Washington's Spending Your Money and Spinning Its Wheels on Bio-defenses

Despite considerable progress and massive spending increases since 9/11, the US is still not prepared for a biological attack by terrorists. Experts and government officials in bioterrorism and public health paint a frightening picture for the Washington Post.

They say bureaucracy creates confusion, hospitals and public health agencies would be instantly overwhelmed in an attack, and simulations show the feds can't communicate effectively with first responders at the state and local levels.

These problems persist even though Washington has increased bio-defense spending from $414 million in 2001 to a proposed $7.6 billion this year. (WashPost)