Buck In Brief

On Katrina and Responsible Government

In Brief: We need to think carefully about the recovery and restoration efforts following the two hurricanes that slammed into the Gulf coast. One major focus should be to restore damaged wetlands that would have softened the impact of the storms. Another should be to include all residents of the region in the rebuilding tasks. The damage was horrendous, but it does provide an opportunity to rebuild carefully and wisely.

09/15/05

If Hurricane Katrina has taught us one thing it is that we are all connected. People across this nation have opened their hearts, wallets, and homes to the storm's refugees, proving, once again, that Americans are a good and decent people. Countries across the globe have donated expertise and resources to help. Katrina has shown how the world can operate as a family in times of crisis.

On Tuesday September 13, President Bush addressed the federal response, "Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government. And to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility. I want to know what went right and what went wrong."

The words were appropriate, but responsibility will take more than words. Will the administration encourage a bipartisan investigation into what went wrong? Will agencies be empowered to react more quickly to future tragedies? Will a serious investment be made in improving the lives of those who still live in poverty in the richest nation on the planet? We'll see.

One thing is certain. A great country deserves a great government. Americans deserve fully-funded essential services and accountability when mistakes are made. The public deserves a say in, and oversight of, the changes that will be made.

Katrina starkly reveals the emptiness of an ideology that starves the federal budget and leaves ordinary Americans more exposed than ever to disasters, natural and otherwise. Fiscal responsibility tells us that now is not the time for tax breaks for big corporations and the well-off. Rebuilding the Gulf Coast will be expensive, perhaps costing $200 billion or more. This work should be done in way that creates well-paying jobs for the refugees from the affected region and fixes some of the environmental problems that got us here. Restoring the essential wetlands that protect New Orleans and the Gulf Coast from storm surge is one of those projects worthy of investment.

Our original intent in establishing the federal government, as expressed in the Constitution, was to establish justice, provide for the common defense, and promote the general welfare. Let's get to work.

Vawter "Buck" Parker, Executive Director
buckparker@earthjustice.org