E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Charles Dharapak / AP
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney waves to supporters as he takes the stage at a campaign stop at Avon Lake High School in Avon Lake, Ohio, Oct. 29, 2012.
Updated 4pm ET Many Americans have come to expect that when natural disaster strikes their hometown or state, the president will declare it a disaster area and federal dollars will soon arrive to help them rebuild their home or business.
In 2005, President George W. Bush was pummeled with criticism after telling Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, “Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job,” even though some residents and local officials in the Gulf Coast states thought the federal effort was inadequate.
Given the politics of natural disasters, Hurricane Sandy might become an issue in the waning days of the 2012 campaign.
Like many other Americans on Monday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took note of the hurricane that is lashing the Eastern Seaboard, telling a crowd in Avon Lake, Ohio, “A lot of people are going to be facing some real tough times as a result of Sandy's fury. And so if you have the capacity to make a donation to the American Red Cross, you can go online and do that. If there are other ways that you can help, please take advantage of them because there will be a lot of people that are going to be looking for help and the people in Ohio have big hearts, so we're expecting you to follow through and help out.”
The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd reports with the latest.
If Romney becomes president, will he attempt to cut funding for FEMA which sends money to states hit by natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy?
And if FEMA funding were reduced, would that mean reduced federal help for places hit by hurricanes, tornadoes , and earthquakes? Or would Congress find ways to re-route the money, given the political popularity of sending checks to people whose houses or businesses have been flooded?
Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said, "Gov. Romney believes that states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions. As the first responders, states are in the best position to aid affected individuals and communities, and to direct resources and assistance to where they are needed most. This includes help from the federal government and FEMA.”
In the fiscal year which just ended, the federal government spent $10 billion on disaster relief and the Congressional Budget Office projects that it will spend roughly that amount every year for the next ten years. By comparison, the CBO forecasts that defense spending will be about $635 billion a year for the next few years and Social Security spending will amount to about $810 billion a year.
Romney hasn’t specifically explained by what amount he’d try to cut FEMA funding, but he has set ambitious goals for reducing federal outlays other than on defense and entitlement programs.
Romney has said he’d try to cut non-security discretionary spending by 5 percent in 2013 and bring total federal spending to below 20 percent of gross domestic product by the end of his first term.
He has said on his campaign Website that he wants to see Congress enact the budget plan which the House passed last March but which the Senate rejected. That budget blueprint called for greater efficiency in disaster relief spending.
But Romney has also put distance between himself and that House GOP budget plan, drafted by his running mate, House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan, by saying, "His plan is not the plan I’ll put forward, I have my own plan …”
Lucas Jackson / Reuters
After strong winds and heavy rain washed out bridges and damaged homes in multiple countries, the hurricane looks toward the northeastern U.S.
Asked about federal disaster relief spending on places such as Joplin, Mo., which was struck by a tornado last year, Romney said in a June 2011 debate on CNN, “Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that's even better.”
He added, “Instead of thinking in the federal budget, ‘what we should cut?’ -- We should ask ourselves the opposite question: ‘What should we keep?’ We should take all of what we're doing at the federal level and say, what are the things we're doing that we don't have to do? And those things we've got to stop doing, because we're borrowing $1.6 trillion more this year than we're taking in.”
Debate moderator John King then asked, “Including disaster relief, though?”
Romney’s reply: “We cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids. It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we'll all be dead and gone before it's paid off.”
The Ryan budget blueprint said it seeks to “ensure that those state and local governments most in need are receiving the assistance required.”
It calls for “improving efficiencies in state and local programs” when it comes to disaster recovery and “improved cost-estimating and efforts to help states and localities use existing resources to help communities recover from disasters expeditiously and cost-effectively.”
There are eight days before election day, but there may be even fewer campaign days left as Hurricane Sandy causes problems with campaign travel. NBC's Chuck Todd reports on the changes to both candidates' plans.
The GOP plan argues that the Obama administration has been too liberal in its use of taxpayer funds by labeling too many events as disasters worthy of federal money.
“The current administration has issued a total of 2,213 disaster declarations— 66 percent of all FEMA disaster declarations since 1953 in the span of three years alone,” said the Budget Committee report. That report also cites a study by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office which found that from 2002 to 2011, “presidents have declared 35 percent more disasters than they did during the preceding decade.”
The Budget Committee argued that “When disaster-relief decisions are not made judiciously, limited resources are diverted away from communities that are truly in need.”
The GOP plan said Congress ought to “take a closer look at” steps such as reducing federal spending “by updating disaster declaration eligibility indicators, like per capita thresholds and other major disaster metrics, by (for example) adjusting for inflation.”
Congress must try to “increase transparency in the way that disaster declaration decisions are made,” the report said, which seems to imply that some disaster declarations are not made for legitimate reasons but rather because a powerful member of Congress or governor is able to persuade the president to send federal money.
Leave a Comment:
Disaster relief should be localized. What good does some bureaucrat in DC do when the problem is 1000 miles away?
The governors have the national guard that can be dispatched to do exactly what needs to be done rather than the us government sending thousands of tons of ice or thousands of trailers to the middle of nowhere.
If the federal government wouldn't take the money from the states for disaster relief in the first place then they wouldn't have to be giving it back after skimming some off the top.
Romney is immoral- so what else is new?
All 3 governors of the states involved immediately called the president for federal aid. Christie was especially grateful for the presidents help!
Because thats where the help (money) is located.
If it were in the states still they wouldn't have to rely on anyone else to get help, they would already have it. See how that would be much better?
The president's help? Now thats funny.
Shows what little you know or care. If it weren't for the federal government people would lose their homes, businesses and other property without any recourse since most insurance doesn't cover "acts of god".
The National Guard is fine for protecting people from looting, but they know nothing about rebuilding homes, fixing downed power lines, or repairing broken roads and bridges.
If Romney is elected and you get hit with a natural disaster, all you'll get is SOL, he has explicitly called it "immoral."
Wow, what a value system!
With FEMA and any arm of the government, a reexamination of public service and outcome is always prudent. All well run organizations review programs, their efficiencies and effectiveness, and make adjustments accordingly. The difference is Romney will be bipartisan, unlike ObamaCare which was ramrodded without any bipartisan support.
The private sector almost always does a better job than government run programs. The well run companies such as Fed Ex and UPS come to mind, versus standing in a 30 minute line for one worker at the US post office.
I do want a leader willing to put anything on the table, that needs reexamination, including our military spending and EPA regulations. Nothing should be sacred.
Romney/Ryan 2012
Romney will cut FEMA to the bone if not disband it altogether. He has promised to cut all non essential programs, and it's the only way he can even start approaching a balanced budget after the 20% tax cut. Perhaps FEMA will be converted into a fee based system. He raised fees on EVERYTHING while governor of Mass., so he wouldn't have to call it tax increases. It's the same money out of your pocket. Maybe he would try to offload the responsibility onto the states, forceing the states to raise their taxes, but then coordination would become disjointed inefficient, ineffective, and more costly.
Ideologically driven government cannot approach the overall benefits of a reality based government.
This storm is a perfect example of why we need FEMA. YES, Dubya screwed it up by gutting it and making it an ineffective agent of Homeland Security - remember Katrina! this one is bigger!
When a storm like this - and like Katrina - happens across many states, the most sensible & logical thing is to have FEDERAL people coordinating and working with state governments. Having no federal coordination makes as much sense as each state having its own currency.
There is NO advantage to eliminating FEMA - that is one reason why Katrina was such a terrible tragedy, and why (mostly Republican) governors were screaming at the time for Federal help.
For the Federal gov to block-grant FEMA, makes no sense - it would not save any money, and there would be no coordination among the many states feeling the impact of the storm.
Huricane Sandy is paying no attention to state lines! Go FEMA!
Stay safe, but VOTE when you can, y'all!
O & JOE - Forward! (NOT BACKWARDS TO THE 2 DISASTERS: DUBYA & KATRINA!!)
"The difference is Romney will be bipartisan, unlike ObamaCare which was ramrodded without any bipartisan support."
