Heimatschutzministerium Gives Anti-Terrorist Aid to States and Cities by Population

As his departing act of intellectual laziness and inefficiency, Secretary for Homeland Security (Heimatschutzminister in more appropriate sounding German) Tom Ridge decided to hand out $2.6 billion in grants to states and cities for anti-terrorist efforts. That much is laudable, but in awarding the inadequate sums based on population, he has squandered the money. At first blush, it sounds fair, but in reality, he has merely said that all citizens should have the same amount spent for their protection rather than spending on those most at risk.

Under the population formula, California, Texas and New York state get the most money in that order. Wyoming, Vermont and Alaska get much less. The problem is that that doesn’t correspond to well with where the targets for terrorism lie. Yes, the big cities matter, but to suggest that cities are the only targets, which the population formula does, plain misses the military reality.

If one were inclined to cripple America’s energy industry, Alaska would be a good place to start. The entire length of the pipelines that move the oil from the North Slope are almost impossible to defend even with wads of money. Alaska, though, gets far too little based on population. Crippling the river traffic along the Mississippi would require a great deal of planning and luck, but sinking a few barges in the right place would bring the center of the country to a halt. Not one of the states along the river has a huge population (save Illinois thanks to Chicago).

The decision, like so much of what Mr. Ridge has done, was a political one. It sounds fair. But doesn’t make it an especially wise or effective policy. It is difficult to say just how much security $2.6 billion would buy if spent better, that is more in keeping with the local threat levels. It is reminiscent of his Crayola Color Coded threat levels, which do nothing to tell people what they could or should do – it only serves to give him an excuse to cry “Wolf” on TV and get the population upset.

One would like to think that Mr. Ridge’s newly nominated, soon-to-be successor Bernard Kerik will make better decisions about funding needed security projects. And the accolades from the national media for Mr. Kerik suggest he will be an improvement in most areas. However, this man, when in charge of New York’s famous Riker’s Island jail, managed to get into more than a little trouble for the way he handled money. New York taxpayers bought cigarettes that were sold in the jail at hefty mark-ups, the tobacco companies paid rebate that went . . .into a foundation of which Mr. Kerik was president. One of the foundation’s board members resigned when the treasurer wouldn’t or couldn’t provide him with financial records thereof. No one ever went to jail, but no one know where the money when either. Frankly, one wouldn’t mind giving him a 5% skim off the top is he promised to spend the rest of it wisely. That way only a little of it would be wasted rather than damn near all of it as Mr. Ridge has managed.


© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.


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