Declarations

Penning a plan

“You don’t want us to write a plan and say, ‘Here, San Francisco, this is what you’re going to do.’ They’ve got to write it.”

— Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff telling the Associated Press in March 2006 that states, not the federal government, should be responsible for writing their own disaster plans. Yet in an about face, the Federal Emergency Management Agency this year indicated that it is developing “base” plans for specific disasters, such as devastating earthquakes beneath San Francisco and St. Louis, and catastrophic storms in South Florida and Hawaii. (AP)

Kiddie car seats

“I share a genuine concern for the safety and well being of young passengers traveling in motor vehicles with their parents. Ultimately, it has to be the parents who are responsible for their children’s safety. Rather than repeatedly passing new laws in response to the age, height or weight factors of our children and modifying legal requirements, a better strategy is to move towards full compliance with the laws we already have.”

— California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, writing in his veto message why he rejected AB 881, which would have extended the age requirement for children to ride in back seat booster seats from age 6 to age 8, and would have required children shorter than 4 feet, nine inches tall to ride in back-seat booster seats. The Golden State’s governor indicated he had vetoed a similar measure (AB 2108) in the 2006 legislative session because he believes efforts to protect children should be focused on education and enforcement of existing laws, not creating new ones. The governor did pass a law making it a secondary violation to smoke in a vehicle carrying minors.