Today's Nuze: March 02, 2006 

NOT GOOD

There is a video of a video conference circulating through the media that doesn't look all that good for George Bush.  Bush has repeatedly said that neither was he warned nor was there any expectation that the levees in New Orleans could very well be breached by Katrina.  In those videos we see the director of the National Hurricane Center was worried about just that....the breach of the levees.  His exact quote: "I don't think anyone can tell you with confidence right now whether the levees will be topped or not, but that's obviously a very, very great concern."   From the looks of this tape of a video conference, the warnings were more than plentiful.  It looks like a lot of people were just whistling past the graveyard here ... hoping not to be noticed.

Is this a Bush failing?  Frankly, yes.  He was naive enough to believe that the government was prepared to handle the New Orleans situation.  He didn't ignore the threat, he just thought the government was prepared to handle it.  Perhaps he would have had a clearer idea of what was going on if had asked a few questions.  Bush,  after all, is a man who believes in government.  This is a president who has doubled spending with the Department of Education, all the while virtually ignoring the cause of school choice.  Conservative? Insofar as matters of national defense and tax cuts are concerned, yes.  But when it comes to the size and reach of government, conservative is hardly the label you would want to apply.

New Orleans' Democratic mayor Ray Nagin and the Louisiana Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco will surely use these resurrected videos in an attempt to absolve themselves of all blame for the Katrina debacle.  It will work with die-hard Democrats, but more reasonable people will recognize the truth.  It was a generalized government failure, from top to bottom.  And while we're talking about government failure ... let's mention the failure of the people here as well.  Far too many residents of New Orleans were used to a life of government dependency.  They sat there watching this killer storm approach and did absolutely nothing. 

Then there's the Democrats.  Before I go off the air today the Democrats will have called for ... no,  they will have demanded a series of further investigations into the feds response to Katrina.  Rest assured, the Democrat goal here will not be to gather any additional information that can be used for future disaster planning, the goal will be to demagogue the issue going into the mid-term elections.  They, of course, will try to convince Americans that they would have done everything so very much better.

Maybe some future presidents will take note here.  You don't appoint political hacks with limited or no experience to head up agencies that are charged with responding to disasters like Katrina.  But this is Washington DC we're talking about, where political hacks rule the day .... with our money.

By the way ... and I will NEVER miss the opportunity to remind you of this ... the same government that is doing such a wonderful job of screwing up almost everything it touches; Social Security, Medicare, Katrina relief ...... is the same government that you think is educating your child today. 

TOP 10 CARS NAMED

We've heard over and over again the last year or so about the troubles at GM and Ford. Plant shutdowns and layoffs have become the norm....both are losing tremendous amounts of money...and market share.  With gas prices up, SUV sales have slowed. The companies complain that they are being strangled by generous union contracts...and that's true...they are.

But there is news today that also shows a more troubling problem. Consumer Reports, known for evaluating products like toasters, microwaves and just about everything else, also reviews vehicles.  They have put out their top 10 list of autos for the year....and guess what?  They are all from Japan. Every single one of them. 

Me? I own two domestic automobiles; a Chevy Avalanche and a Cadillac XLR.  (Well, the XLR is my wife's, but she lets me drive it sometimes.)  I think both of these vehicles are absolutely top-notch, and I would write the checks for them again today.  No problems.

The domestic automakers in the past would cry foul over cheap imports, saying they cannot compete.  But wait...out of the top 10 cars, five are Hondas, two are Toyotas, two are Subarus and one is an Infinity.  4 of the Honda models are produced...you guessed it...in the United States.  1 is made in Canada.  Looks like Detroit has a problem.

Perhaps they should look in the mirror....maybe the problem isn't entirely the workers fault, but rather the management and the products it is releasing.  The free market is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

PITY CALIFORNIA

California is one of the few states in the nation that is actually experiencing a decrease in its population.  Business regulation, taxes, social engineering and a runaway belief in the omnipotence of government is destroying what was once a pretty good life and place to live.  Today we learn that the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa,   is facing a $245 million deficit in the city's $6 billion budget.  He calls it a crisis and he's looking at tax increases.  Here's hoping that much of the Hollywood leftist elite lives in the city limits of LA.  Time for them to pay their fair share!

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

Hey, at least she's wearing a bra! More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

I've told you about that Catholic city that Domino's Pizza magnate Thomas Monaghan is building near Naples, Florida.  Evidently he's going a bit further than I first thought.  There will be no place to buy magazines with nudity (if that's your thing).  No place to get an abortion, and cable television will not be allowed to carry x-rated channels (as defined by Monaghan).  This could get interesting.

Thanks for the offer, Professor Adams; but I can't take the salary cut.

Couple died overcome with carbon monoxide while having sex in a car left running in a garage.

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