Despite the heroic efforts of many individuals who were on the front line as first responders, the performance of the local, state and federal governments in response to Katrina has been nothing short of a national embarrassment. The world can hardly be expected to take seriously our commitments to support human rights and democratic values elsewhere when we fail so miserably hundreds of thousands of our own citizens, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.

Hundreds of billions of dollars will be required to provide assistance to the victims and to do what the president pledged on Sept. 15 -- rebuild the Gulf Coast, including New Orleans. Given that fact, perhaps the most outrageous statement on Katrina by our president, apparently in deference to his political base, and not given in his prime time speech, is that we should not raise taxes to pay for the reconstruction.

I thought that, as a matter of public policy, printing money was irresponsible; generations of Republicans, my parents included, taught me so. Apparently this administration thinks otherwise.

The tax cuts that were proposed by this administration and enacted with the acquiescence of the Congress provided a huge windfall to the wealthiest Americans -- of whom, along with the president, the vice president, and most if not all of his thousands of political appointees and financial backers, I am fortunate to count myself. Those tax cuts created an unsustainable deficit for our federal government.

It is inexcusable, irresponsible, and I think even immoral, that the president should take the position that taxes should not be raised on people like him, and me, and the others who have been blessed by good fortune, to help this country pay for the costs of rebuilding after Katrina (not to mention paying for the misbegotten war in Iraq).

History will judge whether it was wise to invade and occupy Iraq. It will not, I suspect, deal kindly with our attempt to conceal the costs of that adventure, and of the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast, by passing the costs to our children and grandchildren through a huge increase in deficit spending and consequent additions to the national debt (which is increasingly funded by foreign banks, who will at some point take our national treasure in payment).

The further folly of saying the citizens of this country, especially the most fortunate among us, should not help pay for the costs of the disaster that was wrought by Katrina, and exacerbated by government myopia, ineptness, and patronage appointments at all levels of government, is a national disgrace.

Those of us who have benefited the most from the American experiment should be paying our part through an increase in taxes. I am ready to do my share; I hope the president and Congress -- including the members of the Minnesota delegation in the Senate and House, who also enjoy high incomes, and who benefited directly from the tax cuts -- will ensure that others will be compelled to join them, and me.

If we fail to finance the deficit through an increase in taxes on those who have benefited most and who have the greatest ability to pay, all of our heirs will suffer. Our children and grandchildren should not have to bear the costs of the choices we make today. That's certainly not how my parents raised me to behave. I hope our leaders in Washington will face up to a few realities and responsibilities and act like the conservatives they say they are.

Stephen R. Lewis Jr., retired president of Carleton College, lives in St. Paul.

© 2005 Star Tribune