With all of the caterwauling over the 'failures' of the federal government in the wake of hurricane Katrina, it's important to remember that the local governments are the first responders for local emergencies.

This fact seems to have been forgotten by the folks who are desperate to place blame on President Bush for a natural disaster. Another fact that's often overlooked is that 80% of New Orleans is below sea level. It's the only major coastal city in the US that sits lower than the surrounding waters of Lake Pontchartrain to the north and the Gulf of Mexico to the south and east.

This fact is nothing new to those familiar with New Orleans. The city has massive pumps that routinely remove excess rainwater and levees to help prevent flooding, but neither were a match for a direct hit by a category five hurricane.

Another sad fact is that New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin did nothing to evacuate the citizens who had no way of getting out. The famous photo of 200 school buses submerged in floodwater underscores this point. So who's to blame for this? The local and state officials, mayor Ray Nagin and governor Kathleen Blanco. By the way, both are democrats. In fact, New Orleans and most of Louisiana have been under democrat party control for the last 70 years.

Something else that is not new to New Orleans and Louisiana is corruption. Whether it is the cops looting a Wal-Mart, a former governor who was sent to prison or any of the countless other crimes of this democrat-controlled state, Louisiana and New Orleans are the poster children for crime and government corruption. Yet somehow the failures of the democrat-controlled state and local government is the fault of a Republican president?

This is not to minimize the fury of a category five hurricane, but to put the devastation in proper perspective. Other coastal cities have been pummeled by hurricanes but have not blamed the federal government for the devastation. While FEMA certainly could have done a better job in helping the victims of Katrina, the number of victims would have been much lower if the local and state officials had done their jobs.

Learn more about this author, Tom Sutcliff.
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