# Its all the Presidents fault **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 3, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830 "2005-09-03T00:41:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830/41 "2005-09-03T17:25:06Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Christ on a unicycle already! It must be nice to live in an altered dimension where there’s a bogeyman to hold accountable for everything ill that happens. Please tell your therapist that slapping sense into you isn’t working at the current rate. I recommend quadrupling the amount of slapping. In what altered dimension is a Chief Executive _not_ responsible for the performance of basic systems he touted for protecting the populace in case of a catastrophic event? Remember the expense and hoopla of Homeland Security? Mega tax bucks were diverted from nearly every other sector of public funding, including civil engineering projects like levy repair, in order to craft a strong, responsive system of response. Saying it’s Bush’s fault that the hurricane hit is a blatant strawman. Of course he wasn’t responsible for the storm. He was and is responsible for the supposedly improved (and very expensive) govermental systems trumpted to handle catastrophic losses. New Orleans is a major city, with significant oil and shipping capabilities, not to mention a large civilian population. Please tell me how and why Homeland Security measures wouldn’t have included worst-case scenarios in case of deliberate attack. The cause of devastation shouldn’t have mattered a whit; what difference if a hurricane breached the levies or they were bombed? The basic network of intergovermental coordination and response was supposedly in place–and wasn’t, at a great cost of lives, misery and property. Sorry, but a vital city that lay below sea level got hit by a major hurricane _and few of the expensive, loudly-touted responsive measures worked._. There 'tis. The bucks flowed to Bush’s administration on the premise that it would, in part, improve govermental readiness in catastrophes. The buck stops with him and his administration. Govermental reactiveness was a dismal fiasco, and as Chief Exec, he’s responsible. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830/42 "2005-09-03T17:36:53Z")
> [@lavenderlemon](#): > > There’s no rule. But it is polite. Pdf’s tend to mess with my mozilla so I don’t like them. Oh, I know, I use firefox and pdf’s can seriously fuck my laptop up. And I do generally try to post warnings with PDF’s, but this one slipped through, probably because my laptop had no problem loading it. Came up real quick. > [@lavenderlemon](#): > > And I thought kindly sounded better than “hey asshole,” which was not my intent. 😛 No problem, sorry if I reacted a bit snarkily then. I’ll be happy to try to do my best to post warnings on PDF’s. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830/43 "2005-09-03T18:03:22Z")
> [@TVeblen](#): > > Remember the expense and hoopla of Homeland Security? Mega tax bucks were diverted from nearly every other sector of public funding, including civil engineering projects like levy repair, in order to craft a strong, responsive system of response. Once the hoopla dies down a bit it may be time to talk seriously about removing FEMA from the control of that department. Over and over and over the news stories this week have told us how responders were ready to go, but hadn’t gotten a request from FEMA, or the paperwork hadn’t arrived from Washington. The current megabureaucracy may simple be too damned _big_ to respond to crises in real time. ---
**Author:** ![Psycho\_Pirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Psycho\_Pirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Psycho_Pirate)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830/44 "2005-09-03T18:16:07Z")
> [@TVeblen](#): > > In what altered dimension is a Chief Executive _not_ responsible for the performance of basic systems he touted for protecting the populace in case of a catastrophic event? Goodness, you’re dense. You act as if Bush single-handedly hired the employees, came up with the relief plans, and was a key participant in every single step of the efforts. Of course he wasn’t, nor should he be. Would you be happier if there was no Department of Homeland Security? It’s a fairly new department, you know. It’s childish and unrealistic to think that they will get it 100% right. > [@TVeblen](#): > > Remember the expense and hoopla of Homeland Security? Mega tax bucks were diverted from nearly every other sector of public funding, including civil engineering projects like levy repair, in order to craft a strong, responsive system of response. Nobody has forgotten Homeland Security. I’d say it has been a resounding success, since we haven’t been attacked since 9/11. Well, that, and the war in Iraq keeping the terrorists on the defensive. And those levee’s would have broken anyway, so can the loaded words about how engineering projects were cut. Boo hoo. They were probably overpriced union conracts anyway. > [@TVeblen](#): > > He was and is responsible for the supposedly improved (and very expensive) govermental systems trumpted to handle catastrophic losses. Uh…no. > [@TVeblen](#): > > New Orleans is a major city, with significant