According to the Miami Herald, Jeb Bush would use two “fairy godmother” wishes for more scholarships for foreign students and to make the immigration service “more efficient.” If anyone spots any of these godmothers, or if you find any genie bottles along Florida beaches, make sure you keep either of them far from Jeb.

I’d rather see the border patrol more efficient. And I don’t care how many e-mails the governor gets about Miami International being less “user -friendly” than it used to be. The system was real user-friendly for the September 11 terrorists. What the hell is he talking about when he says tightening was necessary after 9/11, but “enough time has now passed for a systematic review of policies and procedures?” Of course we should always review procedures, but if he is suggesting that we should loosen security, then he’s nuts.

Remember this? Bush is “troubled” by limits on foreign student visas and doesn’t want to “choke off” international ties. I’m more troubled by our immigration policies being played by terrorists, and by public officials that think enough time has passed to loosen policies that aren’t tight enough to begin with.

- tip from Lastango at Daily Pundit

USA Today, not exactly a bastion of right-wing thought, offered a candid editorial pointing out gaping flaws in the so-called global warming hurricane linkage. Naturally they set up the presentation with a preface of global warming as gospel. Thus restrained, the editorial goes on to deal with the linkage, cautioning against jumping to conclusions on information that is “skimpy and contradicted” Sometimes you have to appreciate when the leftstream media strives even for the appearance of objectivity.

The piece notes that . . . “jumping out ahead of the science sensationalizes the issue, polarizes the debate and damages the credibility of those who make outlandish claims.” They cite William Gray, a leading hurricane expert from Colorado State Universtity, who “points out that two major hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast only six weeks apart in 1915, mimicking the double whammy of Katrina and Rita.”

One of the best lines – “The impact of hurricanes might seem more severe because of the intensity of news coverage and because more people are living in hurricane alley. That means more property damage and more loss of life.” Gee, ya think?

Cut 50%
Cut 50%
Cut 30%
Cut 50%
Cut 70%
Eliminate
Eliminate
Eliminate
Eliminate
Cut 50%
This is budget cutting.

Don’t Get

from Radio Blogger

When I was just sketching out this website, I planned on having an occasional feature like a dumb or despicable comment of the month. I figured I’d be rotating between the likes of Ditsy Pelosi, Mean Dean, the dick – Durbin or now Punch Landrieau, but I didn’t expect to start the feature with a Republican.

When Rep. Don Young of Alaska says, essentially to America, “They can kiss my ear”, we know what what part of his anatomy he really meant. So while Young holds his middle finger high to the taxpaying public while he rips us off for 223 million dollars, it’s now to the public to hold him accountable. Actually a statue of that hand gesture would be a fitting trophy to award Million Dollar Don.

Less than fifty people live on Gravina Island. Young thinks we should pay for a bridge to connect this 20-mile-long-island which has a small commercial airport, now linked by ferry, to Ketchikan, population, 8,000. We could buy a fleet of shuttle helicopters and have full-time pilots on stand-by virtually forever, for far less than Young wants to steal from us for this and one other unnecessary bridge. What’s sad is that this type of insanity is not uncommon. This year-old-episode is only getting additional publicity because of the blogosphere efforts to find budget cuts to offset some of the costs of Katrina.

contramundum quotes some of the locals – “Everyone knows it’s just a boondoggle that we’re getting because we have a powerful congressman,” offers Gravina resident Mike Sallee. “The funny thing, when that big bridge is done, it will take more time to get to the airport than it does now on our little ferry,” said Dale Collins, a mariner who heads the ship pilots association here, noting the awkward roundabout route of the new bridge. “But it sure will be big. It’s unbelievable, the size of that bridge.”

Lets figure out a way to make him ashamed of himself. Ironically, it seems the locals have a head start.

newer contramundum post – “The people I’ve talked to here in Kodiak are actually a little embarassed about it all.”

Neal Boortz had a Clintonite guest on this morning predicting a nomination controversy for the administration’s pick for the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Mention immigration and enforcement and controversy and you’ve got my attention. Googling brought me this WAPO article. Nominee Julie Myer’s “uncle is Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, the departing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” Ok, that doesn’t look good, but what else? “She married Chertoff’s current chief of staff, John F. Wood, on Saturday.” Sheesh.

Myers has a barely adequate resume, has some supporters who are involved with ICE and seems to be able to convert doubters to possible supporters. According to the Post, “The most pointed questioning came from Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio), who said during the hearing that he wanted to meet with Chertoff to discuss Myers’s qualifications. Voinovich went so far as to tell Myers that her résumé indicates she is not qualified for the job. But Voinovich has since met with Myers and is now likely to support her, his spokeswoman said yesterday.” Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, representing several thousand ICE employees, lauded Myers’s government experience. “That organization . . . is on some days almost dysfunctional,” Pasco said. “I think Julie may be just the person to pull people and functions together to get them working right for a change.”

