cronyism

Is our govenment ripe with cronyism?
Has FEMA's leadership been politicized, and is it up to the task? According to news reports, the agency's head, Michael Brown, had been supervising horse-show judges in Colorado before he was called to Washington in 2001 to work for an old friend, then the head of FEMA. Brown, with little disaster experience, quickly rose to be the agency's deputy director and then its leader. In the first days of the crisis, FEMA's decision-making appeared tentative and confused, with fatal consequences.

Has putting FEMA in the new Homeland Security Department undermined its ability to respond to natural disasters? According to a Government Accountability Office report, 75% of the agency's 2006 budget for preparedness grants is focused on terrorism.

Disaster experts will tell you that responding to any catastrophe requires the same elements — evacuation, rescue, emergency supplies and security.