Who benefits most from disaster drop-ins?
by Joe Kirby
MDJ Editorial Page Editor
September 28, 2009 05:05 PM | 601 views | 2 2 comments | 3 3 recommendations | email to a friend | print
It was big news Friday that Vice President Joe Biden and various other elected officials of both parties had toured flood-devastated south Cobb by helicopter, and then met with flood victims at the shelter set up at the Cobb Civic Center.

But do such flyovers at disaster scenes, and “face time” with victims on the ground, really amount to much? Cynics might say that officials could learn just as much from TV coverage as they can from 10,000 feet. Do such visits really make the stricken feel better, or are they just a momentary distraction?

There’s also the question of cost. By the time local police and sheriff’s department security was factored in on Friday, plus the costs of transporting such an entourage, it certainly wasn’t cheap.

What do you think? Who benefits the most from such visits? The elected officials? Or the needy?

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Comments
(2)
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HFH
|
October 05, 2009
Excellent question. The answer is: elected officials. It would be every bit as effective if the proper authorities were informed by the local people the extent of a disaster. Their presence is not necessary. It's all about grandstanding.
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ProgressivePeach.com
|
October 01, 2009
Joe, I'm looking back in the MDJ archives for your criticism of President Bush March 4, 2007, when he visited the scene of a tornado in Alabama. Or the archives on Feb. 8 2008 when he did the same for tornado victims in Tennessee. Oh, you're just pulling more political pandering to attack the current administration? And using a disaster as a backdrop for your partisan sniping? Gotcha. Thought so.
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