Like he was when he was the Gov of Mass? If that's case he wouldn't be bipartisan at all. Just more lies and believing in fantasy tales.
ED:
No matter which way the dollars are distributed, at least Romney will sit with his objectors and work with bipartisan interest.
Romney/Ryan for no more blame game
This is just another political shot at Romney by NBC - it's really sad to me how partisan NBC and Fox have become with their reporting. (the other networks are bad also, but not quite as bad as these 2)
As to the idea of cutting FEMA funds, I think there are plenty of responsible ways to do this without sacrificing the ability of FEMA to help in emergencies. As an example, when a hurricane hit my area they had power back in less than 24 hours. A couple days later FEMA came by and asked if anyone wanted free generators - even though they were not needed (unfortunately, I know people that took them since they were "free"). Also, in the city I live near (about 250k) they used FEMA funds to buy an armored command center - basically it's a million dollar toy that sits in the parking lot except for drills once or twice a year. These are the types of expenditures that can be taken out of the FEMA budget without impacting emergency response capabilities.
Spaceman:
When was Obama ever bipartisan and willing to work collectively for the entire US?
Romney/Ryan 2012 for a "United" States of America
Big sky, it is you who is lacking knowledge.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/08/does-your-insurance-cover-hurricane-damage/
Stop making stuff up.
Independent Thought: FEDEX and UPS arenot required to and do not deliver to all addresses in the country.They are not staffed to do so. FEDEX hands off thousands of packages every day to the USPS for final delivery in many areas.
@Independent Thought!
If the money is given to the States then they will mishandle it and pass it out to hacks and cronies. Want an example of where the "private sector" is left alone? You have only to look at Mass. where the local State Pharmacy Board allowed Compounding Pharmacies to manufacture tainted drugs that were allowed into interstate commerce and killed over 25 of your fellow Americans thus far...If you believe that is a stretch then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Government by ideology does not work!
Lastly, I find it interesting how you use the example of UPS and FEDEX. They were allowed to cherry pick the services they provide! Lets see how efficient they would be if they were compelled to deliver junk mail and 1 ounce letters to EVERYONE in the country and throughout the world!
LAR42:
Sounds like FedEx and UPS have smart, creative, financial conscious leadership.
That is what the USA needs.
Romney/Ryan 2012
Torpedo:
Let's put FEMA on the examination table, and see what is the best strategy. Jumping to conclusions is always risky.
Romney/Ryan
Independent Thought: FedEx charges, $18, UPS $4.00, USPS 45 cents. You obviously don't use the other carriers otherwise you would know you will wait in line there also. All three do a good job!
Now that is just a stupid comment. It is clear that you are looking for a benifactor and are not capable of taking care of yourself.
And what the hell is a reality based government. Have you seen our debt? Do you think our federal government lives in the land of reality?
Actually, the original poster is dead wrong. Localized centers everywhere are recipe for disaster. You overspend duplicating resources. You may not be able to afford the high end resources or the volume of assets that you will need. You put your 'eggs' into one basket. A national program from handling major disasters makes good fiscal sense and is a powerful way to position the right tools at the right time.
Independant thought,
History does not agree with you.
Example: South Korea.
When the company that is now POSCO wanted to use reparation money to get into the fabric business, the government blocked it and pressured them to get into the steel business instead. The international community thought they were nuts, Korea had no resources to support steel production. The government used the money Japan was paying in WWll reparations to create the second largest steel producer in the world. From this steel base came many other industries car and ship building that has been called the asian miracle.
Have you checked the price of sending a letter by Fed-ex or UPS compared with the price of a stamp?
Romney is an avoidable disaster.
The GOP is the real Frankenstorm! We will all regret it if Romney is elected and here is why!!!
If you do not study history you are doomed to repeat it.
Fact: Right now Obama has the lowest level of violent crime in 40 years.
Fact: Crime follows poverty and not all people receiving benefits are able to work.
Fact: Romney has vowed to leave tens of millions with no medical, food or income. Romney will:
1) Repeal Obamacare, which would immediately kick about 17 million low-income earners and their family members off of Medicaid.
2) Create block grant Medicaid issued by state and cap its growth. Conservative governors and legislatures would limit enrollments and cut benefits substantially. Eventually it would lose 15-20 million people within a decade.
3) Reduce food stamps by more than $100 billion over the next decade. This would reduce enrollment by at least 8 million people.
4) Cut funding for Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health organizations. More babies born to poverty.
Fact: Reagan made cuts to welfare and food stamps. But they were far less than Romney who will put tens of millions on the streets in a few short years.
Reagan caused robbery, assault, theft, vehicle theft, larceny, drug related crime to go up. It did not slow down until Clinton.
Reagan holds the 60 year high for violent crime that followed cuts to the poor.
WARNING - Romney will far exceed that with his deep cuts!
FACT: Under Romney, the poor who have NOTHING will victimize those with money. The middle class schools, neighborhoods, the cities, anywhere money is, crime will flourish!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Vote Obama / Biden 2012 to maintain the 40 year lowest crime rate.
Source: Article on Wikipedia entitled, "Crime in the United States"
The states request the declarations as it is, right?
Remember Eric Cantor's attitude to federal disaster assistance... no spending to help Americans in need unless there are cuts elsewhere FIRST.
Elliot ... as someone who lives on the East Coast, Insurance companies will find ANY small evidence that damage to a home was actually caused by WATER and not wind during a Hurricane. The reason for this is homeowner's policies typically do NOT cover WATER damage unless the homeowner has a flood insurance addendum or a separate policy. This means that while you are trying to rebuild your home, your insurance company is stalling and trying to claim it was actually water that damaged your home. This means that you will not see a DIME until and unless you arrive at a COURT DECISION. Those court cases take YEARS to resolve. In the meantime, you don't have the money to repair your home ...
YOU are the one who is NOT INFORMED, Elliot.
Updated as of 3:00pm EST on Monday, October 29:
Real Clear Politics (RCP) is consistently cited by both FOXNEWS and NBCNEWS as a current source for
reliable averaged polling data at every level of American politics.
RCP on Thursday returned North Carolina (NC) to the status of "toss-up state," and in so doing, reduced Romney's likely electoral vote tally from 206 to 191. However, Romney still holds an appreciable albeit softening lead of 3.0% in NC and remains the favorite to capture that state in the upcoming election.
In sum, RCP now considers the following eleven states, listed in descending order of electoral votes, as "toss-up": Florida (FL), Pennsylvania (PA), Ohio (OH), Michigan (MI), North Carolina (NC),Virginia (VA), Colorado (CO), Wisconsin (WI), Iowa IO), Nevada (NV) and New Hampshire (NH).
With only 177 hours left in the 2012 presidential campaign, Obama leads in seven of the toss-ups, Romney leads in two, and in CO and VA as of Saturday the candidates are now tied.
In descending order of 'percentage of lead' in favor of Obama, followed in ascending order of 'percentage of lead' in favor of Romney, here are the published averaged numbers from RCP as of 3:00pm EST today together with the FiveThirtyEight election night probability of victory for either candidate:
.
In PA, with 20 electoral votes, Obama's lead is holding at 4.7%.
FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 94.8% chance of winning PA, up from yesterday's 94.4%.
.
In MI, with 16 electoral votes, Obama's lead is holding at 4.0%.
FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 98.3% chance of winning MI, up from Saturday's 98.2%.
.
In NV, with 6 electoral votes, Obama's lead is holding at 2.4%.
FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama an 80.5% chance of winning NV, up from yesterday's 80.1%.
.
In WI, with 10 electoral votes, Obama's lead is holding at 2.3%.
FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama an 86.8% chance of winning WI, up from yesterday's 86.3%.
.
In IO, with 6 electoral votes, Obama's lead is holding at 2.3%.
FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 72.7% chance of winning IO, up from yesterday's 72.3%.
.
In NH, with 4 electoral votes, Obama's lead is holding at 2.0%.
FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 71.5% chance of winning NH, up from yesterday's 70.5%.
.
