Why reading WSJ Opinions such as this one on 8/29 can damage your laptop - stuff like this makes you want to spurt coffee all over your keyboard. Money quote:

"New Orleans' plight is not the result of federal underspending. Uncle Sam has spent some five times more on Katrina relief than any other natural disaster in the past 50 years. Both parties in Congress and the White House opted for the status quo by relying on federal bureaucracies to oversee the rebuilding effort. If Uncle Sam were deliberately trying to waste these funds, it is hard to imagine a better way than to funnel the money through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Both HUD and the SBA have been on the chopping block back to the early Reagan years."

Contrast this "opinion" to a "news" story that ran on a earlier page in the newspaper ("In New Orleans, Recovery Is Sporadic; Disagreement Over Where to Rebuild Infrastructure Plagues Efforts a Year After Katrina" by Christopher Cooper. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Aug 29, 2006. pg.A.4), which said this:

"Mr. Powell and President Bush have touted the $110 billion that Congress appropriated to assist Gulf Coast rebuilding, but only a sliver of the money has reached the region.

Of the $44 billion spent, about $17 billion was paid out in flood- insurance claims, which are at least partially backed by property- owner premiums. A large portion of the remaining amount was spent on immediate needs after Katrina, such as paying Federal Emergency Management Agency workers, establishing temporary housing for storm victims and providing local governments with operating cash. Very little of this money has a direct effect on long-term recovery for the region, and only a fraction has been spent on repairing infrastructure such as waterworks and electrical grids.

The government of New Orleans, which is struggling to provide basic municipal services, has received -- and spent -- $125 million in direct federal aid. "I've come to see that the word 'appropriation' has very little to do with actual cash in hand," said Oliver Thomas, president of the New Orleans City Council. He estimates billions of dollars will be needed to rebuild infrastructure in a city that independent analysts say has restored only 17% of its bus service, 60% of its electricity and 41% of its natural-gas grid."

Makes you wonder, doesn't it, if the wingnuts manning the WSJ Opinion desk even bother to read what their "News"* desk puts out? Or is this dissonance because they, in the words of Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, live in a "fact free" zone? Besides, the last time I heard there was only one party** (allegedly the one that bills itself the party of "responsibility") that was in control and in charge of all levers of "guvnment", including those nasty clogged up "federal bureaucracies".

...

This is an excellent idea that desis should consider adopting from our "Chini" bhai-log; using Reality TV to unearth those hidden Indian Olympians:

from "China's New Reality Show Goes for the Gold" by Mei Fong. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Aug 29, 2006. pg. B.1

"Called the "China Olympic Coxswain Competition," the show hopes to ride the popularity of reality TV shows in China, sparked by the stunning success of "Super Female Voice," a singing contest produced by provincial TV station Hunan Satellite that drew 400 million viewers to its 2005 finale. By comparison, "American Idol" drew 36 million viewers to its finale this year.

"This is the only sport in the Olympics in which such a competition could be held. The coxswain position is unique because you don't need great physical strength, just mental strength," says Liu Ai Jie, vice president of the China Water Sports Association. Mr. Liu came up with the idea for the program, which is expected to be announced today."

...

"Star power is also a must, say organizers. Karaoke and dance segments are being considered."

...

"To be sure, in English, the term coxswain has a decidedly less glorious connections: it's derived from roots that can be loosely translated as "boat boy."

The position ideally requires a master strategist with the vim of a cheerleader and the ruthlessness of taskmaster. It helps to be light too -- typically rowers tower over coxswains.

Famous coxswain include physicist Stephen Hawking, who coxed for Oxford before he began to suffer from lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, as well as U.S. Olympian Bob Moch, who lived until the age of 90 and rallied his team -- including one sick rower -- to an upset victory during the 1936 Berlin Olympics."

Y'all leave some inventive names for the desi version of such shows in the comments.

*WSJ "news" pages are surpisingly well balanced & in line with most main stream media; I suppose this has to be because businessmen can't make effective decisions on "free capitalism" shtick alone but have to resort to "real world facts"