WP: Storms Show A System Out Of Balance ( Congress Neglects Oversight)

[Pirate Smile]

Storms Show A System Out Of Balance
GOP Congress Has Reduced Usual Diet of Agency Oversight

By Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2005; Page A21

Four hurricanes had hit Florida in 2004, and the evidence was overwhelming that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had totally botched its response. Some of the hardest-hit counties, complained Florida lawmakers, were overlooked, while other counties out of harm's way had received lavish relief -- to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, much of it for damage that could not be documented.

-snip-
The Florida debacle revealed serious deficiencies in FEMA operations and management, but when hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit six months later, the committees still had not acted on the delegation's request.

It was a typical response for a Congress that has had little appetite in recent years for executive branch oversight. And now, as lawmakers probe FEMA's mistakes in responding to Katrina, they are waking up to the consequences of neglect.

Government scholars and watchdog groups say the decline of congressional oversight in recent years has thrown out of kilter the system of checks and balances the Founding Fathers created to keep no one branch of government from becoming too powerful. Whether the Pentagon or the Environmental Protection Agency, if a department does not think Congress is paying attention, it could be more apt to waste money or allow problems to go unaddressed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401426.html

[Kagemusha]

1. Too busy raising money and legislating for lobbyist interests.

Given the descriptions of the DeLay machine I've read in recent days, I see absolutely no other explanation.

[rodeodance]

2. they are right-Congress is as much to blame as is Bush.

....It was a typical response for a Congress that has had little appetite in recent years for executive branch oversight. And now, as lawmakers probe FEMA's mistakes in responding to Katrina, they are waking up to the consequences of neglect.

[Pirate Smile]

3. Exactly. Tee it up for 2006. The Republican controlled Congress

completely abdicated their responsibilities to their constituents and Country. They must be kicked out of office.

Loyalty to party above all - the GOP motto (until Harriet Miers that is).

Now, these jackasses think they can do an investigation of the disaster? No-friggin-way.

[Pirate Smile]

4. kick

[indepat]

5. The Congress has subverted the Constitution by failing to maintain checks

balances over hundreds of billions of dollars appropriated to give W his every whim IMHO and every one guilty of this constitutional massacre should step down.