In his essay, “Of the First Principles of Government,” David Hume wrote:
Nothing appears more surprizing to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers. When we enquire by what means this wonder is effected, we shall find, that, as FORCE is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion. It is therefore, on opinion only that government is founded.
Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, is complaining loudly that the federal government is not doing enough about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Jindal lays the fault mainly at the feet of President Obama. My co-blogger Grover Cleveland has linked to a couple articles critical of the attitude of many—including, apparently, Jindal—that (a) the president should just do something, anything; that (b) the president is responsible for all problems, big or small; and that (c) no matter what the problem is, the president can, as if by magic, fix it. Of course, this president has done his share to court these attitudes by enjoying the posture of the I-can-do-anything superhero. (Remember his 2008 “This Is Our Moment” speech, in which he said that his election would mark the moment when, among many other things, the “rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal”?)
The catastrophe in the Gulf is showing us once again the silliness of believing that the president, or any other person, can, like Zeus, change the world merely by nodding his head.
But back to Jindal for a moment. Why doesn’t he just do what he wants to do? Why is he waiting for permission from President Obama, or from anyone else? I understand that while Louisiana has authority over its own coastline the federal government has jurisdiction in the Gulf where the oil leak is, but so what? This is clearly an emergency situation in which standard operating procedures may not apply. If there is something Jindal believes needs to be done, and he is ready and prepared to do it—both of which he is claiming are the case—then by all means go ahead!
The power that the federal government enjoys in this case may have statutory authority, but I think Hume’s dictum is right: It rests ultimately on opinion. Jindal has been waiting for permission because it is his opinion, and that of most others, that he needs to ask for permission. It is a habit of obedience and subservience that might serve well in other, normal circumstances. This is a time of crisis, however. So I say: Governor Jindal, become the leader you deride President Obama for failing to be. The near and practical consequence might be a lessening of the consequences of this present disaster; the further consequence might be a healthy challenge to the growing, and I think worrying, consensus that the federal government is the seat of all authority.
PILEUS 
Unfortunately, the answer to the question of why Gov Jindal doesn’t do something is obvious. Gov Jindal is as powerless to “do something” as Pres Obama. On the one hand he can score endless political points by hammering home the point that nothing is being done while intimating there are things that he would do if he were only allowed. On the other hand he could “just do it”, but this would inevitably lead to the exposure of his ideas as just as useless as anybody else’s.
The hypocrisy of the modern political class is truly stunning. If Gov Jindal is the conservative he would has us believe he is then the last thing he would argue is the government is the answer to his problems.
P.S. Just in case, I am in no way absolving the administration of blame nor saying they don’t also think the government should solve the problem. The difference is, they’re liberals and that’s what they believe.
I think Jindal specifically wants to build sand bars out beyond the shore. The expertise and equipment is with the U.S. corp of engineers. The permission must be obtained from a federal agency. The feds disagree with him. The WSJ covered this a few days ago, if I recall.
and then there’s the fact that if Jindal does something, Louisiana will have to pay for it, which means that his opponents will at some point in the future make the accusation that “taxes went up under the Jindal administration”. Of course the fact that if we want government services we have to pay taxes for them is completely lost since the mantra of “cut taxes” has become so prevalent in our government.
so bobby jindal desperately wants federal help for oil cleanups, but thinks volcano monitoring is wasteful.
makes perfect sense.