America unprepared for disaster

Five years after 9/11 and almost a year after Hurricane Katrina, major American cities remain unprepared for catastrophes of the natural or man-made varieties.

A report by the Dept. of Homeland Security indicates that the cities hardest hit by the most devastating disasters in recent memory are among those that remain at the greatest risk.

The study showed that Washington, one of the targets of the September 11 attack, was among the worst-prepared regions in the country for a catastrophic event.

Louisiana and the city of New Orleans -- both battered by deadly Hurricane Katrina last year -- were also among the worst-prepared areas. West Virginia also received low marks.

Other large urban areas seen to be poorly prepared included Dallas and Oklahoma City -- the site of a 1985 bombing that killed 168 people.

Certainly, the cities and states involved bear much responsibility for their lack of preparedness.

But the primary function of the federal government is to provide for the protection and welfare of its citizens. American citizens have the right to take the protection of their government for granted. It is the core provision of the contract of citizenship.

President Bush has failed to lead on the issue of national security. He has squandered his time and energy and our money tilting at windmills in Mesopotamia. Meanwhile, Americans cannot even rest in the assurance that their government is doing everything it can to mitigate the destruction and loss of life from the next hurricane or the next terrorist attack.

It is time for the Democrats to go after Bush and the Republicans as hard as they can on Terrorism and Iraq. They are weak, stupid and inept. They reject policy solutions in favor of political slogans. They are vulnerable, and the American people need to hear that in the context of a political campaign. The reason is that these incompetents need to be voted out of office. The voters will only do that if they are made to see the truth about the complete failure of Republican governance.