Emergency medical system cant be ignored If the

Crystal Hatfield Published:

Emergency medical system cant be ignored If the attacks of 9/11 exposed the nations overall lack of preparedness for catastrophic events, Katrina drove the lesson home. In the aftermath of Katrina, the Department of Homeland Security recently found only 11 states have adequate disaster plans. Not surprisingly, most of the well-prepared states lie in the hurricane zone. But a new report by the Institute of Medicine shows there is one area of the emergency response system that falls short in even the best-prepared states and cities. Indeed, the nations medical emergency rooms and supporting EMS systems often fail to meet day-to-day demands, much less the extra burdens that would be imposed by a natural or man-made disaster. ... In effect, the nation has allowed EMS to deteriorate because it has avoided coming to grips with providing adequate access to medical service for the poor and with the question of who pays for free medical services. ... How much sense does it make for the federal government to continue pouring billions into other dimensions of emergency response if it neglects to rescue the emergency medical system, from its current condition? It is the Achilles heel of disaster preparedness. The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier Govt should stay out of wetlands On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled somewhat on a case that has impact across the country, ... The justices voted 5-4 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, acting under the federal Clean Water Act, may have missed the mark when refusing to allow two Michigan developers to build condominiums and a shopping mall on land they own. At issue is whether the Clean Water Act protects inland ditches, streams and wetlands, or is limited to navigable rivers, lakes and bays. One developer wanted to build condos on a property about a mile from Lake St. Clair, Mich. The other developer wanted to build a shopping mall on land about 20 miles from the lake. Both properties were designated wetlands by the federal government, despite not being all that damp. The property owners were blocked by the Corps. During oral arguments before the court in February, a government lawyer told the justices the Feds have wide latitude to regulate U.S. waterways, including ditches that have one drop of water. The justices couldnt come to consensus on just how far wetlands protections extend. So they sent the case back to a lower court. In an Associated Press story, Chief Justice John Roberts was quoted as saying the issue is so murky that lower courts and regulated entities will now have to feel their way on a case-by-case basis. Which is exactly what should be done. While protection of wetlands is important, property rights are no less so. And federal and state environmental regulators have for years shown a lack of respect for property owners rights when essentially taking away the use of private land for the alleged public good. The federal government should not have wide latitude on wetlands or much of anything else, but defined and focused powers under the Constitution, a document that is primarily concerned with the rights of individuals including property owners. Texarkana Gazette, Texarkana, Ark.

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