As published in the

Pasadena Star-News - September 28, 2005

San Gabriel Valley Tribune - September 28, 2005

Whittier Daily News - September 28, 2005

Bush assures even disasters benefit wealthy, corporations

by

Gerald Plessner

George W. Bush has exposed the two greatest flaws in our political system --- the existence of the Electoral College and the non-existence of a parliamentary system.

Without the Electoral College George W. Bush would not be our president, and if we had a parliamentary system, George W. Bush would not long be our president.

Columnist E. J. Dionne of the Washington Post recently wrote that, "The Bush Era is over. The sooner politicians in both parties realize that, the better for them --- and for the country."

But the Bush era of incompetence, dishonesty, harmful ideology and greed is not over. Quite the contrary. The Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina demonstrate the disastrous consequences of its conservative political principles and Libertarian elitist economic ideas. And none of that has changed.

The president's Hurricane Katrina failure was the result of a conscious, government-wide campaign based on conservative and Libertarian principles designed to gut or neutralize programs that help individuals, improve public infrastructure(except where pork barrel politics are involved) and advance the general welfare of the people.

When it came to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), there were not that many corporate interests involved. So FEMA was effectively gutted to staff the new Homeland Security bureaucracy, leaving an opportunity for the Republican party to reward its political hacks and advance men while destroying another agency that helps the people.

The Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina confirms what progressives have been saying for the last decade, that Conservative principles weaken government while enhancing the wealth of the rich and the power of corporations.

Combine conservatism with Libertarianism's belief that all government is the enemy and must be eliminated, and you have a political toxic stew equal to the water that swept over New Orleans.

In addition to being remembered for its lies, distortions and incompetence in taking America into war with Iraq, the George W. Bush era will be remembered for its assault on our government's ability to assure the safety and well-being of all its citizens.

Whenever an issue arises in which the interests of corporations and the wealth compete with the interests of the poor or the environment, the Bush administration will be remembered for its failure to act in the public interest.

And just because the president is making those weekly flights to disaster areas, Americans should not think that anything has changed.

With Karl Rove at the head of hurricane reconstruction and Grover Norquist as the defacto manager of our fiscal policy, their failed conservative and Libertarian principles will continue for the remainder of the Bush era.

Here are two examples of how the administration will continue doing business as usual.

Halliburton, Inc. is already at the head of the line for major non-bid contracts, and other corporate supporters of the president's election campaigns are flocking to the disaster areas.

At the same time the administration is issuing non-bid contracts to its corporate friends, president Bush has suspended the Davis-Bacon act, which requires federal contractors to pay construction workers a prevailing wage. This means that big corporations which receive contracts that pay them on often-inflated invoices, can now force down the wages of local constructions workers, many of whom will have lost everything in the hurricanes.

According to Elana Schor, writing in The Hill newspaper in the Nation's Capitol, "Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform (is) an instrumental force for undoing workers-rights laws."

Schor quotes Norquist as saying, "Oh, gee, maybe they'll try to oppose the president the next time he runs for office," He added that the temporary Davis-Bacon suspension "certainly strengthens the case" for an eventual full repeal.

With Karl Rove and Grover Norquist in charge, it is all but assured that the big boys will get the plums while the small businesses and local workers will end up with the crumbs.

About the author: Gerald Plessner is a Southern California businessman who writes regularly on issues of politics and culture. He would be pleased to hear from you and may be contacted at gerald@geraldplessner.com.