What I’m Thinking – Will this government be more or less likely to enforce immigration laws? Back to WAPO – “It appears she’s got a tremendous amount of experience in money laundering, in banking and the financial areas,” said Charles Showalter, president of the National Homeland Security Council, a union that represents 7,800 ICE agents, officers and support staff. “My question is: Who the hell is going to enforce the immigration laws?”

And that turned me to my trusted expert on these matters. Malkin’s subtle reaction to her “qualifications – “Oh, give me a ^*&%$# break and a half!” Michelle goes on to refer readers to her previous pick for Department of Homeland Security chief and says, “He’d make a worthy pick now for ICE.” She also quotes a recent e-mail she received, “. . unfortunately the majority of DHS is being run by hacks, snot nose youngsters who couldn’t find an illegal alien in Tijuana, and other “connected” people with no knowledge, experience, or business being in the Homeland Security sector. . . the next time some illegal aliens commit a terrorist act on U.S. soil, people are going to be scrutinizing her resume.” This is year five – the administration should be getting these things right. Nominees should not be adequate or even good, they need to be the absolute best available.

Good article by Sowell in Capitalism Magazine on Why Governments are Not the Best Handlers of Emergencies .

“Like many government bureaucracies, FEMA is an equal-opportunity bungler. . . . it can be eye-opening to compare how private businesses responded to hurricane Katrina and how local, state and national governments responded. . . Well before Katrina reached New Orleans, when it was still just a tropical depression off the coast of Florida, Wal-Mart was rushing electric generators, bottled water, and other emergency supplies to its distribution centers . . ”

Donna Brazile, whose hometown is New Orleans, has written a column in the Washington Post heartily endorsing the president’s goals for that city, more so than most Republicans. She said he “spoke from the heart” and that “she could not have been prouder of the president.” Leon H., writing on RedState.org, wants to know “what have they done with the real Donna Brazile?”

This is a dem, a left-wing dem, a Gore dem, stating, “Mr. President, I am ready for duty.” The cynic, or perhaps the realist in me, immediately wonders whether she’ll be running for mayor, governor or the senate. Afterall, anyone who sounds responsible, or in this case downright statesmanlike, would be off to a good start against the current Louisiana leadership. Of course there wasn’t really anything for a sane democrat to not like in the president’s speech, which was widely likened to those of LBJ.

Leon wonders where the ‘Clinton curveball (is) in all of this.” Perhaps here. In any event, it must not have been easy for her to write.

I was kicking around ideas for a blog project of identifying spending cuts to help fund the enormous cost of Katrina recovery efforts, when I discovered Instapundit was way ahead of me. Bush has thankfully ruled out tax changes, saying only “We’re going to be wise about the money we spend.” Fat chance. Through his first five years Bush has shown no interest in fiscal responsibility.

In an article printed in Newsday and elsewhere, Steven Slivinski of the Cato Institute, states that, “White House Office of Management and Budget Director Joshua Bolten already has dismissed any immediate spending cuts to offset even some of the emergency outlays, saying such a move is not “practically realistic.” Slivinsky says, “The only voices calling for cuts, as in most other spending battles, are those of Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.). They’ve called for across-the-board budget cuts to offset the spending on hurricane relief.” I never thought of McCain as a budget watchdog, and there are other officials that look to spending cuts to fund new priorities. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo.) reacted to Bush’s speech thusly, “With a disaster this size, no program is sacrosanct, no cost-cutting is off the table. What Americans know is that we in Congress-like them-need to balance our budget. We need to take a long look at reducing farm subsidies, at hacking pork barrel projects, even at across-the-board cuts.”In his editorial, Slivinski made the point that while the American public is nearing the billion dollar mark in private donations, there is no indication that our spendthrift government will sacrifice any of their pet pork.

Now I’ve always flippantly stated that I could balance the budget by lunchtime, but that of course involves eliminating entire departments. Last week, Citizens Against Government Waste released Prime Cuts 2005, listing potential cuts of over 230 billion for next year alone.

So, what Instapundit and N.Z. Bear are doing, is calling on bloggers to identify pork in their state or congressional district and encourage appropriate action. Using the database at Citizens Against Government Waste, I’ve listed over 48 million in spending in New Jersey that I would either delay or eliminate. Thats just from that one list. There has to be much more in New Jersey. The list has been forwarded to my congressman, James Saxton. Whether you have a list or not, whether you have a website or not, everyone interested in fiscal sanity should be contacting their representatives.

