Let 'em...um, Hyperventilate


Billions get spent on no-bid government contracts...while real needs are studiously ignored. Call it business as usual for Team Bush:

A hurricane tracking satellite is about to stop working and supporters of a replacement are trying to cobble together the $375 million needed to build and launch another one.

Without a satellite, hurricane forecasting would be 16 percent less accurate 72 hours before a hurricane’s landfall, and 10 percent less accurate within 48 hours, according to Bill Proenza, director of the National Hurricane Center.

The satellite QuikSCAT is five years past its projected lifespan, Forecasters and congressmen say that makes it vulnerable to failure.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Rep. Charles "Charlie" Melancon, D-Napoleonville, have introduced companion legislation in the Senate and House calling for the federal government to replace the current satellite about to die.

"It’s crucial that our nation’s hurricane system be first class," Landrieu says in a statement. "With 50 percent of our population living within 50 miles of the coast, residents in these communities — in Louisiana, Florida and across the nation — deserve the best technology available to track impending hurricanes."

In addition to hurricanes, the satellite detects coastal winds, storm surges and other weather-related events, such as "El Niño."

"We need more advanced warning of storms and can’t afford to slide backward," Landrieu said. "This requires a long-term solution."

I can think of a good start: handing Team Bush their walking papers.