In OH, with 18 electoral votes, Obama's lead has fallen to 1.9%, down from 2.1% yesterday.
Interestingly, FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 74.9% chance of winning OH, up from yesterday's 73.5%.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
In VA, with 13 electoral votes, the race remains tied.
However, FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 59.9% chance of winning VA, up from yesterday's 59.8%.
.
In CO, with 9 electoral votes, the race remains tied.
However, FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 58.2% chance of winning CO, up from yesterday's 57.7%.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
In FL, with 29 electoral votes, Romney's lead has fallen to 1.4%, down from 1.5% yesterday.
FiveThirtyEight currently gives Romney a 62.5% chance of winning FL, down from yesterday's 63.8%.
.
In NC, with 15 electoral votes, Romney's lead has fallen to 3.0%, down significantly from yesterday's 3.8%.
FiveThirtyEight continues to give Romney an 82.5% chance of winning NC.
.
So…
For Obama to win re-election, the easiest route still appears to be through maintaining his current lead in the four toss-up states in which his existing margins are widest, PA, MI, NV, and WI, together with OH where his lead has been hovering at a vulnerable 2.0% for the past few days. Doing so would bring his electoral vote total on Election Day to 271. In this scenario, Obama could still surpass 270 while failing to hold either IO or NH.
However, should Obama fail to hold OH, the loss could effectively be neutralized by any of the following combination of wins from states where FiveThirtyEight is currently predicting Obama victories:
Path #1: Obama loses OH but wins IO, NH, and CO resulting in 272 electoral votes.
Path #2: Obama loses OH but wins IO and VA resulting in 272 electoral votes.
Path #3: Obama loses OH but wins CO and VA resulting in 275 electoral votes.
However, regarding Path #1, there is some question as to the accuracy of the RCP polling numbers in NH which still include in their average a recent 'outlier' finding from UNH which had Obama leading by a questionable 9.0%.
For Romney to unseat Obama, he not only would have to hold the two states in which he presently leads, FL and NC, although his leads in these two states have been falling for days, bringing his electoral vote total to 235, but also steal victories in CO where his lead fell from 0.4% on Friday to that of dead heat, in VA where his lead fell from 1.0% Saturday to another dead heat, and finally with OH where Obama's lead fell this morning to 1.9%. By so doing, Romney's electoral vote total would reach 275.
Should Romney take CO and VA but fail to take OH, he could overcome this shortfall by stealing WI and either IO or NH, resulting respectively in an electoral vote total of 273 or 271.
With only 177 hours of campaigning left, this one may come down to the wire…. and to the October jobs report.
Let's hope that Election Day is free of both voter fraud and voter intimidation and that eligible voters who have registered in good faith over the past six months are in fact able to vote on November 6; let's also hope that vote tabulation itself is performed honestly and accurately by both the election commissions and private corporations to whom this essential role is being entrusted.
In any case, it will be interesting to watch as election night unfolds.
ED:
Reviewing programs, may include 100% change, proportional adjustment, revision at a later date, or no modification necessary. The government is bloated, each issued check has to have measures.
I hope Romney puts every department on the table, then include all three arms of government, and do what's best for the entire USA, not just one party.
Romney/Ryan 2012
Independent Thought:
Actually if anything that has been a fault of Obama, he has tried to work with the Repub from day one, but it's a two way street and it's very hard to work with people that don't want to. Remember what the Repub's mission from day one was, to make sure he was a one term President.
Then again I didn't see anything from you on Willard and how he worked in Mass, which you can tell wasn't very good as they're not voting for him.
Romney bipartisan? LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He's just saying that to get elected.
He can try and be bipartisan and I hope the democrats feed him a steady diet of obstruction. What goes around comes around.
Beakeeper,
The Republicans want more crime. If there is no safety net, despirate people will resort to crime. Crime leads to convictions that fill the largely Republican owned private prison system. This, in turn, leads to more campaign contributions. Around and around it goes.
Christie must be dreading that phone call he'll soon have to make to the White House. Even more than the prospect of jogging from Trenton to Washington D.C.
2213 FEMA claims since the Obama admin took over???? WTF!!!! that is 66% of all claims since 1953???? Wow my chicken coup got damages from a snow covered tree limb..... I need a million bucks.
Proof right there...
We need two budget accounts money we get from GDP (2.1 trillion) and an account of money we borrow (from countries like China).
Instead of saying we borrow 40% Things like Planned Parenthood and NPR should be designated as non reqired... That way any earmark becomes 100% borrowed money. The question will be asked at that point, by the American public... Do we absolutly need this item.
Then the money needed for pensions, SSI, defense, education etc become required and that isn't borrowed money.
I laugh when you liberals say "The President's Help" it ain't his f'n money.... It's our money.
It should be noted that much of the damage from hurricanes comes from flooding, which insurance companies will not cover. In fact during past hurricanes many insurance companies got out of paying for a lot damage by claiming that the damage was all caused by flooding. The federal government is the only entity that offers flood insurance.
Independant thought
Romney used his veto more than 800 times as Governor. It was overturned more than 700 times. Now that's bipartisanship.
Before the Dems took over the budget for 2007 we borrowed almost 550 billion a year... 200billion of that addition was DHS... All you liberals screamed at the top of your lungs about the costs.... Now you are running around proclaiming how great it is.
You obviously don't understand the concept of the term "United States of America".
Sucks to be you.
ED:
At least Romney was at his desk to veto 800 times. Glad to hear our democratic government works with items being overturned. We vote them into office to work and get a job done, not run to entertainment TV to complain.
Romney/Ryan for a government overhaul and a boost to the economy
Are you ignorant or a liar? Insurance doesn't exclude "acts of God." Oftentimes flood insurance is extra, but it is available.
I like when you all say Obama has created 5.5 million "new jobs".... Just for the record those are "Old Jobs" Obama is the only president ever not to create a single "New Job" in his first term.
Eric:
That attitude got us right where we are, and will continue to be if Obama is re-elected. Sad diatribe.
Romney/Ryan for the a strong America
Spaceman:
Obama worked with republicans from day one?
That's like saying Koby Bryant doesn't hog the ball. Obama and Nancy Pelosi had full and utter control of the government from day one until the landslide in 2010, which was a backlash to the socialist agenda at hand.
Romney/Ryan 2012 for a presidency of reasonable and rational
@ elliot
There is a simple reason for having federal disaster relief. I'm surprised it hasn't occurred to you. Let me give you a simple example.
Yesterday, I was driving from NC to PA. Someone else I know was driving from MA to PA. We both saw scores of utility line repair trucks, tree removal trucks, and other disaster response vehicles heading toward the likely centers of damage from Sandy.
Now, why should every state have enough of these trucks to saturate a city? It saves everybody money to address these problems on a level bigger than the individual state.
You can extend this logic to every aspect of disaster response, including the very top of the tree -- taxpayer funding.
Why should every state have a rainy-day fund able to respond to a $10 billion disaster every year, just because NY may have one this year, and LA have one next year? It is far, far more efficient to do this at the national level.
Now, aren't you sorry that your handlers didn't let you ask questions about this talking point?
Romney was absent 417 days during his 4 year term.
About 85 private insurance companies participate in selling and servicing the National Flood Insurance Program for the federal government. But no private insurer will actually insure you for flood, it is the Federal government, flood insurance is considered too risky and thus private insurers stay away from it.
Like you said, NY won't have a multi billion dollar disaster every year but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't sock the money away for the next year or the year after that. If states didn't have to pitch into FEMA every year they could have their own state "FEMA." No sense in giving the money to the government so they can skim off the top and doll it back to you as they see fit.
Disaster relief would never get started if it had to be done locally. There would be 25 states right now fighting over what to do and where to get the materials needed to help if it were done locally. FEMA is needed to get things organized on a Grande Scale rather than some piddly diddly little local approach. That is if FEMA is handled right and not like bush did it the last time it was need What a disaster with republican handling and bush.
ED:
At least it isn't 4 out of 417, which is about Obama's average for days in the oval office.
