rereason

Reading some conservative, right wing type blogs, it appears many writers decided the local authorities in Louisiana bear the blame for the slow arrival of federal assistance.

One gets the impression that the writers cannot, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, admit that their guys performed poorly.

If one were to grant their arguments (which I don't) then certain questions must logically arise. If the state and local authorities failed, then shouldn't we press for an expanded federal role? Should we add more manpower and resources to the federal agencies charged with disaster preparedness? How should we pay for this expansion of the federal government? Higher taxes?

We should be asking these questions. One way to expose errors is to try to follow the logic wherever it leads. If the state and local leadership cannot be relied on, and if we want to minimize loss of life, then we must look to an expanded federal government.

Of course, if we view the failures as a leadership problem, the solution becomes much more obvious. Get rid of the incompetent leaders.