Jovan Vukmaravich – 6/22/08

This page was last updated on June 22, 2008.

Fiddling away; Jovan Vukmaravich; Beaver County Times; June 22, 2008.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“We all know the story of Rome 2,000 years ago.

“Today, we have another fiddler and another catastrophe.

“The Associated Press reports George Bush soaked up Europe as only a president can. He had tea at Windsor Castle with Queen Elizabeth II, rode bikes in a Paris park and the lush German countryside, had a stunning view from a Renaissance villa outside Rome and had a rare stroll with the pope in the Vatican’s private garden.

“Not a bad life. It seems Bush is learning to enjoy the perks of traveling abroad as the most powerful man in the world.”

[RWC] Does Mr. Vukmaravich actually believe the trip was some kind of vacation? Regardless of where he is, a U.S. president is never on vacation and can conduct his business as usual in any location.

“Meanwhile, the heartland of America is flooding. Iowa has 36,000 people homeless. The University of Iowa was inundated, as were parts of Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Barge shipping on the Mississippi River was closed for 280 miles.”

[RWC] Mr. Vukmaravich may not have noticed, but we’ve had flooding in the Midwest to some degree since March.

“Corn is now $8 a bushel, with 16 percent of cropland under water, including the soy bean crop. Products made from these crops will push prices up the chain to consumers.”

[RWC] That’s what happens every once in a while when you locate farms on flood plains.

“While Bush fiddles in Europe, Vice President Dick Cheney and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff fiddle in Washington, D.C.”

[RWC] Not that it matters, but President Bush returned from his trip nearly a week ago. I know it’s an inconvenient truth for Mr. Vukmaravich, but it’s up to state and local governments to handle these problems. After all, floods in the Midwest happen on a routine basis. Face it; you build levees because you know there will be floods.

“People still suffer. History repeats itself.”

[RWC] Perhaps someone can tell me what any president can do about rain and floods. Is there a presidential staff that can be held up to command the waters of the Mississippi and its tributaries not to flood where they’ve flooded since forever? Perhaps the floodwaters wouldn’t have breached the levees had Messrs. Bush, Cheney, and Chertoff been there to stack sandbags. To be fair, Barack Obama showed up for a photo op filling sandbags.

Stupid, blind partisanship is what motivates people to write idiotic letters like this.