Romney/Ryan for a "United" States of America
Ron from the Pitt... Those union linemen will be making tripletime. Funny my next door neighbor is a Union boss for the linemans union.... They sure are loving the "Green Jobs"
Another funny thing he says is he was going to have to claim personal ingury fror his tweaked neck from standing on the ground and having to look up for 35 years... 200K + a year for those guys.
Ever heard of Katrina, you smarta$$? During Katrina, it was Bobby Jindal, a Republican Governor in charge, who didn't know how to manage the disaster. IN New Orleans, all the levees and waterways are controlled by Army Corps of Engineers, a branch of the Federal Government. Why? Because the flooding or copious rain in one part of the river valley might lead to flooding downstream and only a federal agency like Army Corps has the expertise and knows what to do in those situations and how to coordinate. The same thing happened in 2003 flooding in Upper Mississippi basin, ND, MN and other states. It was the federal agencies working with local governments which came to the aid. And once the disaster was mitigated, the Army Corps of Engineers led the study to redraw the MS river basin controls and implemented a workable plan. Same thing in the Northeast during Irene. Similar stories in case of airline or rail disaster or even highway disaster like the Minnesota bridge collapse or the 2003 Northeast power outage. Only federal government has the respective safety administrations and research agencies who could pull the needed resources in such situations.
Elliot, I didn't think that you are really that ignorant, man.
"from 2002 to 2011, “presidents have declared 35 percent more disasters than they did during the preceding decade."
Perhaps that is because there have been 35% more disasters than there have been before. Climate change deniers can imply that presidents are just calling more things disasters unnecessarily, but one of the symptoms of climate change is more severe and more erratic weather patterns and that appears to be what we are seeing. I wonder what it will take for these people to get it?
Climate Change..... LOL I thought it was Global Warming? Would you chicken littles make up your mind!!! It's so hard to keep up with your crazy crap.
If climate change is brand new then why is this the worst storm in 50 years? What happened 51 years ago that caused that storm...
Total Kook!
They used to call these sort of storms 100 year storms, now they come too frequently for that. But it has nothing to do with climate change that is far too kooky.
Independent Thought
Obama tried working with them from day one, and they wanted nothing to do with him, as their goal was to make sure he was a one term president, and this is a fact and is on record. And even after the Congress changed over he tried to work with them but they didn't want to, especially the Teabaggers. Hell, he even extended Bush tax cuts to try and work with them.
And still no answer on Willard time as Gov of Mass, as contrary to what he's been saying, he didn't work with the Dems in Mass, he used his voted over 800 times, which he was overridden most of the time too. Really sounds like a guy that plans on working with the opposite party.
Actually, the governor of Louisiana when Karina hit was Kathleen Blanco (Democrat)...(and the voters threw her out in the next election)
Fema is more than money. Its manpower and equipment. Using power companies as example, imagine how much higher your bills would be if they had to have the linesmen and trucks in every state to handle storms. They pool resources through a cooperative. I saw a convoy of bucket trucks heading up 95 from two states away Saturday morning.
Spaceman:
Look at post 1.39 and 1.43.
Romney/Ryan for a better US education system
Independant thought,
Making pronouncements without facts is a trend with you. Let me enlighten you.
With the same number of months served (31)
Obama, 61 days vacation
Reagan, 112 days
Bush 43, 180 days
Clinton, 28 days
In his 2 terms, Reagan took a total of 436 days of vacation, about the same as Romney in 1 term.
In his 2 terms, Bush 43 took 977 days of vacation. Imagine the damage he would have caused if he had been on the job.
Clearly Democrats work harder, more diligently, for the people who elect them.
Tea sucks, How in the world did you learn that Bobby Jindal was the Gov. during Katrina?
Kathleen Blanco was the governor, not Bobby Jindal.
Then you have the nerve to call me "ignorant"...
You are LYING
And yes I remember Katrina, and the thousands of tons of ice FEMA sent to Florida and the Thousands of trailers they bought to park in a field. FEMA was, is, and always will be a joke.
Give the states back their money!
Drill,
Your ignorance is astounding,
Scientists have always called it Climate change.
Walley Broecker said global warming once 35 years ago and the media ran with it. He has regretted it ever since.
Low information types are easily swayed by Fox, where the news has been for sale since Murdock's first paper in Australia.
Independant thought,
Hard to keep up with your misinformation, there's just soooo much.
Democrats only had an absolute majority for 49 days and congress was in recess for a lot of that.
July 7 2009 Senator Franken finally inducted.
August 25, Ted Kenedy dies. He was too ill to attend for much of hos 49 days.
Next?
This is just a carefully timed attack article by the left media. Don't take the bait Elliot. Its a garbage biased article. Romney isn't going to "cut FEMA to the bone."
Haha.... I thought the last guy to speak of Global Warming was that fat guy who invented the intrawebz.
Ed you are an Idiot... Or better yet a retard... Dems had a FULL and POWERFULL majority in the house and senate from 2007-2011 They had the power to vote on any bill they wanted... The had the power to reject any bill they wanted.... For several months they had a super majority where they could pass anything they wanted reguardless of the president. But for 4 solid years they ran the country into the dumper. Even the last 2 years of Bush when they created 1.4 tillion budget shortfalls. In the last 6 years of a Democrat senate they added 9 trillion in debt. Those budgets had NOTHING TO DO WITH BUSH because they passed them.
You retard.
Drill,
The cure for foxitis is not drilling into your ear, but you can continue to try if you wish.
ED:
Analogy: A parallel, likeness, resemblance.
Romney
Really, elliot? You've never heard of insurance? You might just have some. Let me ask you two questions:
How much does your insurance company skim off of your premiums?
How much does the federal government skim off of each state's contributions to FEMA?
Oh wait, you never thought of those questions? Do tell!
Once again, your handlers aren't taking you very seriously. You might want to think about that next time they try to tell you what to think.
1. Gov. Rick Perry cuts the states firefighting budget and lays off the personel. 2. Surprise!, a exceptional drought causes massive wild fires. 3. Texas firefighters and the money to meet the emergency are exhausted quickly. 4. Perry sheepishly calls Obama for help.
1. Mitch Daniels and the GOP state house doesn't like the surplus in the states unemployment fund. Their big buck corporate donors want that cash. 2. Mitch and the boys cut the amount the corporations pay into the fund. 3. The fund goes from surplus to just enough for the needs of everyday unemployment numbers. 4. Surprise! The Federal GOP crashes the economy in 2008. Their is not enough money in the fund to take care of all the newly unemployed families. 5. Daniels sheepishly calls Obama for help.
I think I see a pattern.
I may look like Mitt Romney but I have a strong moral core and a functioning conscience. Had a great time partying as Mitt Zombie saturday night, and I got to see just how much people hate him.
Independant, I don't think so. Your posts mirror too many others in substance and flavor. They trickle down from Karl and Grover through Fox.
Thought, Perhaps it's time to open your mind and do some of that.
elliot,
You have that republican right wing mind set? Money does not and isn't always the solution to problems. You blame democrats for throwing money at problems. What FEMA does that money can't is coordinate efforts and work on group solutions and cooperation. Oh, that is right republicans have forgotten how to cooperate as is evident in the dealings of the House and the Party of No!
To the moderators, can you stop the idiocy of those using large font in bold? I will put any such post on ignore in the meantime. Thanks.
Okay, let's explain a few things to the simple-minded who are falling for plutocrat Romney's bullshift of our tax dollars to his cronies in the private sector:
1) When the government contracts to Haliburton, for example, the money still comes from the Federal Treasury. In fact, these contractors often push costs up by three times the amount.
2) Shared burden via FEMA means a state in the path of a hurricane or tornado or wildfire is given assistance from all the other states in the Union. For the rightwingers living in "red" states that contribute less than these states receive, you might want to think twice about Romney's usual naivete -- Or worse scam government money as he did during Bain, the Olympics, etc.
And as a side note... It's interesting how the Republican Party has felt the scorn of Mother Nature whether in regard to their convention this year, or now the President being able to remind folks of the importance of government and seeing President Obama display what an excellent executive he is.