Hannity had a great call yesterday from a serviceman on a two week leave from Afghanistan who said, “This country, I don’t even recognize . . . to use a natural disaster to divide people is disgraceful.” Sean added a brief comment about some of the early people to place blame. The soldier said his wife advised him, “Don’t watch the TV, you’ll only get pissed off.” He then added, “we want to be there. We’re winning.”

Talking about walking through the airport in uniform he described how people would come up to him and say they’re sorry.

That’s something I find disconcerting. What the hell are they sorry about? That he has to be there? That this country sent him there? He’s carrying out a mission that he understands and believes in. Too bad so much of the public does not. That poorly communicated mission is this administration’s biggest failing and something that the President should be sorry for. But this soldier, like most, is a “sheepdog”. (See the prior post by that name) And he quickly set them straight.

“Don’t be sorry,” he advised them. “We want to be there, and we’re winning.”

If you’ve never read any of Bill Whittle’s essays, you’re in for a real treat. In his current offering Tribes, Bill explores group and individual behavior traits, the survival instinct and initiative. He contrasts the events of 9/11 and Katrina and explores the type of character needed for America to survive.

I hadn’t visited his site in a while and I’m sure glad I did this evening. It’s a blunt essay that is both grim and inspiring. So pour yourself whatever your favorite is and read of pink tribes and grey tribes, wolves, sheep and sheepdogs. Whittle’s book, Silent America: Essays from a Democracy at War is available throught his site, Eject!Eject!Eject!.

Tribes Excerpts:

During the Washington hearing where John Roberts is being considered for baseball commissioner, I mean, chief baseball commissioner, Joe Biden demonstrated why WABC’s Mark Levin calls him the dumbest man in the United States Senate. While performing verbal pirouettes landing nowhere, which is a pre-requisite for senate tenure, Biden extended the seemingly endless baseball metaphors.

He started talking about how judges don’t get to change the strike zone. I don’t know why they’re talking about judges at a baseball hearing but Radio Blogger thinks Biden needs to do a little bit better show prep. Of today’s parade of the pompous, he declares, “One of the most absurd, naturally, was Delaware dimwit Joseph Biden.”

How much should you expect for a senator who begins his time with “Hey judge”?

Honesty would dictate an admission that Katrina has illustrated the penchant for failure for all government bureaucracies, large and small. Everyone from Bush on down share some blame for poor preparation before and horrifically inadequate action after the storm. But honesty is not part of the far left’s diet.

Bush’s candid comment on his initial reaction immediately after the storm. – “What I was referring to is this: When that storm came by, a lot of people said we dodged a bullet. When that storm came through at first, people said, Whew. There was a sense of relaxation. And that’s what I was referring to.”

The Daily Liar - Reprinting a collection of front pages from later days, Kos claims, “But back in the real world, everyone outside of the Administration knew things were catastrophic, and no one, outside the administration, felt a “sense of relaxation”.

“No one.”

Well I remember the discussions at work immediately after the storm passed. People were talking about how New Orleans had been spared again – that it could have been much worse. Of course a day later the story was much different. So – No one outside the administration felt a “sense of relaxation”. NO one? How about people in sunny, yes sunny New Orleans who still didn’t see any reason to leave. I hope this over-trafficked slide show is able to return live. It was a terrific narrative with 197 photos along with the text that described the experience.

It started with photos of the boarded up storefronts and deserted streets immediately before the storm and finished up with great shots of the storm damage, a caravan of rescue boats and looting after the streets flooded. But in between there is a brief time that people returned to the streets to survey the damage and even return to partying at the bars and restaurants and just kind of hang out. What might it be called? . . . Yeah, maybe a “sense of relaxation” right in the heart of New Orleans.

One of the captions related observing a reporterette in action. “She made up 75% of what she was saying and exaggerated about 95% of everything that she did know.” The mainstream media and the left, and honesty – total strangers.

Glen Reynolds gives us a preliminary list of hurricane lessons “that seem solid enough to go with now.”

Okay, back to QandO again this evening for a great roundup of NY Times flood control opinions – then and now.

“And while the New York Times Editorial Board criticizes Congress for “years of environmental carelessness for which Congress itself is largely responsible”, it’s also worth noting that they previously praised “moderates and like-minded Democrats [for beating] back a bill that would have permanently exempted any flood control project from the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.”

So, at least the endangered species are still alive. Shame the same can’t be said about a few thousand people in New Orleans.”