George W. Bush Is Taking the Blame

A noble gesture, now what’s the president going to do about the governments bureaucracy that created the foul-up in the first place? There was too much talk and no action. Too many meetings that produced no solutions, too many layers of management that didn’t manage. Too much of too much, that was the problem. Washington’s filled with Generals who can’t command. There’re few leaders and fewer followers. We’re reminded of a million ants trying to move a thousand pound bolder, they could do it if they only knew where to grab hold. No one’s willing to show them for fear of being wrong.

The president taking the blame is a good thing and a bad thing. it will perhaps quell the harsh rhetoric for a while at least. It will also let some who are the most responsible to have an out. His taking the blame isn’t going to do much for the problem of an inept government bureaucracy. If he’s to avoid this problem in the future. The president needs to make some changes at the very top. Voters in States need to recognize the incompetence of their elected officials.

The term “first responder” is a misnomer. The first responders should be local officials. Every city, town, and village should have emergency plans for evacuation in the event of natural disasters. Those plans should be coordinated with state officials. To assume the national government should come galloping in like the cavalry is a foolish assumption. Natural disasters are usually spontaneous the federal government can’t be everywhere all the time. A 72-hour response is not something that should be ridiculed. When a president gives more than a 48 hour notice a disaster is on it’s way it’s time for local people to start paying attention.

President Bush said he isn’t sure we’re prepared for the next disaster natural or otherwise. In order to assure the government is prepared changes needs made, much of the middle management of government agencies needs to be changed or made more accountable. The public needs to share in the responsibility of coping with disasters. We’re a nation over governed, over regulated, and held under accountable for our own lives. God gave man a brain, liberalism tells man he doesn’t need to use it, just follow them blindly and accept what they offer.

It’s worthy of noting this is a bureaucracy the Bush Administration inherited not one they created. A bureaucracy where incompetence is not only tolerated it’s encouraged. The fear of doing the wrong things are superseded by the fear of doing nothing. Congress is complicit in the ineffectual bureaucracy by passing laws that encourage, nay demand incompetence. Rules and regulations all to often inhibit taking action

Governments operate on a premise, they must keep the public in a state of fear in order to command it’s attention. They create wars and rumors of wars in order to justify a persona for their existence.

When a real crisis presents it’s self they’re more often than not ill- prepared to handle them. Washington is full of presumed Chiefs and no working Indians.

Perhaps a new direction for the courts will bring America back to the rule of law in accordance with the constitution and not judicial activism. The key to constitutional rule as apposed to judicial rule is a new congress, consisting of men and women who follow the constitution and not their need to embrace emotional activism.

Ken Hughes may be responded to at ken-hughes@comcast.net