[at-l] Natural Disasters and Solutions to Future Problems

[jbullar1 at twcny.rr.com (Jim Bullard)]

At 09:18 PM 9/4/2005 -0400, Slyatpct@aol.com wrote:
>One solution to future problems may not to hire *cronies* to head FEMA.  And
>fired ones at that!

As a former civil servant I am in a position to say that this is a *major* 
problem. Programs are set up as a result of congress or state legislatures 
writing laws. The purpose of the agency is to carry out the program as 
designed by the legislative body but... The top positions (directors, 
commissioners, or whatever the title) are always filled by political 
appointment from whomever is currently in power. Those people, who are 
rarely appointed because of qualifications, then bend the program to the 
ideology of the current administration. In fact their primary qualification 
is probably loyalty to the governor or president not the programs they are 
directing or the public those programs serve.

On a slightly different note I have a solution to prevent future occurrence 
of the belated response in this disaster. Congress should pass a bill that 
says (in effect) all employees of FEMA and other emergency response teams 
should mobilize ASAP when a disaster is immanent or occurring, on the 
assumption that their action will be authorized in due time and that no 
employee will be penalized for 'jumping the bureaucratic gun'. "Forgiveness 
is easier to get than permission" should be an institutional principle of 
emergency management.