Interesting politics

[WebmasterAlex]

This is from an MSNBC article
The quote from the President "The result is that many of our citizens simply are not getting the help they need, especially in New Orleans. And that is unacceptable." has been WIDELY reported in the press as an admission the federal governement failed. This shows that the media spun that and took it out of context.


An emerging power struggle
Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.
The administration had sought control over National Guard units, normally under control of the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request, noting that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. State authorities suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who is an adviser and does not have the authority to speak publicly.

Blanco made two moves Saturday that protected her independence from the federal government: She created a philanthropic fund for the state's victims and hired James Lee Witt, Federal Emergency Management Agency director in the Clinton administration, to advise her on the relief effort.

Bush, who has been criticized, even by supporters, for the delayed response to the disaster, used his weekly radio address to put responsibility for the failure on lower levels of government. The magnitude of the crisis "has created tremendous problems that have strained state and local capabilities," he said. "The result is that many of our citizens simply are not getting the help they need, especially in New Orleans. And that is unacceptable."

In a Washington briefing, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said one reason federal assets were not used more quickly was "because our constitutional system really places the primary authority in each state with the governor."

And FEMA Director Michael D. Brown, a frequent target of New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin's wrath, said Saturday that "the mayor can order an evacuation and try to evacuate the city, but if the mayor does not have the resources to get the poor, elderly, the disabled, those who cannot, out, or if he does not even have police capacity to enforce the mandatory evacuation, to make people leave, then you end up with the kind of situation we have right now in New Orleans."

 

[Luv2Roam]

There is going to be finger pointing on many levels and at many people. Bottom line the system (I use the term loosely) failed on many levels.
I hope some "leaders" are replaced and we all learn from this terrible, terrible lesson.
I really don't know how some of them can look themselves in the mirror.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Where does the buck stop???

Why didn't those people on the roofs get rescued for FIVE days?

Why didn't the people in the Convention center even get a drop shipment of water?

N.E.D.

 

[Southern4sure]

Where does the buck stop???

Why didn't those people on the roofs get rescued for FIVE days?

Why didn't the people in the Convention center even get a drop shipment of water?

N.E.D.

Why did the mayor forget to tell FEMA about the people at the convention center?

Why didnt the mayor and LA Gov have water and food ready for the thousands of people they herded to the Convention center and Superdome?

Why are hundreds of school busses sitting in a flooded parking lot instead of being used to help get the sick, elderly and poor out of a death trap that was about to happen?

The list can go on but it begins with local governments.

The highway ramps you see on the news are not docking ramps but ramps onto highway 10 turned into docking ramps. Boats and helicopters were the only means of rescue and it takes time to rescue thousands who should not have been left. People at the convention center and the superdome as deplorable as it was were on dry ground. People on roof tops came first.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

The "buck" in this case stops with the Governor. She has complete authority over the LA national guard and is completely responsible within her state. This article shows that when the federal government offered to take over the whole thing she turned them down

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

People on roof tops came first.

I agree. But they were there for DAYS.

And yes, those people were dry, but there is no excuse for them not having food and water for DAYS.

That's the point I think that angers and frustrates the most. We live in the United States of America, in the year 2005, and we couldn't drop some water or food for these people for DAYS. Not hours, up to FIVE DAYS in some cases - and some of those people are still out there. Did you see even the conservative Fox news commentators in tears, saying they didn't understand how the government let people sit there and DIE of THIRST?

I'm sorry to use so many caps, but man...it's just unreal. People dying of hunger and thirst in our great country. Three, four, five DAYS is a long, long time. It is inexcusable, and I believe the administration should have responded much, much sooner.

I don't think Bush is soley responsible, that would be silly. However, this has been another case where many of us believe he has failed in his leadership by his delayed response for his part in this mess, one of many mistakes his administration has made.

The issue is, our priorities are so far beyond messed up it will be hard to ever recover. 950 people, including women and children, died in Iraq the other day in a stampeed, but no one knows about it because we've been so busy with Katrina. We are spending billions and billions of dollars EVERY WEEK and losing countless thousands and thousands of Iraqi's and almost two thousand of our own troops - yet we have to hold telethons and benefits and make private contributions to help people who are the victims of a NATURAL disaster in our OWN country. And while we are putting ourselves into unprecedented debt to do all this, we cut funding for the very entites that were supposed to take care of these disasters.

This is the direction our administration has taken us in. I don't "hate" Bush, I just don't think his priorities and my priorities line up, and the response to Katrina has just enforced that even more.

