Well, the other side of the coin is that, notionally, the federal government has been specifically preparing for four years for a huge disaster, albeit one prompted by terrorism as opposed to weather. But what if the levees had been destroyed by terrorist bombs instead of by a hurricane? The results would have been virtually identical, and they still would have performed poorly. Why have we been giving up our civil liberties if this is the best they can do?

Again, though, I think you're correct in that the Federal Government is not the only one at fault here.