No, you asshole, it’s the best argument against leaving relief efforts to the underfunded, understaffed, undersupported auspices of private charities. Like the one that’s running the fucking 800-number.

I have spent the past week telling people that yes, that’s all there is. The scarcity of resources is not because big-government bureaucracy is choking on the supplies that would relieve people’s suffering. It’s because big-government programs that mitigate the effects of natural disasters have been neglected since the Grover Norquist President took office. We are the nation of the Berlin Airlift. Government efforts on a grand scale have never been a problem for us. The problem is that the government does not care about these people, is not interested in allocating enough resources to help them in time, and did not bother to plan for a natural disaster. This isn’t stagnant bureaucracy you’re looking at, but the bubble-gum-and-bandaids produced as an alternative to solid policy.

That would be bad government.

It’s the best argument against bad government.

A company that has been doing relatively well for years hires a new CEO, and suddenly profits decline and customers jump ship. Who do you blame: the company itself or the CEO? And how do you fix it: by dismantling the company entirely, or by firing the people in charge?

WTF.

When evacuees down to their last few dollars are given a 1800-number to call for financial assistance and then cannot get through to speak to an operator for days…

…this is the best argument against big government.

However, Bush has pulled vital emergency resources–like trained fire fighters–away from the catastrophe to stage extra-cool photo ops at the expense of human lives.

Didn’t that matter in the first days, when he was on “vacation?” He was supposed to be in New Orleans and went back to DC! How dare he interfere with emergency operations that started just yesterday!

There’s something distasteful about providing needed services (food, water, electricity) only when there is a photo-op, and for only as long as the cameras are rolling. That’s the real problem, not photo-ops per se.

But rana, the poor people only exist for as long as the cameras are rolling!

He especially liked to punch the weaker kids. The little ones, who couldn’t fight back. He’d punch them, and while he was punching them, he’d say things like “I know what it is to be punched -punch. I’m gonna help you stop being punched – punch.”

Then one day he was in a good mood, and decided to give people candy. He had a fistful of candy, and he would walk around giving candy to kids, then punching them. “Here’s some candy – punch. Enjoy your Sweetarts – punch.”

The next day after that, he was in a really, really good mood, and decided to give people candy and not punch them. He walked around school with his fistful of candy, and he held out his fist to give them candy. But for some reason they kept flinching away from his fist after they got the candy. “Here’s some candy – flinch. Enjoy your Big Hunk bar – flinch.”

So the little boy looked around, as hurt as can be, and shouted:

“Why the fuck is everyone so paranoid?”