Let Locals Lead

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, my personal choice for Prez in 2008, says that state and local government, not the federals, should take the lead in disaster relief:

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush delivered a stern message to Congress on Wednesday: State and local officials, not the federal government or the U.S. military, should have the primary responsibility for handling natural disasters..."I can say with certainty that federalizing emergency response to catastrophic events would be a disaster as bad as Hurricane Katrina,” Bush told the committee.

Here's why, he said:

Although Bush said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had done a good job coordinating the immediate response when four hurricanes hit Florida last year, he criticized FEMA’s actions during recovery.
He cited the agency’s "bureaucratic slowness” in securing long-term housing and loans, debris removal and reimbursement.