just because it does not work quite right now does not mean we have to change it, just fix it

After reading this over at brain*of*brian, I came upon this by way of Lynn Samuels... The question is just how much federal troops should be allowed to do (law enforcement? traffic control?) and when.

It's a very interesting question. A colleague of mine from Venezuela commented on how inept we seemed to be at the "height" of the disaster: Where were the troops? Why were they just not sent right in immediately?

Well, in a way, that is the beauty of this country: State's Rights. The federal government cannot just go in and trump around, which is good. But when the paperwork involved goes awry and things are delayed, resulting in death and destruction, that is no good. A simple phone call from governor should do the trick, paperwork to follow by mail.

Now the question is: Should we expand the ability of the federal government and military to intervene during a serious crisis or disaster?

Maybe we should streamline and clarify how it happens within the framework we have now and not be giving more (potentially constrictive) power to the federal government.

OMG, I sound like a Texan.