The scale of this disaster is of course huge – an area the size of the UK has been affected and perhaps 1.5m people have been displaced. As I’ve said in previous posts it is inevitable with such numbers that things will go wrong. However this does not explain, far less justify, what seems to have been an appalling catalogue of ineptitude and incompetence at all levels of government.
Having seen the capacity of the US to deliver death and destruction across the planet on an industrial scale this seemed bizarre. It dawned on me in the end that the US is of course an extremely bureaucratic country – probably more than the UK and perhaps even as much as France and Germany. Look at any state or local government website and you will find complex licence requirements for all sorts of businesses, trades and professions and limitations on sale of goods of all kinds. I’ve given some random examples below (from a rapid web search).
In order to obtain a license in cosmetology, nail technology, esthetics, or barbering in the state of Louisiana, students must complete the requirements listed below. Please contact the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology for more information.
Requirements
COSMETOLOGIST: 1500 hours
NAIL TECHNICIAN: 500 hours
ESTHETICS: 750 hours
NAIL TECHNICIAN: 600 hours
Massage and Bodywork (I'm not kidding!)
In a move that’s met
opposition from massage schools, the National Certification Board for
Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) has changed the composition of
education hours required to sit for the National Certification Exam for
Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB).
Although the amount of
education required to take the exam will remain at 500 hours, as of June 1,
2005, the composition of those hours will change. The number of required
anatomy, physiology and kinesiology hours will increase from 100 to 125 hours;
the amount of required pathology hours will increase from 0 to 40 hours; and
the amount of required instruction in ethics will increase from a minimum of
two hours to a minimum of six hours.
The same criteria will apply
to those who wish to take the National Certification in Therapeutic Massage
exam, for an entry-level, massage-only credential that the NCBTMB will begin to
offer in June 2005.
“Any person licensed by the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation is required to submit a copy of their current, active State license prior to obtaining an Occupational License.”
My favourite?
Dance Halls, Studios (Ballroom Dancing) State Registration by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
This complex interaction of Federal, State and local governments appears to create not less legislation but more, as each jurisdiction exerts its rights to make their mark. I think here lies at least some of the problem in that the US has less coordinated capability to respond internally than it does internationally. Perhaps those in the US who complained about the bureaucracy they met in responding to the Tsunami on Boxing Day might now reflect on their experience at home.
