I’m not a big fan of the National Review, mostly because it tends to be too conservative for my liking. All the same, Jim Geraghty says some things I’ve been thinking about for awhile..
Right before I read his article I had typed up a pretty scathing commentary about the New Orleans Police Department and their role in the looting and general inaction in the aftermath of the Hurricane. Depending on which report you’ve read, anywhere between 20% to 70% of the police force just up and quit after the hurricane. Now there are some dedicated public safety professionals! Can you imagine what it would have been like on September 11, 2001 if the police and firefighters had simply said “No way I’m going in there! I quit!” It was certainly an option. The firefighters who died that day put their lives on the line voluntarily. Sure we expect them to do crazy and heroic things, but no one is holding a gun to their heads.
Corruption at all levels of government has been a long-standing tradition in New Orleans. People just sort of winked and smiled and accepted that it was just going to always be that way. Instead of demanding better candidates and voting out politicians who were not doing their duty (which would send a clear message to similar successors, “Do your job or else!”) the citizens of New Orleans took it as a sort of status quo.
So now that a disaster has hit their city, they have suffered more than other areas. Has anyone wondered why other areas have recovered so quickly. Granted, New Orleans was not built in an ideal location, although that to should be evaluated. Government officials in Mississippi and Alabama have already begun the process of restoration. We are still evacuating people in Louisiana. Yet despite the fact that only one area really seems to be suffering, many are quick to lay the blame at the feet of the Federal Government in general and at George W. Bush specifically. The problem is that to do so is to ignore the functional and prepared local governments that were hit by the exact same storm and are on the road to recovery. New Orleans is the exception, not the rule.
Even considering New Orleans somewhat unique geography, you still have to wonder what they have been spending federal dollars on. In this Washington Post article (hat tip to Instapundit) they highlight the pork barrel projects done by the state with federal dollars. Nevermind that we’ve known the leevees were in need of upgrade and repair for some time. It is not the Federal government’s concern how things work at the local level, they simply don’t have the manpower. They can give money to the local government’s, but to monitor whether New Orleans needed a new canal lock versus better flood control is a decision that should and does reside within the realm of local authority.
Worse, the ineptitude continues. On the Red Cross FAQ page they answer the question of why they are not in New Orleans right now.
In particular there is this gem -
“The state Homeland Security Department had requested–and continues to request–that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city. ”
I emphasized that this was the state HSD and not the federal version. In other words, it is the Louisiana Homeland Security Department telling the Red Cross not to come.
Brilliant move, Governor Blanco. We don’t want to encourage people to stay, but you have no means to help them leave. Exactly what are those people supposed to do?
So while a corrupt and inept government was seen as a natural part of New Orleans life, we now have a very solid example of why this is not an acceptable arrangement. When a disaster strikes, the people who make the life and death decisions must be counted on. The consequences have been demonstrated to be deadly.
The problem with playing the blame game is that all too often the first person to start pointing fingers is often the one at fault. In this case if you want to get down to the root of the problem, you’ll find that the voters of Louisiana have managed to put in place a government that simply does not work, cannot act, and is frozen by incompetence at all levels. The very people screaming for help and outraged that none has come were the people responsible for voting in the public officials that have killed so many with their indecision and poor judgement.
A lot of people took offense at the “Vote or Die” campaign done in 2004, mostly because it was anti-Bush. All the same, that motto seems to have become morbidly true. How you vote, or don’t vote, could very well determine if you live or die. Yet somehow I doubt this is a lesson that the general public will learn anytime soon.
Addendum -
Holy Cow! Even after I wrote this I found yet another story. Looks like Louisiana Government’s worst nightmare is coming true. People are starting to notice their incompetence.