Now I could say God is trying to send a message to Romney (who after all believes in modern revelation), but being the pro-scientific method person I am, it's just Republicans being taught a good lesson about Global Warming. But I hope folks are okay and that the damage is minimal.
Obama/Biden have earned Four More Years!
I see that certain people here still believe that the Democrats had a Congressional supermajority for two years under President Obama.
Not so. The Dems only held a supermajority for 7 weeks.
--------------------------------------------------
Debunking the Myth: Obama's Two-Year Supermajority
Excerpts:
[Romney's] perpetuating the false Republican narrative that President Obama should have gotten more done during his first two years in office because he had a supermajority in the Senate.
A supermajority is a filibuster-proof 60 or more Senate seats, allowing one party to pass legislation without votes from the other,
Don't forget: the president needed a supermajority because of the Republicans' unprecedented use of the filibuster as an obstruction tactic -- they've used it more than 400 times.
But here's the deal -- the real deal -- there actually wasn't a two year supermajority.
This timeline shows the facts.
President Obama was sworn in on January 20, 2009 with just 58 Senators to support his agenda.
He should have had 59, but Republicans contested Al Franken's election in Minnesota and he didn't get seated for seven months.
The President's cause was helped in April when Pennsylvania's Republican Senator Arlen Specter switched parties.
That gave the President 59 votes -- still a vote shy of the super majority.
But one month later, Democratic Senator Byrd of West Virginia was hospitalized and was basically out of commission.
So while the President's number on paper was 59 Senators -- he was really working with just 58 Senators.
Then in July, Minnesota Senator Al Franken was finally sworn in, giving President Obama the magic 60 -- but only in theory, because Senator Byrd was still out.
In August, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts died and the number went back down to 59 again until Paul Kirk temporarily filled Kennedy's seat in September.
Any pretense of a supermajority ended on February 4, 2010 when Republican Scott Brown was sworn into the seat Senator Kennedy once held.Do you see a two-year supermajority?
I didn't think so.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-m-granholm/debunking-the-myth-obamas_b_1929869.html
Cat-1200657 -- Correct. Similar to earthquake versus fire damage.
rradiko - Great Post.
The truth is that the Democrats only had a filibuster-proof majority for 24 working days during that period. Here are the details:
To define terms, a Filibuster-Proof Majority or Super Majority is the number of votes required to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. According to current Senate rules, 60 votes are required to overcome a filibuster.
Here is a time-line of the events after the 2008 election:
1. BALANCE BEFORE THE ELECTION. In 2007 – 2008 the balance in the Senate was 51-49 in favor of the Democrats. On top of that, there was a Republican president who would likely veto any legislation the Republicans didn’t like and overriding a veto requires 67 votes. Not exactly a super majority.
2. BIG GAIN IN 2008, BUT STILL NO SUPER MAJORITY. Coming out of the 2008 election, the Democrats made big gains, but they didn’t immediately get a super majority. The Minnesota Senate race required a recount and was not decided for more than six months. During that time, Norm Coleman was still sitting in the Senate and the balance was 59-41, still not a super majority.
3. KENNEDY GRAVELY ILL. Ted Kennedy casts his last vote in April and leaves Washington for good around the first of May. Technically, he could have come back to Washington to vote on a pressing issue, but in actual fact, he never returns, not even to vote on the Sotomayor confirmation. That leaves the balance in the Senate 58-41, two votes away from a super majority.
4. STILL NO SUPER MAJORITY. In July, Al Franken was finally declared the winner and was sworn in on July 7th, 2009, so the Democrats finally had a super majority of 60-40 six and one-half months into the year. However, by this point, Kennedy was unable to return to Washington even to participate in the Health Care debate, so it was only a technical super majority because Kennedy could no longer vote and the Senate rules do not allow proxies. Now the actual balance of voting members is 59-40, not enough to overcome a Republican filibuster.
5. SENATE IS IN RECESS. Even if Kennedy were able to vote, the Senate went into summer recess three weeks later, from August 7th to September 8th.
6. KENNEDY DIES. Six weeks later, on Aug 26, 2009 Ted Kennedy died, putting the balance at 59-40. Now the Democrats don’t even have technical super majority.
7. FINALLY, A SUPER MAJORITY! Kennedy’s replacement was sworn in on September 25, 2009, finally making the majority 60-40, just enough for a super majority.
8. SENATE ADJOURNS. However, the Senate adjourned for the year on October 9th, only providing 11 working days of super majority, from September 25th to October 9th.
8. SCOTT BROWN ELECTED. Scott Brown was elected in November of 2009. The Senate was not in session during November and December of 2009. The Senate was in session for 10 days in January, but Scott Brown was sworn into office on February 4th, so the Democrats only had 13 days of super majority in 2010.
Summary: The Democrats only had 24 days of Super Majority between 2008 and 2010.
Does Romney favor the local approach?
It depends on who he has to sucker that day.
amazing how some of the Republicans and the Tea Party knuckle draggers are defending the attempt to localized FEMA! Amzaing, given that majority of the $ provided to were to the RED STATES.... Why? natural disasters? more importantly, several of the states (RED) cut their disaster/fire fighting/engineering funding severely... so severely in many of those, such that they were unable to limit and to prevent the spread disaster damages!!!
Don't believe me? Look up the disasters and then read up the regional responses, and you will notice a pattern of shortage of emergency response teams. In many cases, the response teams were sent or volunteers from other states... Those governors should be held accountable for their mismanagement of their state resources...
dgeding - Skywatcher indicated that all "acts of god" are not covered by insurance, which is absolutely untrue. My reference to flood insurance is that it is available. And if you live anywhere near a flood-prone area you ought to purchase it instead of relying on taxpayers to bail you out.
@ elliot-3020456,
Governor Christie is already screaming/crying about Disaster money! Romney is saying we don't need FEMA or it should possible be a SEMA (State Emergency Management Agency). Where do you people expect to get that money from if the states are to control it? Are you going to raise taxes? Do you think people like this @sshole can manage the money? These states are already scrapping the bottom of the barrel. Maybe we should allow states to print their own money. Morons, there has been hours, days, weeks, months and even years of thought put into these programs and you think you can change it in a few magic waves of your wand like you live in a Harry Potter movie. The idea of a state managing a disaster relief fund may sound great to you but think about a state like Road Island or Alabama or any of the other poorer states. The idea of making it Federal was so people in one part of the country could help those in other parts. We in America pride ourselves in helping others or at least we did until Republican's decided to be selfish @ssholes. To tell you the truth I can't understand how a part like them has even existed for so long. What I find really amazing is that someone hasn't cracked and made Romney disappear as Jimmy Hoffa did.
Colorado man,
Maybe you aren't aware of the fact that many insurance companies will not offer flood insurance to anyone if they risk cutting into their profits. So many people live with the inevitable day when they will lose everything because of the greed and push for bigger profits by insurance companies.
Can you imagine what they would do if there is a voucher system for Medicare and Medicaid? Profits first and that would mean about a 20% to 25% loss of benefits to the existing system of Medicare so they could get their profits. 20% to 25% less coverage!! republicans and Mitt are scum!
Clearly like most Republicans and certainly the last Administration you have no knowledge of Emergency Management what so ever. The local government IS in charge. There are only a few situations where the Federal Government takes the lead. If Terrorism is involved the FBI takes the lead. If a state is completely overwhelmed and requests the Federal Government take the lead FEMA will step up.
As to your comment regarding Governors and the National Guard
1. Often the local National Guard is in no better shape than anyone else in the middle of a disaster.
2. The Federal Response is coordinated by a "Duel Status" Commander. That is a local National Guard Officer who is authorized to command Active Component troops as well.
3. As soon as a state NG is overwhelmed, a request is made for units in other states. It's done through National Guard Bureau...a Federal Agency.
Yes I suppose a given Governor could scan the yellow pages for additional assets but I prefer as system where the interstate coordination is facilitated through the Federal Government.
Like always Elliot...you complain about a problem that only exists in your mind...typical Neo-Conservative.
