Are we ready for the next 9/11?

• Author: Kloepper, Dave
• Position: Letter to the editor

Surely Veronique de Rugy could have come up with a better example of homeland security waste than the "$38 million to fully cover all remaining fire claims from the Cerro Grande Fire in New Mexico" ("Are We Ready for the Next 9/11?," March).

The Cerro Grande Fire was a disaster caused by the federal government. Bandelier National Monument set the fire during our driest and windiest season, and a lack of coordination amongst various federal agencies allowed it to get out of control. Ultimately it cost taxpayers more than 10 times De Rugy's lamented $38 million figure, but it could have been much worse with only a slight change in wind direction.

Since the federal government set and failed to control this ill-conceived...