Impatient Idealist

One of the memes floating around is "a pack, not a herd." Government tends to foster centralized "solutions" that are very expensive and result in masses of doltish employees who can't think for themselves and are useless in a crisis -- note the example of the TSA, which costs at least twice as much as the private security companies used before 9/11 and is measurably no more effective at finding contraband, even if said contraband (nail scissors, etc) were still a likely means of taking over an aircraft. FEMA people are like the municipal fire departments of the world -- politically powerful, rarely used, male-guardian-oriented and with a vested interest in continuing the situations which lead to the disasters which are their raison d'etre. Promoting network solutions -- informal, citizenry-based volunteer groups -- is much cheaper but has no patronage rakeoff for the pols.