Sometimes I wonder if our government thinks Americans are completely clueless. Or if the majority of Americans really believe the current propaganda known as the Ready Campaign.

The $1.2 million public relations move by the Bush Administration urges Americans to stockpile canned goods, bottled water, plastic sheeting and duct tape, as well as to formulate a family plan including a meeting place and a communication network. The campaign reminds Americans to use their emergency brake if an attack occurs while in a vehicle.

To be honest, I really don't think there is much I can do to save my life once a terrorist attack occurs. During the Cold War, students were instructed to duck beneath their desks and cover their heads, and this was supposed to "save" them in the case of a nuclear attack. Maybe if I were in elementary school, I would welcome such false security, but as an adult, I find it insufficient and the Ready Campaign is no more than common-sense disaster preparation. Immediately after the duct-tape announcement, the evening news ran clips depicting everyday Americans wrapping their entire houses in plastic sheeting and duct tape.

The Ready Campaign has not alleviated my fears in the slightest. In fact, Tom Ridge and his department have only succeeded in making me more afraid. What Americans need, want, and deserve from their government in the war against terrorism is strong leadership with direction. Unfortunately, it took a tragedy like Sept. 11 for our leaders to finally take action and reform airline security, which everyone knew prior to that fateful day was deficient. The same precautions need to be taken along the borders and at our seaports, major bridges, nuclear power facilities, and fuel storage areas.

If domestic security truly is one of President Bush's "top priorities," then why has his administration consistently refused to allocate additional funding to protect vulnerable areas of the nation? Of course it is impossible to protect every square inch of soil in our nation, but steps such as improving security within chemical and nuclear plants could help save millions of American lives. In fact, a bill was introduced last summer by Sen. Jon Corzine, D-New Jersey, to toughen security at chemical plants, but the White House lobbied Republicans to vote against it. Hardly what one would call taking "every possible measure to safeguard our country and our people," as Bush promised to do when signing the Homeland Security Act in 2002.

The Bush Administration showed similar tactics when discouraging or vetoing other security bills, such as refusing to allocate sufficient funding to protect our ports or aid emergency agencies such as fire and police departments. Bush is placing his tax cuts above the safety of the nation.

I think most Americans would agree that saving millions of innocent lives is much more important than tax savings. But the government seems determined not to increase funding to protect Americans from terrorism, leaving us with no alternative but duct tape and luck.

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Karen Olson, Mariemont, is a senior at Mariemont High School. Olson is a member of the Enquirer's Local Voices panel, which contributes columns to the opinion pages twice a week.