A little more than a week before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, an astounding 27 tornadoes struck three Wisconsin counties, destroying 67 homes and damaging more than 400.

The tornadoes ravaged Dane, Richland and Vernon counties on Aug. 18.

But it was not until Sept. 23 that the Bush administration, acting through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), denied Gov. Jim Doyle and the residents of Dane, Richland and Vernon counties federal assistance.

Although Doyle, as mandated by federal law, requested on Aug. 25 that FEMA declare these counties disaster areas , it took the agency a month to respond. The decision not to help Americans in need is the shameful result of the Bush administration's poor planning. An enormous budget, combined with heavy tax-cuts and ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has forced us to choose which disaster victims should receive aid.

For the many Marquette students who are from these areas or have family there, the news is a devastating blow.

An additional blow was dealt with NASA's recently unveiled plans to spend $104 billion over 13 years to return to the moon.

While the advancement of science and the exploration of the universe are great causes, we question the feasibility of this project. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq do not appear to be ending anytime soon, the relief effort in New Orleans and surrounding areas is projected to cost more than $200 billion, and the president refuses to raise taxes. In order to pay for all of these commitments, the United States must go to the marketplace and borrow money from countries such as China and Japan. We can either allow the growing deficit to place our economic security in the hands of foreign states, or we can demand that our leaders reassess our priorities.

This will only occur when the American public finally grows tired of rhetoric, tired of pomp and circumstance, and tired of utter incompetence at some of the highest levels of government. The founders of this great nation believed an educated citizenry was essential to self-governance. By ignoring pressing national issues, we fail to uphold the duties accorded to each of us as citizens.

The government and the rest of America has failed the Wisconsin residents and those within the Marquette community affected by the tornadoes. This is a hard truth to swallow. But the sooner we face this truth, the sooner we can turn the country around.

This editorial was published in The Marquette Tribune on October 4, 2005.