Local Heroes

WE’RE all into government now. Not just Sen. Rodham Clinton— on September 11, “we saw government in action”—but also Vice President Cheney—“One of the things that’s changed so much since September 11th is the extent to which people do trust the government—big shift—and value it, and have high expectations for what we can do.”

If that’s true, it’s hard to see why. But the Clinton-Cheney line is now received wisdom. There was even a hint of gloating in the way Albert Hunt, in the Wall Street Journal, noted that the heroes of September 11—firemen, cops, rescue workers—were all government employees. That’s correct, as far as it goes. But by which government were they employed? What worked on September 11 was municipal and state government. What failed—big time, as the vice president might say—was federal government, all the hotshot money- no-object sweeping-powers fancypants acronyms: FBI, CIA, INS, FAA.

About the Author

Mark Steyn

Mark Steyn is an international bestselling author, a Top 41 recording artist, and a leading Canadian human-rights activist.

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WE’RE all into government now. Not just Sen. Rodham Clinton— on September 11, “we saw government in action”—but also Vice President Cheney—“One of the things that’s changed so much since September 11th is the extent to which people do trust the government—big shift—and value it, and have high expectations for what we can do.”

If that’s true, it’s hard to see why. But the Clinton-Cheney line is now received wisdom. There was even a hint of gloating in the way Albert Hunt, in the Wall Street Journal, noted that the heroes of September 11—firemen, cops, rescue workers—were all government employees. That’s correct, as far as it goes. But by which government were they employed? What worked on September 11 was municipal and state government. What failed—big time, as the vice president might say—was federal government, all the hotshot money- no-object sweeping-powers fancypants acronyms: FBI, CIA, INS, FAA.