What Hearings Won't Teach Congress
Any reasonably objective analyst playing the Katrina blame game has to admit two things: that most of the damage was caused by nature and chaos theory, and that human blame is like an oil slick on the newly formed Lake New Orleans: wide and thin.
It's undeniable that were it not for the perfect hurrican hitting in the perfect place, and for systems to fail in unanticipated ways, Katrina would be last week's news. (Yes, unanticipated failures. Levee topping was anticipated, failed levees were not.)
As Congress convenes to grandstand ... er, study ... the matter, they will poke at the oil sheen, analyzing FEMA, the Corps, state and local govenment, Homeland Security, and hopefully the Coast Guard. Fine. Let them find strengths and weaknesses and learn from them.
But let's not hold our breath waiting for them to look at the most profound human cause: themselves.
Congressional pork backburners necessary programs, as nicely detailed by John Tierney in today's NYT. He's looking at the Corps of Engineers, an agency that is the recipient of more than its share of policy-by-pork. Here's some examples he presents of questionable allocations of Corps funding:
Ironically, one of the Corps' biggest projects in Louisiana is the Atchafalaya diversionary structure, a massive concrete structure designed to keep the Mississippi River in its current channel. The river wants to divert to the Atchafalaya River, but the structure keeps the river flowing through New Orleans, protecting that city's economy.
Were it not for this fantastic Corps project, powerfully described by John McPhee in The Control of Nature, Katrina's impact on New Orleans probably would have been very different indeed.
It's undeniable that were it not for the perfect hurrican hitting in the perfect place, and for systems to fail in unanticipated ways, Katrina would be last week's news. (Yes, unanticipated failures. Levee topping was anticipated, failed levees were not.)
As Congress convenes to grandstand ... er, study ... the matter, they will poke at the oil sheen, analyzing FEMA, the Corps, state and local govenment, Homeland Security, and hopefully the Coast Guard. Fine. Let them find strengths and weaknesses and learn from them.
But let's not hold our breath waiting for them to look at the most profound human cause: themselves.
Congressional pork backburners necessary programs, as nicely detailed by John Tierney in today's NYT. He's looking at the Corps of Engineers, an agency that is the recipient of more than its share of policy-by-pork. Here's some examples he presents of questionable allocations of Corps funding:
- The Hillary's New York City, the Corps is giving grants to improve drinking water.
- In Teddy's Massachusetts, the Corps offers bike jumps near Worcester and runs a theater next to the Cape Cod Canal showing a video of "Canal Critters."
- And in Harry's Nevada, the Corps has been given $20 million for wastewater treatment.
Ironically, one of the Corps' biggest projects in Louisiana is the Atchafalaya diversionary structure, a massive concrete structure designed to keep the Mississippi River in its current channel. The river wants to divert to the Atchafalaya River, but the structure keeps the river flowing through New Orleans, protecting that city's economy.
Were it not for this fantastic Corps project, powerfully described by John McPhee in The Control of Nature, Katrina's impact on New Orleans probably would have been very different indeed.
posted by Laer at 12:53 PM
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