The whole issue of what the federal government is responsible for is really coming to the forefront now (well, sorta) between the Katrina business and the Roberts hearings. As you already know the Katrina stuff, with the Roberts hearings, various senators are upset that the Court has previously said (and some of these cases date back a decade or more) that the Congress did not have the power to enact the Violence Against Women Act, part of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the no-guns-in-school-zones law (forgot the name of it). Both are properly the power of the state or locality, especially in the latter case, where some areas of the country think armed teachers would effectively combat the school shootings hysteria. Hopefully, some people will get a serious civics lesson by the end of the month, as this country could seriously use it (for instance, about a quarter of the populace believes the three branches of government are Republican, Democrat, and Independent -- though I don't hold much hope that this particular quarter will learn much).