He has been the best Katrina writer in my mind, besides John Tierney who has been on a roll. Kotkin has another instructive piece in the WSJ today (sorry, don’t have link). Here’s a key bit:
The huge discrepancy between the Texas and Louisiana responses should call into question the assumptions that have been trumpeted since Katrina. Foremost, we need to reconsider the central focus on the role of the federal government. Historically, the first responders in a crisis have been local officials, the province being more one of mayors and governors than presidents.
History shows that the key determinant of success is the competence of local government. When local officials are responsive and prepared — as seen from the 1994 Northridge, Calif., earthquake to recent hurricanes in Florida and, now, in east Texas — FEMA plays its role with some effectiveness. But when local officials are inept, the shortcomings of the federal bureaucracy become more obvious. So although reform of FEMA may well be appropriate, any massive post-Katrina federal bailout of New Orleans should be tempered by skepticism about the ability of state and city officials to determine priorities or to execute plans with efficiency.
Federal taxpayers should insist that funds be designated for long-term investments toward both infrastructure and preparation. Currently, there is a great danger that much of the money may be used to underwrite massive real estate speculation and a famously corrupt political culture. Others are calling for federal funds to construct an expensive experiment in urban social engineering.