The Federal Government Is Smarter Than You...Even Though They Never Do Anything Right
The Federal Government failed the victims of Hurricane Katrina. As did the local, state and everyone in between. The lack of preparedness, speed and overall competence was horrendously demonstrated to the United States public via a week of live, national television.
AND THIS IS SHOCKING IN WHAT WAY?
I'm not sure where the rest of this country has been, but last time I checked, the government had always been horrible at handling disasters…and money…and power…and…everything else it's ever been handed. To be honest, I'm not quite sure why this surprised a single soul.
We just spent the last two years examining the evidence that suggests September 11th wasn't the "surprise attack" it was initially made out to be, yet here we are left shell-shocked by failed counter measures. I've searched my vast memory banks and I'm not coming up with many examples of stellar governmental response. In fact, all I can recall is the exact opposite.
Things like a washed out bridge above the Truckee River that declared the region a "disaster area" for a good 5 years before a single change was made. The fact that Florida residents are still living in shelters from last year's hurricane season. Or that, aside from cleaning up Ground Zero, not a single brick as been laid in the rebuilding process of the World Trade Center some 4 years later. The Federal Government's response to protesting WWI veterans during the Depression? Run them over with horses!
Who runs the DMV? State government, that's who, yet we expect and demand perfection from an entity that thus far has delivered nothing but imperfection. We express shock at the simplest things, despite the fact that government-run agencies have consistently proven that is exactly what they cannot handle.
"The levees were under funded!"
Have you heard of something called the United States/Mexican border? We literally have human beings pouring through holes on a daily basis, but the thing that really knocks us on our ass? Water breaking apart dirt. Look, the government regularly takes away money from important but non-impressive projects and throws it into ones that get them votes. Yeah, the money spent on Iraq could have strengthened the dams, but so could cash spent on the Robert Byrd Memorial Overpass or the dollars spent trying the Michael Newdow Supreme Court case. What about the money California legislatures used to pass a bill that directly contradicts a law passed by voters just a few short years earlier? Couldn't that time have been spent preparing for unforeseen disasters?
Article comments
1 - Lee Richards
Fine post. I agree with most of your points, but don't forget it is the Not-So-Conservatives who are currently burying us with ever-mounting deficits. Instead of being represented by an elephant and a donkey, I suggest two new Party symbols:hyena and hog--and I don't think it makes any difference which is which.
2 - The Searcher
Very good read, especially:
"government hates all people and cares only about itself"
I feel as though our two-party system is like being faced with Sophie's Choice.
3 - ryan
Thank you.
Though I'm fairly certain that a 4 party system would just leave us with twice as many morons. :)
4 - The Searcher
Yes, but think of a photograph with a higher degree of resolution; as you add more pixels, the image does at least move in the general direction of clarity.
It takes millions of dollars to win a campaign and the money's got to come from somewhere.
You've got to have money and power to get in the game in the first place. It also takes a great deal of money to propogate your spin-spunk to the masses through the media.
The sad fact is that if stupid people far outnumber intelligent ones, the representative democracy is going to put stupid people in office if it works properly. If you are a whore-mongering crack addict, and your constituency of fellow crack-addicts comprises a majority, you might just get elected -- it happens.
5 - ryan
Oh I know. And I totally understand.
My point was simply this: Politicians will always be morons, regardless of party system (2, 4 6, 8) and as such, we ought to have them in charge of as little as possible.
6 - ryanb
hey, i just redid all the colors on the site. let me know what you think
7 - The Searcher
Your point, as stated, is well-taken and dead on.
The text on your menus is too dark, it blends with the blue background and is hard to read :)
8 - some dude
what does the declaration of independance say about this. Read it and you'll learn that there is something that we can do about it. Everyone thinks that they have the upper hand. And there right only as long as we do nothing about it. We need to do domething about it before the internet is done away with. And I hear that they're talking about it.
9 - ryan
dude: you're absolutely right. we must do something about it, and that was the point of my article