N.E.D.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

The "buck" in this case stops with the Governor. She has complete authority over the LA national guard and is completely responsible within her state. This article shows that when the federal government offered to take over the whole thing she turned them down

I disagree, but that's the beauty of our country.

N.E.D.

 

[BuckNaked]

I agree. But they were there for DAYS.

The Coast Guard only has so many helicopters, and the active military can't come in until the governor makes the request.

I'm sorry to use so many caps, but man...it's just unreal. People dying of hunger and thirst in our great country. Three, four, five DAYS is a long, long time. It is inexcusable, and I believe the administration should have responded much, much sooner.

Yes, the administration should have responded much sooner, by seizing control and federalizing the effort. It's most likely unconstitutional, but that's a chance I would have been willing to take to keep people from dying of thirst.

I don't think Bush is soley responsible, that would be silly. However, this has been another case where many of us believe he has failed in his leadership by his delayed response for his part in this mess, one of many mistakes his administration has made.

You do understand, don't you, that the relief efforts are supposed to be led at the state level, with the federal government giving all requested support? The aid can't come if the governor doesn't request it. And I don't mean her getting on TV and crying about how bad things are, I mean going through the proper channels to make the requests.

I disagree, but that's the beauty of our country.

That's not even an issue that is open to opinion or disagreement - it's the law.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Why did the mayor forget to tell FEMA about the people at the convention center?

I don't know how the mayor forgot...but FEMA could have found out had they switched on the TV. Me and the rest of America knew about it on Wednesday.

N.E.D.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The "buck" in this case stops with the Governor. She has complete authority over the LA national guard and is completely responsible within her state. This article shows that when the federal government offered to take over the whole thing she turned them down

Well I hope she gets the mess taken care of--b/c that would be a KEY refusal.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The Coast Guard only has so many helicopters, and the active military can't come in until the governor makes the request.



Yes, the administration should have responded much sooner, by seizing control and federalizing the effort. It's most likely unconstitutional, but that's a chance I would have been willing to take to keep people from dying of thirst.



You do understand, don't you, that the relief efforts are supposed to be led at the state level, with the federal government giving all requested support? The aid can't come if the governor doesn't request it. And I don't mean her getting on TV and crying about how bad things are, I mean going through the proper channels to make the requests.



That's not even an issue that is open to opinion or disagreement - it's the law.

I agree

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

The Coast Guard only has so many helicopters, and the active military can't come in until the governor makes the request.

Yes, the administration should have responded much sooner, by seizing control and federalizing the effort. It's most likely unconstitutional, but that's a chance I would have been willing to take to keep people from dying of thirst.

You do understand, don't you, that the relief efforts are supposed to be led at the state level, with the federal government giving all requested support? The aid can't come if the governor doesn't request it. And I don't mean her getting on TV and crying about how bad things are, I mean going through the proper channels to make the requests.

That's not even an issue that is open to opinion or disagreement - it's the law.

As I said, I am not blaming the entire thing on one person.

However, the federal government certainly has the power to seize control of a situation like that, after the disaster has struck.

As someone said so wonderfully in another thread, I guess we need to pass a law that when babies and children are dying on television and the whole nation is watching, going through the "proper channels" is secondary to stopping the suffering.

I do not blame the administration for their reaction BEFORE the storm, but the days and days it took for them to do something about it. The president has the power to declare martial law, and that is what should have occured. He has the power to invade other countries, he has the power to drop some water on the Superdome.

I'd rather have pissed people than dead people.

N.E.D.

 

[BuckNaked]

I don't know how the mayor forgot...but FEMA could have found out had they switched on the TV. Me and the rest of America knew about it on Wednesday.

N.E.D.

Well I doubt that the FEMA folks are sitting around watching television. It is the responsibility of the local officials to TELL the federal government what they need, how much they need, and where they need it. If they're really relying on the news media to pass on their needs, then they are more incompetent than they already appear to be. City officials send people to the convention center, where they know there is no food, water or medical attention, then don't tell the feds about it and and request provisions?

 

[Southern4sure]

I agree. But they were there for DAYS.

And yes, those people were dry, but there is no excuse for them not having food and water for DAYS.

Exactly!...the Mayor and Govenor were the first to fail. They did not exhauste every means they had to get the people out of NO and did not prepare for the thousands who could not leave and were trapped.

Did you see even the conservative Fox news commentators in tears, saying they didn't understand how the government let people sit there and DIE of THIRST?