Romney is a COLD, HARD, CALLOUSED BUSINESS MAN...the "Bottom Line" is ALL THAT MATTERS.
Who do you want for your next COMMANDER in CHIEF?
A BOSS or a PRESIDENT? PRESIDENT OBAMA 2012!!!
Eliot,
thanks for taking the top spot to show us all how little you actually now about his these things work. The states do not have the capital required to deal with huge disasters like this. They do not have the infrastructure to organize out of state help on the level required without fighting over resources with other states. Someone at the national level has to coordinate and provide funding in order for this not to go to Hell.
If Obama had not mobilized FEMA and declared the states of emergencies when he did responders would have had a harder time getting into place and more life would have been lost. The fact there have so far only been about 36 deaths is a miracle for a storm that killed 65 in the Caribbean and slammed into the worst possible location on the East Coast as a Cat 1.
Are you too out of touch with reality to know that you CAN purchase flood insurance. It is backed up by the federal government, but private insurers sell it. If you can't buy it from your insurance company, then get another company. That is what competition is all about. I think your gross generalization just proves that you are an unintelligent hatemonger, just like most libs.
That is the function of the president; it's not to be some warm, fuzzy milquetoast. Obama, regardless of how he wants to portray himself to the women of our country, is a cold, calculating, Chicago politician.
Colorado-Man, You're joking right? sell flood isurnace backed up by the federal government? So please explain to us why do we need a middle man to sell insurance when according to you the GOVERNMENT is going to be the one taking care of disaster in the end??? Libs??? Given your explaination, I think you're full of generosity... BTW, a couple of my employees are still not reimbursed from them insurance claims... Tell the people sitting on the top of their roofs or in blacked out areas that their insurance / private power companies will come by to save them... WHAT A JOKE! You're really taking that Tea Party caffine trip one too many.
United States of America's President is not a business man. He is a politician. You would be a fool to think otherwise. So what exactly are you suggesting? a beer drinking buddy? a second tier Hollywood actor? What solution are the complaints leading to?..... EXACTLY.
Like much of the tactics used by the GOP as of last 4 years... Complaints, but ZERO solutions. Unfortunately, it works in the 1st couple of years, but I think many Americans are catching on that the Repbulican leaderships don't have tactics nor strategy to fix our current problems. Fortunately, the Democrats do. It may be slow, but it works. If you don't belive it then fine, but get out of the way and let the middle class work.
Turd - Try to focus on the issue here. Regardless of who provides the insurance, why shouldn't individuals be required to pay for the insurance? Oh right, individuals don't have any responsibility for their well-being. Only the government should do that. Anybody sitting on their roof in a blacked-out area should have listened and evacuated the area. If you are so generous why don't you provide your employees with the funding for their claims?
The President of the United States is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States, which is equivalent to a businessman. He may have political skills, just as any other businessman, but his duty is to run the country. Unfortunately Obama has been politicking his entire term, which is why you may be confused as to the function of the office. Obama is the beer-drinking buddy whenever he gets into trouble or don't you recall those little photo ops??
Your last paragraph also makes no sense, but that is to be expected.
And my point is that even if you purchase flood insurance you are still relying on the US tax payers to bail you out since only the Federal government currently underwrites any flood insurance.
dgeding - Why don't you recognize that if the insurance is purchased, regardless of the provider, it isn't the same as the government just handing out funds to people whose homes have flood damage?
That was the point of the National Flood Insuance Program, an attempt to recoup some of the losses the tax payers were incurring. However, the Federal govenment is not turning a profit on this venture. If the program was profitable then private insurance companies would never have stopped providing flood insurance.
Hurricane insurance is rapidly going the way of flood insurance since hurricanes are becoming far too common and insurers are being forced to pay out too much money in damages. Some private companies already no longer offer hurricane insurance in some areas.
I suppose my only point is that private insurance does whatever it can to limit its liability during disasters and when they do the tax payer gets left holding the bag.
When has Romney suggested he would cut FEMA funds? Sounds like NBC needlessly politicizing a disaster.
Your point? At least it not Fox News making something up . Storms coming and there letting you know how Mitt would have left these people. Glad I know . But Damn I voted early so it doesn't matter. Let just say I did vote for Willard
several times on the campaign trail he has suggested he would gut FEMA among many other departments...that's fine but he needs to own his ideas when they blow up in his face...let MS or TX pay for their own diaster recovery indeed...
Asked about federal disaster relief spending on places such as Joplin, Mo., which was struck by a tornado last year, Romney said in a June 2011 debate on CNN, “Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that's even better.”
He added, “Instead of thinking in the federal budget, ‘what we should cut?’ -- We should ask ourselves the opposite question: ‘What should we keep?’ We should take all of what we're doing at the federal level and say, what are the things we're doing that we don't have to do? And those things we've got to stop doing, because we're borrowing $1.6 trillion more this year than we're taking in.”
Debate moderator John King then asked, “Including disaster relief, though?”
Romney’s reply: “We cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids. It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we'll all be dead and gone before it's paid off.”
(Bolded text is where Wrongme is saying Yes, but in such a way that he can't be pinned down.)
There are a lot of necessary government programs that 'we're gonna get rid of that.'
Yep, just another attempt by MSNBC to try and save their "savior". How pitiful that MSNBC finds it appropriate to politicize a terrible storm whose devastating affects won't be known for another 48 to 72 hours. But why should THAT stop MSNBC from trying to save Obama from what is shaping up to be a landslide defeat.
Right now, at this moment, Romney is using one of his campaign buses to evacuate neighborhoods and deliver supplies to people who need them. But yea, you are probably right Romney would just let them drown if he were president...
Q22 - Hear you go. I know it is hard to remember since he changes his mind every time he changes his socks. Actually, it is more frequent than that....
Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign event as Paul Ryan listens, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012, at Koehler Athletic Complex on the campus of the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. (AP Photo/J.D. Pooley)
In June 2011, Mitt Romney said in a Republican primary debate that he “absolutely” thinks FEMA should be shut down, and disaster relief moved to the states.
Ryan Grim of the Huffington Post reported that Romney was asked by CNN’s John King if he thinks disaster relief would be better handled by the states. “Absolutely,” Romney said. “Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that’s the right direction. And if you can go even further, and send it back to the private sector, that’s even better.”
“Including disaster relief, though?” King asked.
“We cannot — we cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids,” Romney said. “It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we’ll all be dead and gone before it’s paid off. It makes no sense at all.”
During one of the GOP debates Mitt the flip stated that he would cut FEMA and send the moneyback to the states. He even said it would be better to send it to the private sector. Great so If you need help after a natural disaster you can call for some corporate help, if you can pay for it. If not well too bad, just suffer. Yeah thats what we want our government to do for us.
Romnety is a sick phuc
Romney and Ryan don't care about our kids future. There only concern is power. It is so confusing to try to understand anything coming out of the Republican Tea party cake hole. The uber rich need to pay up.
Squat:
I am female and a mother of four, plus part of the 99%. Romney is the only one with a plan for a positive future for my children.
Romney/Ryan for level-headed leadership
Q2 - HERE IS DOCUMENTATION OF ROBME'S INTENT TO GUT FEMA:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/28/mitt-romney-fema_n_2036198.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
Not if your children go to public school, if they go to private school then romney/ryan are probably your choice. Still not buying what Mitt is selling.
elliot-3020456, right now Willard and Ryan are on the campaign trail, looking for votes, so don't sugar coat it for what it is. I'm sure Willard going to flip-flop on FEMA now, than again that's what he does.
"INDIE THOUGHT" - I AM A OLDER WHITE WOMAN - MY SON HAS AUTISM. If Robme wins, my son's Autism will be a pre-existing condition and lose his insurance coverage.
there are MANY other reasons why I prefer & will vote for Obama;
Additionally, I despise Robe & Ryin' Lyin - Robme will say anything he thinks people want to hear to get elected.
I am part of the 47% he despises - I have taken personal responsibility for my life, and worked hard, but circumstances beyond my control have not been kind.
I believe in an EFFECTIVE government, which is more important than Big v. Small . . . . and government politicians should not be making decisions about my life - as a free American, I get to do that.
