[If Hurricane Katrina represented a real-life rehearsal of sorts, the response suggested to many that the nation is not ready to handle a terrorist attack of similar dimensions.] This is what the department was supposed to be all about, ... Instead, it obviously raises very serious, troubling questions about whether the government would be prepared if this were a terrorist attack. It's a devastating indictment of this department's performance four years after 9/11. |
I think the FEMA budget should be dramatically increased. And I say that as a conservative who's not reflexively for more government spending. The department has always tried to do homeland security on the cheap. |
It does make sense to say that it's more likely, thank God, to have a natural disaster than a terrorist one, |
It is entirely appropriate that the money go out just as quickly as possible to people whom we think need it, and to worthy contractors on a competitive basis. But in the rush to do it, there is real potential for waste and certainly for fraud as well. |
Madrid was a big wake-up call to us, yet we did relatively little. It really seems to me a matter of time before it happens in our country -- in part because it's so easy to do. |
Open Target: Where America Is Vulnerable to Attack. |
There's understandable pressure to get money out quickly. But there inevitably will be waste and fraud. |
This is a good news story. |
This is a good news story. It's a very, very good first step. |
This is what the department was supposed to be all about. Instead, it obviously raises very serious, troubling questions about whether the government would be prepared if this were a terrorist attack. It's a devastating indictment of this department's performance four years after 9/11. |
You need both an exit feature as well as an entry feature. Unless you have both ends, the system still isn't operational. |