My own tin foil hat theory about the New Orleans mess

[Lydia Leftcoast]

I suspect that the sheer horribleness of the federal response to the Gulf Coast disaster is deliberate, not for purposes of killing off black people or for purposes of claiming New Orleans as a yuppie theme park, but for Grover Norquist's purposes.

The Republicanites' hope is that Americans will look at the dreadful government response and the selflessness and generosity of the volunteers and conclude that government "can't handle" disasters, that all disaster relief efforts should be managed by the private sector.

This seems to be a tactic across the board. Place burdens on public schools while cutting their funding, so that education-minded parents flee. Cut funding for public transit and intercity rail so that their quality drops, so that riders give up in disgust and start driving.

I first saw this tactic at work when I took a trip to Mt. St. Helen's during the first Bush administration. This was when funding for national parks was being cut. The bus driver, who, like a lot of people in logging country, blamed "the environmentalists" for destroying their former livelihoods, was going on and on about how the national monument charged admission while the Weyerhaeuser company's museum in the same area was free. He was saying that they ought to turn the whole Mt. St. Helen's area over to the Weyerhaeuser company so that it would be "run right."

If that talking point worked so well, why wouldn't calls to privatize all relief operations find a receptive ear after the appalling performance of government agencies in the Gulf Coast?

That's my tin foil theory of the week. :-(

[ret5hd]

1. i have suspected the same also.

[tanyev]

2. Grover said he wanted to drown the govt in a bathtub.

No one could ever imagine he meant that literally.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. And deliberate incompetence is a classic passive-aggressive tactic

How could anyone screw up that badly and in such a targeted manner by accident?

[RandiFan1290]

4. Because it was not by accident.

Everything went as planned.

[spooked911]

15. yep.

[Ouabache]

7. and it appears he has it to the size of Lake Ponchatrain

or so he thinks.

I read a thread here last night that FEMA had outsourced and privatized the PLANNING for all of Lousiana in 2004. So we can counter with the thought that "do we really want to privatize the operations when the 2004 privatization of the Planning has come up so short?"

Seems there is an obvious answer to that, and Grover won't like it.
What size is Grover's bathtub do you suppose? Any hope there?

[spooked911]

13. Oh that's sick but you're right.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Makes perfect sense to me, Lydia

I can assure you that this is definitely the game plan for education. We have been watching it evolve for about 5 years now. We first sensed this was coming during the Reagan administration. Then we dropped our guard and became hopeful during the Clinton years. Now we have seen bush's administration set our schools up to fail so they can stuff their precious vouchers down our throats. A

And we won't even know we are being gagged until we are taking our last breaths.

Now with this news today about Roberts being nominated for SC Chief Justice, I wonder if bush also plans to set the Supreme Court up for failure.

[CrispyQ]

6. I think you are spot on.

Although I don't know how anyone who works for a large corporation can believe they are more efficient. I've seen such waste it is unbelievable. Companies top heavy with management, who only attend meetings & don't do work, grossly inflated pay for incompetent & unqualified employees (usually at management level), perks galore for those at the top, including bonuses not based on performance, extravagant expense accounts & the list goes on & on & on.

The corporate elite are draining this country of it's life blood.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. They already were semi-privatized.. hence the cluster(*&^*%$

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Save the Gulf coast, then save the nation!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm

[Warren Stupidity]

9. Well I don't disagree with that part of the motive

but I also believe that they want to develop domestic unrest sufficient to justify the broad imposition of martial law.

[Land Shark]

10. there are twin heads to this monster: govt is strong for martial purposes

but weak for all other purposes. Thus, the military will be claimed to have saved the day, but was held back by "incompetent" local officials and "antique" laws like posse comitatus

[spooked911]

11. Excellent point. But there are OTHER reasons to think they let it happen

on purpose:

1) contracts for Halliburton to rebuild

2) US troops get to "practice" martial law in a US city with real live US citizens.

3) get Americans "used to" regular major disasters with thousands of people dying, as well as the presence of troops in US cities

4) the Bush administration gets to cement the incompetence excuse in every one's minds (really, 9/11 was just "incompetence", there was no government complicity)

5) getting rid of some poor black folks and their homes to make room for the wonders of economic redevelopment-- casinos and luxury hotels

6) so the Bush administration can militarize the weather (more than the US already has)

7) another excuse and distraction to pass noxious legislation

[Hamlette]

12. won't work, people will point to the brilliant job the fed gov't did

during the 2004 (election year) hurricane season in Florida (state of prez' brother).

But, I get your point which is why I'm so conflicted about giving to charity over this. We sort of prove Grover's point (actually, the prez' guru on "privitize compassion" is Olasky).

[MadeinOhio]

14. It already WAS privatized. This is to federalize everything....

Sick fucking classist bastards.:grr: