Watching the coverage of the devastation caused by Katrina, I am left in a state of absolute befuddlement over the dirth of knowledge and basic common sense of the reporters, residents, victims and politicians.
America is a unique nation in the world. It is the only nation that is not a nation-state. While Europe is making an attempt to replicate it, American remains the only country that is actually a union of independent and sovereign states. Fifty of them to be precise.
Each state in this country functions with a great degree of independence and self-sufficiency, although there are those who have been trying to destroy that systems in favour of a centralized federal collectivism. When a disaster strikes a state, other than an attack from foreign entities such as happened in New York, it is primarily the responsibility of the state to respond. State and local officials are to assess the situation and marshal that their resources to meet the challenge. This includes, but is not limited to, calling up the state’s National Guard, instituting search and rescue operations, establishing order and security and providing for the basic necessities of life (food, water, shelter and medical assistance). If need be a state-of-emergency may be declared and federal assistance requested. In this case, the Governor MUST make a specific request from the federal government for same. So my first question is, why are people acting as if the President was in control of the State of Louisiana? Does Louisiana not have its own system of government? Where is the Governor and the state’s legislature?
Being a sovereign state, the federal government cannot simply barge in and take control of matters based solely on its belief that it can do better. Even though that is true in the current situation – once the feds took over the situation stabilized – we remain a nation of laws, not of men. Based on the feelings, and I do mean feelings (no one has shut up long enough to think), expressed thus far, many seem to believe that state government is irrelevant and laws exists only when convenient.
Shall we simply declare all state government obsolete and turn over total control to the feds? Shall we make it an official policy that the Rule of Law is the standard in American unless of course the Law is inconvenient? Some may say that this is exactly what has been done for the past several years. If we look and listen to the manner in which people have responded and complained about the situation if Louisiana, this is exactly what most people want.
America is a unique nation in the world. It is the only nation that is not a nation-state. While Europe is making an attempt to replicate it, American remains the only country that is actually a union of independent and sovereign states. Fifty of them to be precise.
Each state in this country functions with a great degree of independence and self-sufficiency, although there are those who have been trying to destroy that systems in favour of a centralized federal collectivism. When a disaster strikes a state, other than an attack from foreign entities such as happened in New York, it is primarily the responsibility of the state to respond. State and local officials are to assess the situation and marshal that their resources to meet the challenge. This includes, but is not limited to, calling up the state’s National Guard, instituting search and rescue operations, establishing order and security and providing for the basic necessities of life (food, water, shelter and medical assistance). If need be a state-of-emergency may be declared and federal assistance requested. In this case, the Governor MUST make a specific request from the federal government for same. So my first question is, why are people acting as if the President was in control of the State of Louisiana? Does Louisiana not have its own system of government? Where is the Governor and the state’s legislature?
Being a sovereign state, the federal government cannot simply barge in and take control of matters based solely on its belief that it can do better. Even though that is true in the current situation – once the feds took over the situation stabilized – we remain a nation of laws, not of men. Based on the feelings, and I do mean feelings (no one has shut up long enough to think), expressed thus far, many seem to believe that state government is irrelevant and laws exists only when convenient.
Shall we simply declare all state government obsolete and turn over total control to the feds? Shall we make it an official policy that the Rule of Law is the standard in American unless of course the Law is inconvenient? Some may say that this is exactly what has been done for the past several years. If we look and listen to the manner in which people have responded and complained about the situation if Louisiana, this is exactly what most people want.
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