Comments on: FEMA Is Not Spending Katrina Funds Wisely http://donklephant.com/2006/12/07/fema-is-not-spending-katrina-funds-wisely/ Big Teeth. Huge Ass. Surprisingly Reasonable. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:24:43 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: GreenDreams http://donklephant.com/2006/12/07/fema-is-not-spending-katrina-funds-wisely/comment-page-1/#comment-137988 GreenDreams Sat, 09 Dec 2006 16:27:09 +0000 http://donklephant.com/2006/12/07/fema-is-not-spending-katrina-funds-wisely/#comment-137988 Pretty cynical comment Sanif, government overhead in dispensing healthcare dollars under Medicare/Medicaid is 2%. Private insurers, around 40% (because of profit, primarily). Think private enterprise can do better here? Add up the total costs and try to buy private flood and hurricane insurance for that amount. Let me know how you fare. As Tompaine so succinctly put it "Conservatives' contempt for government is at the root of the failed response to the hurricane... The report chronicles the three conservative failures of Katrina -- the failure to prepare, the failure to respond and the failure to rebuild... Katrina offered an opportunity to rebuild a city on a model of high road development -- high wage, low waste, efficient use of energy -- rather than "race to the bottom" capitalism. The opportunity is lost, not because of natural disaster, but because of catastrophic conservatism and its scorn for government purpose" The link is here: http://alternet.org/katrina/41016/ Pretty cynical comment Sanif, government overhead in dispensing healthcare dollars under Medicare/Medicaid is 2%. Private insurers, around 40% (because of profit, primarily). Think private enterprise can do better here? Add up the total costs and try to buy private flood and hurricane insurance for that amount. Let me know how you fare.

As Tompaine so succinctly put it “Conservatives’ contempt for government is at the root of the failed response to the hurricane… The report chronicles the three conservative failures of Katrina — the failure to prepare, the failure to respond and the failure to rebuild… Katrina offered an opportunity to rebuild a city on a model of high road development — high wage, low waste, efficient use of energy — rather than “race to the bottom” capitalism. The opportunity is lost, not because of natural disaster, but because of catastrophic conservatism and its scorn for government purpose” The link is here: http://alternet.org/katrina/41016/

]]> By: SaneInSf http://donklephant.com/2006/12/07/fema-is-not-spending-katrina-funds-wisely/comment-page-1/#comment-135950 SaneInSf Thu, 07 Dec 2006 15:09:06 +0000 http://donklephant.com/2006/12/07/fema-is-not-spending-katrina-funds-wisely/#comment-135950 The relevant question is why is there an expectation that government agencies spend wisely? Time and time again, whether it's FEMA or your local county transit agency, there are too many competing political requirements that hinder its ability to be "efficient" -- and then efficiency is in the eye of the beholder. Makes you wonder why people still believe that government should be responsible for all types of services. The relevant question is why is there an expectation that government agencies spend wisely? Time and time again, whether it’s FEMA or your local county transit agency, there are too many competing political requirements that hinder its ability to be “efficient” — and then efficiency is in the eye of the beholder.

Makes you wonder why people still believe that government should be responsible for all types of services.

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