ObamaCare(s)
O & JOE! - 2012; Mtyh Robme - 1040's!!!
You are an idiot!
"Cut" does not necessarily mean "Gut". Any large organization is likely to have at least 10% or more of fat that could be removed without adversely impacting it's ability to function. A problem we have with discussions of organizations like FEMA and Defense is they are such sensitive issues that their supporters won't even consider the possibility that reducing their budgets may not affect their ability to successfully achieve their goals.
KJNC:
With all the spending on the books, there will be zero coverage in the not so distant future for ALL of us. There needs to be a thoughtful plan put in place to ensure longevity of vital programs, including health and human services.
Big Effective government?
Similar to how effective credit card spending is when you don't have a job; we will all have our jaws draping when China says, "Denied," and lowers our flag.
By the way, all the nick names really are a sad state of affairs for those that continually need to use them.
Romney/Ryan for a kinder USofA
Well, Romney is all for jobs, right? Let's just look at Sensata Technologies...
Having already shuttered two of its three manufacturing sites in the USA, the Romney owned company is in the process of outsourcing 170 well-paying jobs to China from the remaining plant in Freeport despite record profits. Sensata began the terminations last Friday and they will continue through the end of the year. The job loss at the plant will result in the loss of $7.7 million in wages that feed the local economy according to Stephenson County Chairman John Blum.
Sensata Technologies, which was created by Bain Capital in 2006, develops manufactures and sells sensors and controls for major auto manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors. While at Bain, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney pioneered the business model that today is costing Sensata workers their jobs. And he is still financially tied to Sensata.
Thanks to his retirement agreement with Bain, Romney owns close to $8 million in Bain funds that together hold 51 percent of the company’s shares--a controlling financial stake. As a result, Romney not only profits directly from Sensata but also stands to profit from the outsourcing of the Sensata workers’ jobs. Adding insult to injury, Romney secured a major tax deduction by transferring $170,000 worth of Sensata stock to one of the charities he runs
So the workers tried to appeal to Romney to save their jobs. They figured, with his connections to Bain and the fact that he owned $170,000 worth of Sensata stock, he could make a difference:
They were having in event in Bettendorf, Iowa. And they—if you went online, you could get these free tickets, so we decided we would go. And I was seven rows from the podium that he stood behind. And I asked him, “Will you please come to Freeport, Illinois, and help Sensata employees save their jobs?” At that point, we were removed. And as we were being removed, his supporters are scream—first they start a “U.S.A.” chant. And we’re like, “Yes, we agree.” And then they started calling us communists for trying to keep our jobs from going to China. And I have never understood that yet.
Well, how about it, Romney? Here's 170 jobs you could save right now. And you don't even have to win the election to do it! How about it, Romney?
[crickets chirping]
Yep! I expect exactly the same damned thing if he is president!
Romney has said he wants to cut spending to 20% of GDP. At the same time, he wants to increase defense spending by $2Trillion over the next 10 years.
Since the federal budget, at about $3.552T is about equal to 25% of GDP, GDP is about $14.2T. To cut is to 20% of GDP, we will need to cut $710B.
If we add $200B to defense, which is currently at $570B, then we would have to cut some $910B out of everything else to get the federal budget to equal 20% of GDP.
Since the entire federal budget is $3,552B, and we will leave $710 alone, cutting $910B out of everything but defense will amount to cuts of over 25%.
Since the government has been unable to make cuts of 10%, let alone 25%; Mitt's Math doesn't add up.
This means, of course that Romney is lying again, trying to appease a local audience. Mitt Romney has not yet realized that we have the internet and national reporters who report everything he says as soon as he says it. We can't go back to the 1650's, we need to go forward into the future.
The whole Sensata deal was done after Mitt handed day-to-day operations to others.
Now - what's going to happen to all those jobs at the Obama-bailed Jeep plants that are outsourcing to China???
It only doesn't make sense to you because you are looking at the economy as a static deal (Democrats always do this). The economy dynamic though and if you can increase the growth you will increase the GDP and you will increase the tax revenues - even at lower rates.
Q22: keep up with the news do you. Do you know that Chrysler already issued a statement telling the entire world that MITT ROMNEY IS A LIAR, CHRYSLER IS NOT CLOSING ANY JEEP PLANTS IN THE US !!!!
In fact, Chrysler plans to increase it US jeep production, adding several thousand jobs in the next year.
And to think Sensata brought the Chinese workers to America so the American workers could train them to take their jobs.
Q22 "The whole Sensata deal was done after Mitt handed day-to-day operations to others."
Not to according to Sec filing he didn't.
Sensata versus Solyndra
How many are still employed in the USA?
Which company did Obama finance, risk and lose 100% of your and my tax dollars?
Romney/Ryan for a strong America
Dirp: There is one major point you forgot - economic growth. Of course if you are an Obama supporter you know nothing about economic growth as we have had basically none the last four years.
Secondly you don't have any idea what our GDP is - do you? It is $15.5 Trillion. So that means in year two, with 5% growth, our GDP would be $16.3 Trillion. And in year three, with 5% economic growth again, GDP would be $17.1 Trillion. Now, 20% of $17.1 Trillion would be government spending of about $3.4 Trillion. Guess what - THAT is what we are spending now.
In other words with reasonable cuts and pro-business policies our deficit problem fixes itself. You see in the past it has always been economic growth that has kept our deficits reasonable and we can balance our budget within three years with common sense cuts and a growing economy. Something that Obama knows nothing about - but Romney does. Romney will get this problem fixed in less than four years.
dgeding - Skywatcher indicated that all "acts of god" are not covered by insurance, which is absolutely untrue. My reference to flood insurance is that it is available. And if you live anywhere near a flood-prone area you ought to purchase it instead of relying on taxpayers to bail you out.
Q22,
Funny you should ask about Mitt and FEMA, because they just had on TV his campaign debate last year where he said he would end FEMA! I guess having 20-25 different states trying to work on something individually would work better. Actually, several governors have already said it is good to have the team work that FEMA offers to solve their problems. That is if you work with FEMA, not like bush who stayed at his ranch to only days later fly over the destruction form was it Andrew? So open your eyes and mind! Don't blame NBC. Blame FOX for brainwashing you!
If you can't pay attention to what a candidate says then you shouldn't vote. When disaster hits your home it's going to be to late to say I didn't know Romney was going to gut FEMA.
In a GOP debate last year, Mitt Romney promoted the idea of sending emergency management back to the states, or better yet, the private sector. Now his campaign says he would not abolish FEMA.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2012/1030/Did-Mitt-Romney-suggest-eliminating-FEMA
Perhaps you should start paying attention.
Interesting idea...send the money back to the States. Here's the reality; FEMA acts as the National disaster insurance policy in that no state by its self could possibly pay for a significant natural disaster. We are all gambling with out tax dollars that there won't be so many disasters in a given year as to overwhelm FEMA. What do you suppose Fat Boy Christie would do if he had to pay for disaster mitigation, response and recovery out of state funds alone...NJ would go bankrupt. We are a nation and we take care of each other...we take care of our own.
Q22,
were you not paying attention during the Primaries? That was when Romney stated that, and I quote,
"Anytime you can use an occasion to remove powers from the Federal Government and give them to the States, that is the right direction. If you can go even further and return them to the Private sector, well that is even better." This was in response to a question about if Romney would disband FEMA.
For the Medias record The president of the United States has canceled his campaigning and has Gone back to the White House to deal with Hurricane Sandy. Please try and wait til the Hurricane passes and all the facts are in before blaming him for anything (FOX NEWS). Thank you very much
They just wish Obama was Bush that's all.
The only reason Obama is in DC is because of how he got beat up on Libya. With Libya he could have done something to help (but didn't), but with this storm there is nothing he can do other than the political statement of "being there." It is only to pander for votes. Does anyone really thing Obama will be coordinating anything? If he's smart (?), he'll take a nap and let intelligent people do their jobs. Great opportunity to show us what a great leader he is, though, huh?
