There is not now, nor was there ever, a need for Homeland Security Dept.

[SoCalDem]

It's just a gigantic MONEY PIT, and was actually created as a "payback" to Ridge. Ridge gave up being governor because he "thought" he was going to be vice president, and when the right wingers shot that idea down, the poor shlub needed something to do.

The WTC catastrophe paved the way to create this behemoth, and gave Tommy something to do.

It was also a clever way to "transfer" union employees into a "new organization" and hack away at their benefits. They were made offers they dared not refuse, because their "former jobs" ceased to exist once they were absorbed into HS.

HS was also a great way to reward a bunch of campaign hacks who needed something to do. Since it was a "new" organization, a lot of bungling could/would be tolerated while these people blundered their way through their new jobs, displacing career people who quit/retired in frustration..

Whoever ends up president in '08 will have this hungry beast nipping at the treasury, demanding to be fed the lion's share.

The whole idea of the department screams REDUNDANT...

The Defense department is and should be in charge of our DEFENSE/SECURITY...

The FAA should be in charge of flight/airport related security (just FUND them, and let them do their work)

FEMA should have a separate headquarters in 3 areas of the nation.. One near the "storm coast"(hurricanes/tornadoes), one in the midwest (floods,tornadoes), and the other on the west coast (fires/floods/mudslides/quakes)..

Homeland security is nothing but PORK..and it needs to GO.

[leftofthedial]

1. I couldn't agree more.

it's a scam

part of the phony "war"

[Sanity Claws]

2. Republican spin on MTP

I think the Repubs are trying to claim that DHS is a Democratic creation. The righties on MTP kept claiming that. Frankly, I don't see how anything in the last few years could be a Dem. creation since the 'pubs have been in control of Congress and the Executive. Do you have any idea of what they're spinning?

[blm]

3. Actually, Dems were pushing for Homeland Security to PREVENT a 9-11 from

happening in the first place. Imagine if Al Gore had received the HartRudman Report on Global Terror and implemented its urgent measures for Homeland Security.

Bush and the GOPs were against it. AFTER 9-11 when they realized what a powergrab they could perform UNDER the originally good intentioned Homeland Security proposal, then they pushed for it to go through THEIR WAY. Their way includes crony contracts that are mere cosmetics, and not serious protective measures.

Imagine a Homeland Security Dept. run by Gary Hart. That would have been a SERIOUS protective move.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

4. You make a lot of sense...

And you're right. Too bad there's no one who is going to listen to you. Logic and government don't really walk hand in hand.
Duckie

[MADem]

5. You're quite right, and if you recall many were opposed to it

The Monkey in High Heels wanted it to be an "office" not a department, run out of the WH...in essence, a POLITICAL arm of the government, to better scare the American people. That way, his little lackey could skim money appropriated by Congress off of other agencies with little to no oversight.

Funny how the GOP always spouts off about cutting down the size of government, and it is only the Democrats who actually do it.

The only exception to your list is this--leave the FBI running domestic security, the only time the military should be deployed on home soil is if the Hun is coming over the hill, or in a natural disaster of epic proportions, like NOLA, and only then with VIGOROUS oversight and supervision.

Cognitive dissonance at work!

A little mandated COORDINATION between departments would have done the trick, without an Orwellian agency to scare the fuck out of folks...

[NV Whino]

6. Yes, I too have said that from the beginning.

Total waste of money and time.

[Burried News]

7. Homeland Security needs to be downsized to the point that we

can drown it in a bathtub.

[SoCalDem]

8. I'll donate the bathtub

[Inland]

9. Remember, ONLY substantive change: Homeland exempted from civil service.

Once somebody figured out that a mammoth Homeland Security department would be exempt from civil service, and that any fucking expenditure Bush wanted would be justified if it was "homeland security", it was INEVITABLE that EVERYTHING go into the Department. I'm surprised that there's anything left out, given Bush's goal to turn the entire government into an unaccountable money river to his buds.

[Skidmore]

10. When they were talking about creating this department, I was

calling congressmen and senators. Anything with "homeland" in the name is something to worry about. It's too jingoistic. Combined with "fer us or agin us" diatribes, it was an idea which could be greatly misused. I wanted to part of it. Knee jerk reaction by elected cowards on the way to handing carte blanche powers to go to war to another coward.

[f-bush]

11. Absolutely...

also it got Ridge out of the way because he was a pro-choice repuke and the fundies couldn't handle that!

[shadowknows69]

12. SoCalDem for President

Got my vote. :applause:

[Richard Steele]

13. Oh yes indeed. Recommended.