oil and shipping capabilities, not to mention a large civilian population. Please tell me how and why Homeland Security measures wouldn’t have included worst-case scenarios in case of deliberate attack. The cause of devastation shouldn’t have mattered a whit; what difference if a hurricane breached the levies or they were bombed? The basic network of intergovermental coordination and response was supposedly in place–and wasn’t, at a great cost of lives, misery and property. I’d say those measures _did_ include such scenarios. Can you prove they didn’t? There were breakdowns, to be sure. But to lay these ultimately at the feet of Bush? Laughable to all but the most biased moonbats. > [@TVeblen](#): > > Sorry, but a vital city that lay below sea level got hit by a major hurricane _and few of the expensive, loudly-touted responsive measures worked._. There 'tis. Yep, there 'tis. Who’s fault is that? Plenty of blame to go around for that. Bush gets some, sure. All? That’s ridiculous. > [@TVeblen](#): > > The bucks flowed to Bush’s administration on the premise that it would, in part, improve govermental readiness in catastrophes. The buck stops with him and his administration. Govermental reactiveness was a dismal fiasco, and as Chief Exec, he’s responsible. Keep telling yourself that. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830/45 "2005-09-03T18:33:53Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > It must be nice to live in an altered dimension where there’s a bogeyman to hold accountable for everything ill that happens. You and I are both Charter Members of such a dimension. It’s not so bad, usually. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830/46 "2005-09-03T19:00:49Z")
> [@Psycho Pirate](#): > > You act as if Bush single-handedly hired the employees, came up with the relief plans, and was a key participant in every single step of the efforts. Of course he wasn’t, nor should he be. Pitifully transparent strawman. Bush is a CEO. With the title comes ultimate accountablity. > [@](#): > > Would you be happier if there was no Department of Homeland Security? It’s a fairly new department, you know. It’s childish and unrealistic to think that they will get it 100% right. I’d be _happier_ if the heavily funded federal department had responded to a disaster within it’s sphere of responsibility with at least basic competence. The continuing clusterfuck is sort of expensive in terms of human lives, y’know? > [@](#): > > And those levee’s would have broken anyway, so can the loaded words about how engineering projects were cut. Boo hoo. They were probably overpriced union conracts anyway. I’ve read some pretty asinine things on this board but that ranks with the worst. Maintaining levies that protect a major population and industrial center is basic common sense, a quality unfamiliar to you. Keeping water out of a delta city sited below sea level isn’t a liberal union scam. It _should_ have been a no-brainer aspect of disaster preparation. > [@](#): > > I’d say those measures _did_ include such scenarios. Can you prove they didn’t? There were breakdowns, to be sure. But to lay these ultimately at the feet of Bush? Laughable to all but the most biased moonbats. It’s already been established the New Orleans was the site of disaster scenario drills. That’s fine and laudable–except for the fact that obvious, crucial systems failed, at great cost to human life, suffering and catastrophic property loss, when a disaster actually happened. I’m beyond disgusted that the horrendous blow to New Orleans is being reduced to nothing more than political ping pong. It’s obscene to play a political ostrich game with this: coulda been worse, it’s not _that_ bad, etc. Contrary to your aspersions, I’m a Independent and a moderate one at that. My sole bias is that I expect goverment to cough up the protections to citizens that it taxed those citizens to provide. I don’t give two whoops which party or person is in office at the time. I get pissed when the government fails at something it’s responsible for. But by all means just regard this as points in a temporary, shifting political game, if that’s the limit of your scope. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830/47 "2005-09-03T21:20:03Z")
18: Don’t mess with Texas. 19: Don’t _ever_ mess with Texas. What? This thread needed to lighten up 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830/48 "2005-09-03T23:03:40Z")
> [@lavenderlemon](#): > > There’s no rule. But it is polite. Pdf’s tend to mess with my mozilla so I don’t like them. Perhaps if you hovered your mouse over the link, you would notice the .pdf at the end of it. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830/49 "2005-09-03T23:08:19Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’m sure Cindy Shaheen would be happy to visit with him… You left out the word _again_. The President has visited with the woman once. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830/50 "2005-09-03T23:46:49Z")
Bush appointed men to head FEMA and DHS. Neither man had experience in disaster management (but were probably **very** good at writing campaign checks. How is Bush **not** responsible? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-all-the-presidents-fault/319830.md?page=2)