It’s time to practice homeland values

No “homeland security” could have prevented the invasion by Hurricane Katrina. But the tragic aftermath should teach us that our first line of defense – against Mother Nature or miscreants – must be here at home.

Local, state and federal workers have done yeoman duty this week in the hardest-hit areas. But there are not nearly enough of them and no master plan.

Result: Hundreds of thousands of people are suffering seemingly interminable homeless and/or jobless hardship, with no clear “exit strategy.”

Leadership, law enforcement and money are the most necessary ingredients in any such crisis. Since Katrina hit Monday, some law enforcement has been lax. In New Orleans, looters ran rampant. Biloxi also had problems. One reason:

“ Louisiana and Mississippi have 18,860 members of the National Guard, usually used in such emergencies.

“ But 5,600 guardsmen and women from those two states are away on duty in Iraq.

In the coming months, money will be the key to recovery. Estimates are insurance companies may pay up to $25 billion. A “rule of thumb” is that the total cost of such a disaster is about twice the insured amount.

Those big bucks must come from the federal government. Not just to restore buildings, but also for work programs to put people whose jobs were blown away on temporary payrolls.

Congress should develop a smart post-hurricane plan and give President Bush a blank check to finance it. It will cost a fraction of the $200 billion that he and they have spent or budgeted to destroy much of Iraq and rebuild it.

Katrina should teach us that homeland values must come first, in security and in spending.

Feedback

“Our priorities need to be here at home. We have tough choices ahead, and I think that it’s time to put Louisiana and America first.”

– Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La.

“While the government’s role is essential, times of natural disaster demand a private sector and faith-based response as well, and America has always met that demand in an overwhelming way. I have no doubt the response to Katrina will be the same.”

– Robert E. Reccord, president, North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention