New Orleans/Rebuilding

At this writing (the end of 2006) about half of the population of New Orleans has returned to the city. At least that is what we are told. But a year after the hurricane much of the city that was destroyed still sits abandoned. New Orleans has a history of flooding from spring rains and storms/natural disasters. The problem that the city has had with water has cost the American Taxpayers billions of dollars over the years.

The city of New Orleans sits at the lowest level of any place in the state of Louisiana, and the third lowest of any place in the country. Is it any wonder that they have this ongoing problem with water? It's not wise to have a city positioned where it is. But I suppose the option of moving the city to higher ground is not considered to be an option by those who live there. I guess that the "magic" of the city is partly due to it's location. But should federal tax money be used to bail New Orleans out of their water problems time after time? Isn't that a wasteful use of tax dollars?

Speaking of a "wasteful use of tax dollars", does anyone really know how much FEMA has spent on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? It's probably so much that we don't really want to know. FEMA, The Federal Emergency Management Agency, is a great example of (federal) government waste and inefficiency. No matter how much federal employees might try to do right by the American Taxpayers, collectively the agency is just another example of government waste - on a large scale.

Hurricane Katrina really amplified just how slow to react, how disorganized, and how aggravating a big (central) federal government agency can be. And how catastrophically wasteful of tax dollars. Thanks to the nightly news we all got a first hand view. This whole situation is the perfect example of why our founding fathers did not like a big (central) federal government. They preferred to give as much power to the states as was possible.

I have to believe that if the state of Louisiana had been properly prepared for this hurricane the aftermath would not have been so tragic. But, just as all states are, they were "conditioned" to depend on FEMA. They were not prepared like they needed to be, knowing the history of the city. They supposed that the federal government would take care of and pay for the problem when it occurred - again. This is a common assumption these days since so much power has been given to the federal government. Everyone automatically looks to the government. And we shouldn't. That's not what our founding fathers intended.

Any time power is transferred from the states to the federal government you can be assured that there will be a loss of efficiency and tax money, and that the people will not receive the good service that they need. This catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina just showed all of us how bad it can get. And who suffered the most? Of course it was the people who were supposed to be helped. Many of them are still bitter about how the whole thing was handled. Can you blame them? But will we learn from this?

The solution to all of this and the lesson that should be learned is that the power to handle potential natural disasters should be taken away from the (central) federal government and given back to the states - along with all of the tax money that is wasted on federal agencies (FEMA, in this case). Those within the state governments have more incentive to do right by the state that they live in. They can get ready for their particular problems much better than the federal government can. And they should be the ones who have authority when a natural disaster strikes so that rescue and recovery efforts can be done quicker and more efficiently. This is better for the people who need help.

This is a topic that needs to be addressed since the American Taxpayers are not impressed by the bumbling and fumbling displayed by the federal government when disaster struck New Orleans (and the rest of the northern Gulf coast). Getting rid of just one federal government bureaucracy and giving their power back to the state level will save the American Taxpayers a lot of tax money. And it will be one step closer to a small federal government. This would please our founding fathers.

Using the "Meet and Vote" process we will address the question of rebuilding areas like New Orleans which are prone to natural disasters, who should pay for them, and whether the taxpayers think FEMA's power should be transferred back to the states. We, as a nation, will "Meet" via national television and the topic will be addressed. The live audience of American Taxpayers will be allowed to ask questions, as will those viewing from home (by telephone and the internet).

Your elected representatives will be allowed to give their views as will a host of "experts" on the topic. Some of the "experts" will have to include some of the American Taxpayers who went through the hell that was the New Orleans/FEMA nightmare. I'm sure that they will be more than glad to educate the rest of the country about how FEMA works in the real world. Once the taxpayers have gotten their "education", they will be given their options to choose from and then they will go to the polls and "Vote" their conscience. The votes will be tallied and the American Taxpayers will be informed about the outcome. The majority will rule, as usual. The will of the people will then be enacted into law by Congress.

Those with power are not usually willing to give it up too easily. This can be applied to government agencies like FEMA. But the "Meet and Vote" program will ensure that the will of the people is done in Washington when an issue is addressed. The plan of addressing one issue per month will give the American Taxpayers a lot of power back over a four year presidential term. Using this unique program, offered only by the American Taxpayer party, the will of the people will gradually be restored to the American Taxpayers.

[The American Taxpayer party plan is to address one issue per month, but this is not to be taken as a campaign promise. This is probably wishful thinking, especially at first. I expect a fight from numerous sources inside the federal government and outside as we attempt to implement the will of the people in Washington. It may take a good year to make some realize that things are changing, whether they like it or not. After this initial "break in" period, some of your leaders and others who may bristle at the thought of massive change in favor of the people will come around - or be replaced.]

INDEX 1 - AGENDA

INDEX 2 - ISSUES