Leave it to The New York Times to use a Big Storm as one more excuse to call for Big Government:
Disaster coordination is one of the most vital functions of “big government,” which is why Mitt Romney wants to eliminate it. At a Republican primary debate last year, Mr. Romney was asked whether emergency management was a function that should be returned to the states. He not only agreed, he went further.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that’s the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that’s even better.” Mr. Romney not only believes that states acting independently can handle the response to a vast East Coast storm better than Washington, but that profit-making companies can do an even better job. He said it was “immoral” for the federal government to do all these things if it means increasing the debt.
I think this is what a logician would call a false dichotomy. Often in federalism it's not either-or -- the federal government does it or state and local governments do it -- but rather who does what. Romney's point that states have a better grasp of their situations and quicker access to exactly the right resources is not only valid but a key philosophical underpinning of federalism. But when the disaster gets big enough or widespread enough, it's appropriate for the federal government to coordinate efforts and offer logistical support. But it's folly to suppose, as the Times and other federal advocates do -- that Washington should always take the lead. That assumes federal bureaucrats are smart enough to know what every state needs in every situation, and they certainly don't.
The Times editorial uses Katrina as an example of how bad things can get if the feds don't have their act together. If I'm remembering my recent history correctly, part of the problem in Lousiana was lousy federal-state-local coordination, a problem not eveident in, for example, Mississippi. The federal government may have been at fault, but its was not the only blame.
I heard a story on the radio on the way in today about Indiana sending more than 100 people and 40 ambulances and other vehicles to assist New Jersey efforts in the wake of Sandy. The request came from New Jersey's Department of Homeland Security and went to Indiana's Department of Homeland Suecurity. The federal government set up the umbrella organization, but the state units handled their own mutual aid plans. Seems pretty sensible to me.
