Daministration!

One of the books I am currently reading is "The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule" by Thomas Frank. It is easy to read and about an interesting subject, of course. I am prompted to voice my reaction here, as well as to suggest you read the book for yourself. There are a number of reactions to the basic problems of organization: of coordinating what, where, who, and when. "What does organisation have to do with the government of the U.S.?" you may ask. That is a fair question, but not as unrelated as you may suspect. It is what would have allowed a coordinated and effective response to the hurricane in 2003 that devastated the Southeastern U.S. It would have created the possibility to respond quickly and appropriately to the events in New York City on 11 Sept. 2001, along with many other incidents. Instead, as we are all well aware, these crises (along with many other and lesser occurrences) were bumbled and we are still realizing the consequences therefrom. All this is known and discussed, or at least joked about, amoung most citizens: the ineptitude of the federal government (as well as, in most cases, lesser governmental bodies). To those who have not given up hope for improvement and question why things should be so, however, these events and reactions are a slap in the face. In summary, the book shows how this ineptitude and mismanagement serves the needs and goals of those "in power". No surprise there, since this can explain a great many strange and unnecessary things. It should also be unnecessary for a book to explain why it is not good to cripple and dismantle a government. Yet, here we have it: an in-depth look at the people who have broken the parts of the government that actually worked