Lessons

It’s back to school time around the country right now, so I thought in the spirit of the return to learning we could engage in a bit of a history lesson. The writers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (you remember those guys, right? Funny looking trousers and white wigs.) saw fit to put into the Bill of Rights the Tenth Amendment which states:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

In other words, if it isn’t laid out in law that the federal government is responsible for something it’s up to the states to do it. This is commonly referred to as “States’ Rights”. This right has been the source of much contention and debate throughout American history. It has been the center of fights regarding minority rights, property rights, civil rights, and other rights. We even fought a war about it when certain states thought certain other states were incorrect.

By and large, we believe that government is more effective on a local level. That people in a certain area know better what the population in said area needs and wants. There has long been and continues to be a certain level of distruss of the almighty federal government – especially in the South where laws have been erected to protect local and state governments from federal interference. No where is this more evident than in Louisiana. As recently at 1998, Louisiana amended it’s state’s consitution to ensure further state sovereignty

The amendment declares: “The people of this state have the sole and exclusive right of governing themselves as a free and sovereign state; and do, and forever hereafter shall, exercise and enjoy every power, jurisdiction, and right, pertaining thereto, which is not, or may not hereafter be, by them expressly delegated to the United States in Congress assembled.”

I had forgotten this or probably never really knew it, until last night when a (what I would consider liberal) journalist on PBS was discussing the blame game and where the buck stops when it comes to the conditions in Louisiana. He pointed out that the Louisiana legislature and courts have built a large wall between themselves and the federal government so high, that it had seriously affected the rescue operations before, during and after Katrina. For example, help was offered and a plan was tendered to the governor of Louisiana the day the President flew over in Air Force One (I’ve attached an article if you are interested http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_2726584.shtml ) and Governor Blanco decided she needed 24 hours to decide. Other examples – and there are plenty – include lack of strategic planning on a city and state level, lag time in activation the LA National Guard and many other bureaucratic missteps that made an already horrible situation that much worse. In fact, on Friday, September 2, seeing the horrible ground game that was in effect, the President offered to federalize the entire matter. According to the Washington Post, Federal officials all the way up to President have suggested that state and local governments were overwhelmed by the scope of the disaster and were slow to respond, but that they themselves could not have moved more quickly because, in the words of Homeland Secutity Secretary Michael Chertoff, "our constitutional system really places the primary authority in each state with the governor."

Now, it is no surprise to any of you that I am a supporter of the President, and am loyal as they come when coming to his defense, however, I feel no disloyalty in saying that some of his staff looked like deer caught in headlights at the beginning of this tragedy. Mike Brown, the Director of FEMA does not inspire the confidence that 6 foot plus Joe Albaugh did during the 9/11 horrors. I don’t know enough about the Director of Homeland Security to comment on his demeanor as opposed to former Sec. Ridge, but those are some pretty tough shoes to fill for anyone. I think there were many break downs in the communication process. I think that mistakes were made at every level. I also think that because the government is run by humans and humans are not perfect, that mistakes are going to be made. Lt. Governor Landreau, D, Louisiana, was interviewed last night on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. When asked who was to blame and what should happen to them, said (in one of the great statements I’ve heard yet) that one thing Congress is better at than anything else are hearings and investigations and that those will come he was certain, however at this time they don’t have time for that in Louisiana or Mississippi or Alabama. They need to figure out how to get people food and water and after those basics – they need things as simple as new driver’s licenses and social security cards.

I’ve written all this to say this - I love a good investigation as much as the next guy. And really, you couldn’t write a political drama novel better than what is going on here. The players are so rich and multi-faceted - everyone scrambling to cover their own backside and still look like they are doing what needs to be done. It is classic human behavior under a microscope. So many levels to dig into, those at the top, middle and bottom, those affected directly and indirectly. I am looking forward to the book whenever it is written. I’m looking forward to the hearings on the Hill and the reports and all the political stuff that goes along with that. I like knowing that what has happened over the past couple weeks will be in history books in the future and how things are handled and not handled will be lessons for future generations. The tragedy and loss are horrible and I am in no way making light of it, however I believe that in the cycle of life these things happen for several reasons. Not the least of which is that we need reminders from time to time that there are things out of our control and that when those things come up we get a snapshot of what and who we are as humans.

But until the inevitable hearings and investigations on Capitol Hill, I think it might be best to remember the words of Louisiana’s Lt. Governor. Funny how the American people have done that – the stories of local churches and people who felt the need to give have stepped into the gap caused by local, state and federal authorities. They are moving food and water where there is none; they are donating money for charities at record levels; they are doing what good people do when bad things happen. Thank God that this country is made up of Americans and not “government officials”.