Topic of the Day: Good Government
Posted 10 weeks 4 days ago byI've been told that good government is an oxymoron, something that by definition negates itself. But what I have been show during the past eight years , is that bad government is something that is very real.
Using our men in uniform for all the wrong, misguided reasons, and by doing so, totally destroying them and the equipment used to support them is a very good example. Then having them in a foreign nation trying to rebuild it after they just destroyed it, while our on nation is in desperate need of them at home to help with the flooding along the Mississippi, is in my mind, a perfect example of very bad government .
It makes me sad to see how well the Chinese military was able to respond to the earthquake they just had. When the best we could do was to put just a few national guardsmen in photo op position along the Mississippi in a failed effort to save some very neglected levies.
I say there really is such a thing as good government, and it looks nothing like this one that is being lead by those who will never understand that a well run government really does matter to the people it represents, which is why they will not be given another chance to run anything for a very, very, very long time.
Thoughts
Agree
Submitted on June 25th, 2008 by rom12921"The defense of our homeland is everything." Absolutely.
President Bush and Congress have acted appropriately in the threat to national security. However, I still disagree with the Administration in that the fight against terrorists did not have to necessarily include Iraq.
The Federal Government
Submitted on June 25th, 2008 by Respectfulguestshould not be the primary force to solve state and local issues, for when they do a natural disaster in itself occurs.
As for your quote "using our men in uniform for all the wrong, misguided reasons"...
Let's see approximately 2,400 plus days since some kooks have flown a plane into our most hi profile buildings and city, murdering 1,000's of innocent men, women and children. Guess that does not count or that the terrorists have just stopped trying.
and by the way what ever happenned to the terror ticker predominantly displayed at the bottom of every cable TV news cast 24X7?
Misguided Reasons? The defense of our homeland is everything. If you think conditions are bad now, try us getting hit again, it will make the issues we face today seem like a walk in the park.
2,400 plus days, our miltary is not misguided and someone, somewhere has done something right.
What happens in China Stays in China
Submitted on June 24th, 2008 by John 2000I believe it is neither wise nor objective to try and compare the reports of Katrina response to official reports of the China earthquake response, unless of course you are equating totally controlled media, access, and communication as an indication of good government. As this assertion would run completely counter to what I would expect your take really means to argue, I suggest that you look more deeply into the overall behavior of the Chinese government before making such a poor comparison.
Have you followed at all any of the facts surrounding the Olympic propaganda event? Are you aware at all concerning the plight of the Tibetan people over a number of years? Do you think they help provide any sufficient level of oversight on the harmful products they export? Are you pleased with the Chinese government's progress in the area of environmental safeguards?
Yes, good government must be government that prevents any kind of criticism or even contact with those who have criticized. I link here to an article that demonstrates how such activity is handled there - especially if you are associated with a human rights organization:
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-6-18/720...
Personally, I agree with Rom's comment that disaster preparedness and initial response should be a matter for individual states, but we seem too far down the FEMA path now to back off from it. It is funny how the state of Louisiana was aware of the extreme danger of failing levees for many years before the failure of those after the hurricane had passed through. Oooops, but now we must have the inevitable media-political finger pointing game that plays out in our free press nation, where simply any and every angle, especially the more negative, is presented and haggled over ... and endlessly. This is not bad government, is it?
Oh, I get it. Yeah. George Bush. With Kerry everything would have been an supercalifragilisticexpialidocious example of good government.
false cause
Submitted on June 24th, 2008 by rom12921"monsoons caused by global warming." That's illogical. We have had monsoons around the world for hundreds of years, way before global warming crisis was invented.
I don't want the federal government responsible for dredging rivers. Republican Congress 00-06 and Democratic cohorts have spent our country into trillions in debt and generally implement half-ass solutions that create more problems. If they can't balance a checkbook (budget deficit), run Social Security ($9 trillion short), the post office (billions in losses) or pass meaningfull energy policy what makes you think they can respond quickly or efficiently to a natural disaster?
Leave it to the states. Local people have a better chance at hands on management and will protect their own and their neighbor's property.
State guard
Submitted on June 24th, 2008 by kevinkindIn the spring of 97, I was working for the state highway department when the Ohio flooded. Our state guard was right beside us all the way through to the clean up. Homeland security must include national natural disaster response. What happened this time? Oh, thats right , all the state guards equipment has been blow up in Iraq. So much for the states being able to respond.
It would also help if the federal government would keep the rivers dredged to the depths required which would enable them to better withstand increased flows by monsoons caused by global warming.
Good Gov/ Bad Gov
Submitted on June 24th, 2008 by rom12921Rarely does a governmental entity prioritize to the liking of the governed (taxpayer).
I agree with your assessment of the use of the military. In the last 20 years, with the exception of Bush41 in Kuwait, the military has been used in peace-keeping missions, pre-emptive strikes and nation-building. In my opinion, this is inconsistent with the Constitutional "provide for a common defense".
Not sure I agree with the general conclusion "bad government" based on foreign policy and response to natural disasters. Federal government should leave disaster response and planning to the states.