I Confess!

The New Orleans catastrophe was partly my fault. As a New Yorker, I acted in a civilized manner during the 2003 blackout. That clearly contributed to the common belief that we can rely on spontaneous order and wouldn't have to send the National Guard to New Orleans (instead of continuing to patrol New York train stations). If only I had thrown a brick through a window …

Set seriousness bit to ON: Could someone please explain how a disaster that occurred in a Democratic city in a state with a Democratic governor is supposed to be the fault of Republicans or conservatives?

On the other hand, one of the basic principles of conservatism is that people in a region can usually deal with a problem better than strangers. In particular, conservatives usually assume that state and local governments are actually competent (or at least more competent about local issues than the Federal government). The current mess makes that a bit dubious.

On the gripping hand, according to The Federalist Papers, it's easier for a faction to seize control of a state or local government. That may have happened here.

I'd be interested to hear if any of the conservatives who got bent out of shape over the alleged violations of “Federalism” in the Schiavo case have anything to say.