if the partisans here have their way, we land at this absurd conclusion: We elect a government to do nothing to protect us.

Yes, that's why we authorized Bush to go after the terrorists.
Or Saddam Hussein.
Or create the Patriot Act.

When we have a rip-roaring fire rage through these parts. We aren't expecting the Feds to be the first on the scene. We expect local efforts coordinated often with other states fire crews and equipment if and when the situation is beyond the state's capacity to deal with.

Few people are foolish enough to think they can "ride out" a fire and so in this instance 30,000 people could be evacuated with no problems by local officials. Whether it be an approaching fire or an approaching hurricane, folks have sufficient time to evacuate if the locals and local officials are smart enough to cooperate and follow plans set will in advance.

The Federal government can't save people from themselves.

Should they be empowered to do so we would require even more money for the manpower and equipment required for city-scale forced evacuations and emergency management.

What partisans like yourself are going to create out of the Katrina hurricane is a hugely bloated, more intrusive FEMA that can levy fines and use force in the application of evacuation.

Once you create a Fed that can do this - we can all sit back and watch local agencies kick back and expect the Feds to clean up local messes.

More folks will die than ever before.

More power will be delegated to the Fed to interfere in State affairs.

That's a formula for disaster. I know you and the other partisan Bush-haters can't see the big picture on this, and that's too bad. Because if you don't wake up soon and see what you're doing, lives will be lost from California to Maine.

More fingers will be pointed and everyone will be pointing at someone else while folks die just because of one incompetent local government, NOLA, and the far left make excuses and set a precedent for "justified" local incompetence.

If the Federal government needs to now override locals, to save locals from their own stupidity and mismanagement, we create a whole new can of worms.

Constitutionally, states have the right to be stupid and incompetent.

This was a regional Democrat fumble. They blew it and blew it big time. The media blew smoke up the national posterior to cover for it, but now in the light of facts and subsided hysteria - it's plainer than ever: Louisiana and New Orleans lived up to their "backwater" reputation.

Sure, we can have it your way if you really want.

Federal (at this time translated as Republican) watchdogs for at-risk (aka Democrat governed) states can be set up. As soon as a disaster looms, we'll override all local laws and impose Federal martial law in a region. In Congress, we'll strip state rights with new amendments to the Constitution and we'll fund a new 700 billion program for helicopters, planes, buses, ambulances, fire engines, fire retardant planes, ships, fresh food and water for millions, hundreds of thousands of agents, Federal evacuation facilities and place these in EVERY state. This will require a LOT of land from all the states, which is to be so designated as a FEMA RESPONSE FACILITY. Evacuating MILLIONS of folks from every major city will require LOTS of equipment and this equipment will need to be maintained, salaries paid and countless new buildings will need to be constructed to house these men, machines and evacuees.

A whole new UNPRECEDENTED money-hole can be created. It can hire public trough feeding bureaucrats by the BOATLOAD in every state: More undereducated and unskilled incompetents to collect money from Uncle Sam.

We can watch as our struggling economy sinks under the burden. But we'll ALL be SAFE!

THAT is what you are asking for. Better be sure you want it.

If the left-of-center partisans keep up this whine-festival in their attempt to satiate there neurotic need to blame Bush, you will surely eventually get all this and more.

The whole left response to Katrina has been asinine and continues to be asinine. It is symptomatic of the childish socialist need to have mommy or daddy clean their ass every time they soil themselves.

Grow up.

;-)

PS
One bad rant deserves another.