Feds again stop Oil Spill efforts

The story of the Katrina debacle was a story of the Federal government falling over itself and failing to deliver. The story of the Gulf Oil Spill debacle is a story instead of the Federal government impeding local action. Over and over, local individuals, companies, and agencies try to stem the damage from the disaster. And over and over, a random Federal bureaucrat steps in to stop it for his/her own petty reasons.

The newest example is over sand dredging which the Fish and Wildlife Department has stopped for fear of the location of dredging. While I realize in isolation they are just doing their job, this shortsightedness is becoming endemic. It is time for the President - or some other high-ranking official - to step in and personally take responsibility for these snafus. We are past the point of "figuring out what is going on" and have run out of excuses.

Voters take note. This is one that can not be laid at the feet of George W. Bush. Vote accordingly in the mid-term elections. The Democratic Party deserves to lose their majority. The president has proven he needs someone to hold him accountable.

Communities who need it most, getting least Stimulus money

I guess we file this under "paving the road with good intentions". Anyone else wondering if rushing that bill through Congress may have caused a few "bugs" to slip though unnoticed?

Altogether, the government is set to spend 50 percent more per person in areas with the lowest unemployment than it will in communities with the highest.
The AP reviewed $18.9 billion in projects, the most complete picture available of where states plan to spend the first wave of highway money. The projects account for about half of the $38 billion set aside for states and local governments to spend on roads, bridges and infrastructure in the stimulus plan.
The very promise that Obama made, to spend money quickly and create jobs, is locking out many struggling communities needing those jobs.
The money goes to projects ready to start. But many struggling communities don't have projects waiting on a shelf. They couldn't afford the millions of dollars for preparation and plans that often is required.