Dear Editor,
In 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency ranked a major hurricane strike on New Orleans as “among the three likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country,” directly behind a terrorist strike on New York City.
So what was done after that assessment? The Bush administration made drastic funding cuts in New Orleans hurricane-protection projects to make room for tax cuts for the rich and the war in Iraq.
The same President who didn’t pay attention to a 2001 report that said Osama bin Laden was determined to strike inside the United States and the same incompetent Washington gang that has badly bungled the war in Iraq have now bungled hurricane recovery. What a surprise.
President Bush says he is going to be in charge of the investigation into the government’s response to the Katrina disaster. That gives me confidence.
Former FEMA director Michael Brown’s had no experience in disaster management – his previous job was running horse shows.
I know one of the fruits of political victory is that you get to reward your cronies with well-paid, do-little jobs, and that everyone does this.
But you’re supposed to do it with the ambassadorship to Luxembourg, not with running a department of emergency reparedness.
It’s especially appalling that President Bush didn’t bring in someone with expertise after 9/11 when everyone in America, as one, agreed we needed to beef up that area.Alan L. Light

Author