If the far right conservatives at Fox, on Talk Radio, in Congress and the White House were true to their anti-government, "originalist" rhetoric, they would be espousing the following opinions:
* When the Constitution was drafted by our Founding Fathers, Louisiana was owned by the French and it was never the intention of the Founding Fathers for Louisiana to be a state, therefore we should not be spending taxpayer dollars to aid the disaster in New Orleans.
* In addition, the Louisiana Purchase was a unilateral, illegal act by the Executive Branch and was never approved by Congress or ratified by the states. Therefore, let the French pay for the recovery.
* The Constitution only grants the federal government with the power to protect our national defense and to govern interstate commerce. The Constitution does not grant the federal government any role in local and state matters. Therefore it is up to the states to pay for the rescue and rebuilding efforts. If other states want to provide assistance, that is up to them. But it is not the role of the federal government to be involved in this effort, accept to rebuild the interstate road system (with tolls and user fees).
* The people who did not evacuate must accept their individual responsibility for not leaving and deal with the consequences.
OK, for my sarcasm at the expense of the suffering going on down south, I will be giving the Red Cross a generous donation. My point is that society, even arch conservatives, has accepted the need for an active federal government.
It is essential that those of us who believe in the positive role government can and does play in our everyday life, that we remind people of that. And more importantly, we articulate the horrific vision that conservatives want for this great country. It appears that the only thing Dennis Hastert is guilty of is not censoring himself before speaking...like all the other "compassionate conservatives" have been during the last few days.