundred thousand dollar hammers, failure of the public school system in poor areas, urban renewal projects, ...