Yes I saw it but I didnt see the Mayor or the Gov. asking for help until after the situation became so dire. Even the Mayor abandoned the city.

I don't think Bush is soley responsible, that would be silly. However, this has been another case where many of us believe he has failed in his leadership by his delayed response for his part in this mess, one of many mistakes his administration has made.

So you dont think the delay had anything to do with the Govenor? Bush declared NO a federal disaster area before the hurricane hit. How is that delaying?

Alittle FYI:

THE DECLARATION PROCESS

The Stafford Act (§401) requires that: "All requests for a declaration by the President that a major disaster exists shall be made by the Governor of the affected State." A State also includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia are also eligible to request a declaration and receive assistance.

The Governor's request is made through the regional FEMA/EPR office. State and Federal officials conduct a preliminary damage assessment (PDA) to estimate the extent of the disaster and its impact on individuals and public facilities. This information is included in the Governor's request to show that the disaster is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and the local governments and that Federal assistance is necessary. Normally, the PDA is completed prior to the submission of the Governor's request. However, when an obviously severe or catastrophic event occurs, the Governor's request may be submitted prior to the PDA. Nonetheless, the Governor must still make the request.

As part of the request, the Governor must take appropriate action under State law and direct execution of the State's emergency plan. The Governor shall furnish information on the nature and amount of State and local resources that have been or will be committed to alleviating the results of the disaster, provide an estimate of the amount and severity of damage and the impact on the private and public sector, and provide an estimate of the type and amount of assistance needed under the Stafford Act. In addition, the Governor will need to certify that, for the current disaster, State and local government obligations and expenditures (of which State commitments must be a significant proportion) will comply with all applicable cost-sharing requirements.

 

[BuckNaked]

However, the federal government certainly has the power to seize control of a situation like that, after the disaster has struck.

No, I don't think that they do, without declaring martial law. And then you'd have the politicians in NOLA and LA *****ing about federal power usurping states' rights. And the usual suspects would fall in right behind them, claiming that it was an unnecessary power grab by the President.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Well I doubt that the FEMA folks are sitting around watching television. It is the responsibility of the local officials to TELL the federal government what they need, how much they need, and where they need it. If they're really relying on the news media to pass on their needs, then they are more incompetent than they already appear to be. City officials send people to the convention center, where they know there is no food, water or medical attention, then don't tell the feds about it and and request provisions?

/sigh

The point is, if the television media knew about it, then we have the reasonable expectation to believe that the government agency in charge of disaster relief would know about it.

I can't believe someone would argue otherwise...but as I said, you are entitled to your opinion. That's what makes our country great.

N.E.D.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

No, I don't think that they do, without declaring martial law. And then you'd have the politicians in NOLA and LA *****ing about federal power usurping states' rights. And the usual suspects would fall in right behind them, claiming that it was an unnecessary power grab by the President.

As I said, I'd rather have pissed off people than dead people.

Comes down to that for me.

N.E.D.

 

[Southern4sure]

I don't know how the mayor forgot...but FEMA could have found out had they switched on the TV. Me and the rest of America knew about it on Wednesday.

N.E.D.

So you'd rather have FEMA watching TV instead of trying to help the people. That makes alot of sense.

 

[BuckNaked]

/sigh

The point is, if the television media knew about it, then we have the reasonable expectation to believe that the government agency in charge of disaster relief would know about it.

I can't believe someone would argue otherwise...but as I said, you are entitled to your opinion. That's what makes our country great.

N.E.D.

I'm not sure why you aren't getting the point that the state and local officials have to ASK FOR THE AID THEY NEED AND WHERE THEY NEED IT. They could know about it, but if the state officials hadn't made the request, the federal agencies are not going to send it in.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Exactly!...the Mayor and Govenor were the first to fail. They did not exhauste every means they had to get the people out of NO and did not prepare for the thousands who could not leave and were trapped.

Never said they were not also at fault.

Yes I saw it but I didnt see the Mayor or the Gov. asking for help until after the situation became so dire. Even the Mayor abandoned the city.

If I am drowning in a pool, and it's being broadcast on TV, will you wait until I ask for help to save me, even if it means you might irritate some people in the process?

So you dont think the delay had anything to do with the Govenor? Bush declared NO a federal disaster area before the hurricane hit. How is that delaying?

I never said any such thing about the governor. The HELP was delayed. The WATER. The FOOD.

If the governor was so incompetent than by darn the President should have usurped her power. He has no problem doing it other times - but when push came to shove, his administration just stepped back.

No excuse.

N.E.D.