« On the Social Value of Religious Beliefs
Main
Possible First Temple Period Seal Found in Temple Mount Siftings »
September 27, 2005
Katrina Response: It Was a Matter of Strategy
As I said a few days ago, FEMA's response to the Katrina disaster was not primarily incompetence although there was plenty of that. It was a matter of strategy. The Rude Pundit links to the documents that prove it. They are the Strategic Plan developed during the Clinton administration and the one developed under the current administration. Rude Pundant sums it up:
So, to summarize here, the Strategic Goals of FEMA have shifted from definite measures of effectiveness in emergencies, including the responsibility to feed, hydrate, and shelter victims in the first couple of days after a disaster, to a business-speak that leaves weasel room for any screw-ups. To put it plainly, FEMA had been neutered by the Bush administration, dehumanized and made robotic. Is it any wonder how Michael Brown could sit there today with a straight face and claim he did his job?
Consider Strategic Goal Number Two, they are both on " Minimize suffering and disruption caused by disasters." These are the "Performance Measures."
Strategic Objective 2.1. By FY 2007, reduce by 25 percent human suffering from the impact of disasters.Strategic Objective 2.2. By FY 2007, through facilitated restoration of eligible public services, increase by 20 percent the speed with which individuals, businesses, and public entities are enabled to recover from disasters.
Performance Measure 2.1: By Fiscal Year 2008, FEMA has coordinated and established the capability to respond concurrently to four catastrophic and twelve non-catastrophic disasters.Performance Measure 2.2: By Fiscal Year 2008, 100% of assessed public safety and service organizations meet established standards for interoperability of wireless communication systems.
Performance Measure 2.3: By Fiscal Year 2008, all disaster assistance and flood claim payments are provided within established performance standards.
Notice the movement from specific measurable goals to relieve human suffering to organizational goals with no real metric. And this under the leadership of our first MBA President.
On the positive side: the Strategic Plan produced under the Bush Administration is much better looking with pictures and all the other trappings of an Annual Report from a Company that is spending too much trying to impress its stockholders and not enough taking care of business.
Posted by Duane Smith at September 27, 2005 9:41 PM | Read more on Current Events |
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.telecomtally.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1377
Comments
I think it is part of the starve the beast philosophy. Rather than starving it of money, though, they are trying to destroy our trust in government.
Posted by: afarensis at September 28, 2005 4:27 PM
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.
Send me an email if it is important.