Ten Years After Katrina: Denying Government Can Save Lives and Money

With the ten-year anniversary of hurricane Katrina, looking back on CPR's landmark report on the disaster revealed two key public policy insights. One was that a series of government policy failures resulted in a far worst disaster than would have occurred if government had been more pro-active. The second was that more effective government requires addressing and resolving what are often difficult policy issues, something that requires an ongoing dialogue and attention to what experts know and do not know about our options. Today, ten years after Katrina, the country has retreated even further from having pro-active government. Many elected leaders refuse even to discuss what are the appropriate functions of government, let alone what is the preferable governmental policy option. For them, there is simply no justification for expanding the government or even for adequately funding the government that we have.