Washington, We Have a Problem

In my January 1, 2010 musing, I mentioned that I respectfully disagreed with David Brooks' recent column: Op-Ed Columnist - The God That Fails - NYTimes.com. In this column Mr. Brooks writes, "People should be grateful for whatever assistance that government can provide and had better do what they can to be responsible for their own fates." I wanted to clap when I read this statement. I wanted to send it to my kids and say this applies to children and their parents too: I'm here to give you guidance and to keep you safe until you can protect yourself, not to make your life perfect, or even easy. The pervasive sense of entitlement in the world (and in my own home!) is frightening.

However, from this point Mr. Brooks relates his statement to the public anger over the government's failings in identifying the "Christmas Bomber." He suggests that we acted like spoiled children in our response to a plane of approximately 300 innocent people almost getting blown out of the sky: "We believe mommy and daddy can take care of everything, and then grow angry and cynical when it becomes clear they can't." I disagree! What I heard and saw from the American public was not anger or cynicism; it was courage and quick thinking by the passengers on the plane and fear from the rest of us. The anger and cynicism came from the government. At a time when everyone should have come together to find a better way to stop a common enemy, the Republicans and Democrats couldn't hurl blame and insults at each other fast enough--there was more anger and blame directed across the "aisle" than there was across the ideological ocean to a group of radicals that would like to see us all dead.

Head of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano first came out and said that the system worked before later admitting that government agencies had failed to connect the dots. Would-be terrorist, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's father had reported his son as radicalized and potentially dangerous to officials at an American Embassy. Umar had traveled to Yemen, he purchased his ticket with cash and had no luggage--these aren't dots, they're blinking red lights and buzzers! I don't blame Ms. Napolitano for her misstatement. I'm sure she was saying what she had been told to say by the administration. And while I generally approve of Mr. Obama's appreciation for reticence, the problem here wasn't jumping to conclusions; it was not jumping to conclusions. Also, like the Republicans and the Democrats, the different government agencies that collect intelligence are often locked in a power struggle and don't share information. It's amazing to me that partisan politics, power struggles, and political correctness take precedence with our government over our safety.

Perhaps Mr. Brooks should have used health-care to make his point. We can control what we eat, how much exercise we get, and can use sunscreen, seat belts, and other practices to help keep us healthy and safe. For the most part, when we get on an airplane, the best we can do for ourselves is to buckle-up and say a prayer.

While airline fares and routes were deregulated 20 years ago, airports and security are still highly regulated by local and federal governments--we are at the mercy of others when we travel by air, and we expect these "others" to do everything in their power to protect us. This was not the case on Christmas day. We want "mommy" and "daddy" to pay attention, stop fighting and start working together and until they do, we will continue pitching our hissy-fits.