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What is disturbing is that in the Andrew, Katrina, and Sandy events is that political leadership at state level have been ineffectual. Part of this is how the concept that the states are semi-sovereign entities with many of the powers of countries has totally dropped out of the public conscioness. State leaders from the governor down sit about weeping and wailing and clamoring for the national government to arrive to save them. In Florida after Andrew Lawton Childs went AWOL for several days in a panic and only well after the event called for a limited ‘voluntary’ National Guard mobilization. In Katrina Katherine Blanko hovered between the usual swamp state paranoia over losing ‘control’ (read not being able to use every aspect of an event for political patronage purposes) and clamoring for the federal dollar spigot to be turned on carte blanch before the Guard would be mobilized. Now Cuomo and Christy governors of an infinitely richer states than either Florida or Louisiana
are mostly doing the Alfred E Neuman act as to their constitutional powers and responsibilities. The governor of as a state has enormous powers either specifically delegated or inferred from being the commander and chief of state forces. None want to ‘act like a heavy’ or actually do something that seems ‘extremist’ such as declare a state of emergency and declare marshal law in certain affected areas . American political leaders (term loosely used) have become much like their European counterparts. Weak, posturing gas bags, risk aversive and timid to the point of physical cowardice. Americans should draw the appropriate conclusions as to what they as citizens will have to do.