There is a saying that goes something like this -- if you point your finger at someone, realize that there are three other finger pointing back at you. In reflecting back on the desolation of Hurricane Katrina, I'm struck by how many local officials blamed the President for slow response time. But as we stand back a look at Katrina from a standpoint three weeks later, we see a little more clearly. Days before Katrina struck, the President advised the governor of Louisiana to evacuate New Orleans. Despite claims of a slow response by FEMA, voluntary emergency services workers and rescue personnel were not allowed to enter the effected areas without having cultural sensitivity training -- holding back assistance for an extra day. There is also the matter of the unused school buses that were the perfect tool for evacuating residents who had no means to evacuate themselves. But, today there is something new to add to the mix.

Responding to complaints that New Orleans city officials were keeping relief aid for their personal use, the Police searched the house of Cedric Floyd -- Chief Administrative Officer for the Kenner suburb of New Orleans. Police found four pickup truck loads of food, clothing, tools, and related relief supplies in Floyd's house. Now, accusations of corruption are not unheard-of in the New Orleans area, but I hope that if New Orleans is rebuilt -- either rebuilt or built outside of the flood plains -- that it's citizens will spend more time evaluating candidates for public office. Hopefully, in the wake of Katrina, residents of the Big Easy will take a more direct hand in their local government and will no longer stand for corruption and incompetence.