James K. Pinkerton has a great column in today's edition of Newsday that seems to show that members of the local, state and federal governments have all been tarnished in the most recent tragedy. It's pretty good. I especially like this part:
And let's not forget Mayor Ray Nagin, the anti-Rudy Giuliani. Whereas Giuliani was stoic and resolute four years ago, the panicky Nagin was part of the problem. Even as bodies floated through the streets, he sent cops off on an R-and-R junket to Las Vegas. When asked about that boondoggle, he brayed, "Las Vegas is a party town. New Orleans is a party town. Get over it."Pinkerton pretty much knocks around the whole lot, good for him and America.
Nagin epitomizes the worst of urban politicians. Showing a combination of incompetence, defiance and arrogance, he makes the problem worse. Having worsened things, he puts the pathetic results on display, seeking to guilt-trip the rest of the country into sending aid.
Speaking of pathetic, let's look at the lumpen proletariat of New Orleans, the looters, shooters, rapists and child-throat-cutters. If they have problems, and they obviously do, let's help. But let's not just think further funding of the status quo is the same as helping. If the system is dysfunctional, bigger budgets only make for bigger dysfunction.
So, yes, let's investigate. Done right, such an investigation will make almost all of our "leaders" look bad.
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