Replies

Bush delivered a good, and thoughtful and well crafted speech. I appreciated his candor, about the failings of the federal government, and the lack of what is needed. He got the message about having a centralized command, or at least concerted and preplanned effort, with a military component, to move fast. His challenge now is to direct the aid, without that in and of itself becoming a national scandal. That will be a huge and difficult task.

I am very skeptical that handing over federal land (where?) to build homes is practical, or sensible. The lottery seems unworkable too. If Bush wants to subsidize homeowners, the funds should just be appropriated. If the federal land he wants to give up is surplus, just sell it. The Bush idea requires new infrastructure, schools, roads, etc. Unless it is infill land, I doubt that is practical, either in theory or in practice.

But the point Bush made a positive step. Bush may be slow in grasping matters, but in general he has good judgment, given time. That is my initial reaction.