Touchy times on Katrina

■"Congress Delays Plans to Extend Bush's Tax Cuts: Republicans See High Costs, Political Risk after Katrina; Limited Window for Action," by Brody Mullins, Wall Street Journal, 13 September 2005, p. A1.

■"Mexico's 'Historic' Aid Mission: After Katrina, Disaster-Relief Experts Head North," by Jose de Cordoba, Wall Street Journal, 13 September 2005, p. A15.

■"Tax Base Shattered, Gulf Region Faces Debt Crisis: A city with few surviving businesses and little taxable property seeks federal help," by Leslie Wayne, New York Times, 13 September 2005, p. C1.

■"Governors handle crisis in own ways: Barbour of Miss. could gain from 'authoritative' response. Blanco is grapping with a 'desperate situation' in La.," by Jill Lawrence, USA Today, 13 September 2005, p. 5A.

GOP on Hill will hold off extending Bush's controversial cap gains tax relief for now. It doesn't run out for a while but it was on the legislative agenda.

That agenda is changed with Katrina. No one wants to be pushing tax relief when Gulf states are accepting humanitarian aid from the Mexican Army, which is, BTW, pretty damn good at this. These guys have traveled the world over doing this, in large part because Mexico's laws have it that the army is the lead agency for such responses domestically. Very SysAdmin, and no shame in accepting the help. Just don't want to be cutting taxes at same time.

Especially when we're talking states whose tax bases have been shattered, putting all their finances (bonds) in dicier straits. Makes you realize why governments are so weak in the Gap, even the corrupt ones. No biz, no taxes. No property rights, no taxes. No taxes, no government. DeSoto is right: what separates us from the Gap is mostly property rights. Can't really have a strong, functioning government without them. And when disaster strikes and wipes out your base, the only thing separating your state from the Gap is the mutual-aid society called the United States. Good club to belong to. Never leave home without your card.

Interesting how Mississippi, which just like LA has high African-American population, seems to do so much better on all fronts. Less bad stuff, more and faster good stuff. People will claim race, and I don't doubt some truth to it. But I watched FLA handle three hurricans last year, and I don't remember cries of racism or neglect or corruption there. Pretty amazing response really (been down there many times in last 12 months). I mean, the more you read on this, the more the problem seems to be LA and the Big Easy itself. Yes, a lot of African-Americans live there and they bore the worst, but their fatal mistake doesn't seem to be their skin color, just the choice of the home state.