"Fair point."
Quite frankly, the Fed is scary in a Santa Claus-way.
Hadn't they just handed out $2,000 debit cards to thousands of people, only to recognize how dumb it was and withdraw the program?
The Bush Administration -- without first considering logistics -- is trying too hard to bendover backwards to "prove" they "care" in the face of criticism from the MSM, Jesse Jackson, and the Dems.
That's nonsense. The Government was trying desperately to help people in an emergency. There wasn't time to have weeks of staff studies to come up with foolproof means of support.
There are hundreds of thousands who were suddenly homeless. This has been inprecedented. Using normal standards of spending and audit in an emergency is just not realistic.
"The Bush Administration -- without first considering logistics -- is trying too hard to bendover backwards to "prove" they "care" in the face of criticism from the MSM, Jesse Jackson, and the Dems."
But I must say I agree with your assessment above. After the intial blunders on the response to the hurricane, the Bush Administration has got to make them selves look REAL good. Thus, it is mostly the taxpayers who will be paying for the mistakes the president admitted too.
I would like to have seen a greater dependence on private sources, particularly because this will be a model for diasters both big and small in the future.
My reaction to the homesteading idea, is mostly positive. But I have to consider it further.
What's scary is the demand of the feds/Bush for greater power in case of national emergency. States' rights will be buried, but in the face of Blanco and Nigan's monumental incompetence, there's nothing else but for the feds to step in early and with big feet.