Top-down vs bottom-up controls?

Perhaps they did go too far (see article from the Raw Story below), but the greater argument is that, domestically, we perhaps focused too intently on one method of "fixing" a system: the top-down control. I argue that we should have focused more on bottom-up type controls, by first
selling the US on individual preparedness and domestic all-hazards security
and not external terrorist/intentional low-probablility events.

There are now some bottom-up systems being put in place: community-based preparedness systems. A new office in Health & Human Services is/has taken over funding for hospital/health care preparedness (from HRSA) and they awarded several hospital groups a new grant in late 2007 to start initiating community-based preparedness planning, assessment, inventory, networking, etc. I really think this may be the future of preparedness after we have put our top-down controls in place (creating Dept of Homeland Security, national travel restrictions, real ID, PATRIOT Act, NRP, NIPP, NIMS, etc.). We shall see. After all, it is really all about making sure communities are viable and resilient and can fend for themselves. I can't imagine there are many communities out there who do NOT want to be more self-sufficient. If you can build a grassroots movement for climate change, you can build one for individual and community awareness and preparedness.

Powell claims he warned Bush about the 'price' of security after 9/11

According to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, even though the homeland is "safer" now than prior to 9/11, the United States may have gone too far and paid too high a price.
During a speaking engagement in New Orleans Monday before the American Farm Bureau Federation's 89th annual convention, Powell said that a year and a half after 9/11 he went to President George W. Bush and told him just that. "We can’t go too far because we have now paid too high a price for these new procedures," Powell claims he told Bush.

Invasive and burdensome screening of passengers at airports and other anti-terrorism measures have become distasteful to many people around the world, Powell said, noting that he played a big part in getting those measures in place after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
And, he acknowledged that people seeking medical treatment, tourists and students who might have come to the United States are now going elsewhere.

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Colin_Powell_told_George_Bush_in_0115.html