It wouldn't surprise me in the least, if the Romney campaign paid for mercenaries to attack the compound in Libya just to give the President a black eye.
The last time there was a disaster in NJ, Eric Cantor and other Republicans said no money should go for relief unless equal cuts were made to offset it. Republican govenor Chris Christie lashed into them and they all backed off. The truth is he will scream for Federal help and still support Romney who wants to cut all Federal help to the states.
It is the Republican way!!
Richard, what do you expect Oblameo to do while he sits on his backside in DC in the path of the storm? He is going to soak up precious resources that should be directed toward us ordinary folks. Instead of going inland to Camp David to hunker down until the storm passes, he will need extra protection.
He is NOT the saviour. He CANNOT stand on top of the Capitol dome and stay the storm. He CANNOT go to the beach and calm the waves. He CANNOT stop the rains and the flooding, etc, etc, etc. He is only capable of attending meetings with people who have much more important jobs to do than babysitting his stupid butt. He won't be "directing" or "coordinating" anything except maybe a game of pingpong in the White House game room.
All I can hear right now from the White House is little rats scuttling around their fearless leader repeating the mantra, "pander, boss, pander. Pander, pander, pander."
The comedian is correct: ya just cain't fix stupid!!!!!
@ PCwhat?,
You are such a moron! What would you suggest the President do when what ever was happening in Libya happened? Should he have dropped our sons and daughters into harms way and possible gotten them all killed? Didn't we learn anything from President Carter or are you to young to know our history? Suppose he had announced we where being attacked by terrorist, don't you think that might have told other terrorist that maybe they too should attack something or someone? F'n Idiots that think they no best!
9-11 HAPPENED UNDER BUSH and CHENEY...NEVER FORGET...those two ALLOWED over 3,000 of OUR OWN on AMERICAN SOIL to perish and then started an UNFOUNDED WAR IN IRAQ where hundreds of thousands have died. They have the BLOOD OF MANY SOULS ON THEIR HANDS!!!!
WHO IS HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE?
Who...the National Association of Funeral Directors?
You know, I keep asking Neo-Conservative like yourself what should the president have done, so now I'll ask you. What military assets were on standby in close enough proximity to effect a rescue of the Consulate staff? And please be specific as to location, armament, reaction time and specific extraction plans. I'm pretty sure we could have responded in time with an air strike but I don't think in a "danger close" scenario like that it would have helped. I'm also pretty sure we had Ohio Class Attack Submarines within Trident range...but I'm not sure nuking Libya would have been a good idea
So give us your scenario...or STFU!
Romney has said he would gut FEMA...period....you reichwingers need to own your stupidity....
You are so right, Rick -
the RWNJ's/low-information voters have taken over this page . . . NONE of them are interested in educating themselves, learning anything, or listening to anything except the lies that get spewed at them in their own media bubble. These are The Haters and The Liars.
They come over hear because they "think" (except they don't think) they can influence the election.
They don't understand that they are merely sitting around in a circle-jerk yelling at one another.
If President Obama did some campaigning they would accuse him of not doing his job.
When he stays in the WH & attends to this emergency, they say he is only doing it for photo op's.
There is no reasoning with these people because they are not just science-deniers, (trying to take us back to the time when the earth was flat) they are also FACT-deniers.
They don't care that Colin Powell has endorsed President Obama. They don't care that Condi Rice says President Obama has done the right things re: Libya. They are going to continue to howl about Benghazi because that's what their handlers (Rush & the and the gang) have told them to do, and they are good little Robme-bots.
They are not changing MINDS.
They are not changing VOTES;
and for sure, they are not changing HEARTS!
O & JOE, 2012 . . . Myth Robme 1040's (he lied about his Mass taxes, he's lying about his Fed taxes)
How sad that MSNBC even has to politicize a major storm for the purposes of trying to save Obama from a landslide defeat.........
After the landslide, I wonder how 0bama and Rham Emanuel will take advantage of that "disaster."
Of course Romney and Ryan haven't been trying to upstage and use this event for political gain all day now have they - I think you need either new glasses of the ability to see the truth.
ProBusiness...How much do you get paid to post your ProWillard nonsense? I'm hoping they're paying your well, as you're here all the time.
ProBusiness,
I'm not sure about the "landslide defeat" part (I still think it's either 50/50 or slight Obama edge right now), but I agree wholeheartedly that this is a disgusting article. You are correct that NBC is attempting to use the damage that will be caused by this storm as a political tool to help get Obama re-elected.
How "sad" that you can only repeat the same lame talking point.
Some of you guys need to read more than this article! Mitt has ceased campaigning after a public request at his final rally this morning to send contributions to the Red Cross and other relief agencies instead of his campaign. One of his campaign buses is being used to ferry supplies in and last residents out of storm-struck areas. Paul has cease campaigning in Florida instead of following the published schedule. In fact, if you click on the "newer" tab at the right-hand side of this page, you can go to an article about the changes in the Romney/Ryan schedule. But if you can only lean to the left side of the page, you will see another article about your saviour.
It must really be tough to have such a narrow world view that all you can do is praise your saviour.
Hey einsteins, Obama has the electoral votes and will win handily. Even a dumba$$ can see that.... geez
Bob in KC and romney did this out of the goodness of his heart not to try to make him look good just before elections ,surly he did the same for Katrina victims.
I'm just wondering how Romney would explain to the people of a specific State, after a major disaster, that they don't really need the Federal Government. It's funny, every time we have a major disaster the folks who scream the loudest "reduce government and privatize government services" are the first to say "we need help!" or "FEMA didn't do enough".
If Romney has his way...you're on your own...do you hear that Florida, Kansas, Texas, Tornado Ally, the Entire South...you're on your own!
They do own their stupidity, their problem is they try to sell that bullsh#%! to others hoping they're just as stupid as they are and will buy it...
There seem to be a lot of takers. The perception may be altered by the flood of favorable reports lately on Wrongme. Personally, I think this election will be easy to call once the Ohio polls close. I see Obama winning Ohio, and at least one of the other states Romney cannot lose - Florida or North Carolina.
With early voting favoring the President almost 2 to 1, I believe the American people have already spoken, and Obama will win the electoral vote with over 290.
I think the early voting has help Obama a lot, and as we saw during the 2008 elections, when he beat Hillary, that he has a great system in place that can mobilize people and get things done. So as much as the Repub tried to stop early voting, I don't think it worked.
You *really* believe Obama will win NC? Wow, talk about out of touch. I can't think of a state that collectively hates him more at present. He all but called them a bunch of hicks for passing their anti-gay legislation, then used them as a dartboard for his agenda. So we cannot trust any of your conclusions. And Obama barely won Ohio, at a time when anti-republican vote was at its high point. That's no longer the case. BAO may get Florida, but don't count on Ohio or NC.
Latest early voting Exit Polls out of Ohio show Obama Winning 59% to 36% for Romney.
This is typical of the Republican't party. If you get in a Disaster, its your own fault for having that tornado hit your house, its your own fault for causing the rivers to rise, this is typical Republican't responsibility, blame everyone but a Republican't. Now the Republican'ts want to end disaster relief. Guess Republican't responsibility really means, your on your own.
And thats my opinion.
Angt Duke: You said:
You forget about the state of denial that all Republicans live in. Or the state of remorse they are in realizing that they chose an liar and an idiot to be their presidential candidate. Or the State of despair they will be in on Nov. 7 when their puppet loses.
Lovely comment dirp. The state of mentally challenged right wingers to think for themselves.
Perhaps more disaster areas have been declared because there are more disastrous events, especially weather related??!? Naaaah... couldn't be.
Why even suggest a question like this unless it is politically motivated, which msnbc always does when it reports what it calls news slanted to their views.
Actually it's an important question, especially with what is currently happening. Wouldn't, or better yet shouldn't, people know how Willard would handle a situation like this?
Disaster relief and FEMA funding should be included in the annual defense appropriation as that is just what it is, defense. This would also shield it from foolish manipulations by the likes of Ryan and Romney.
what world are you in?? -- R/R are all over manipulating defense spending... I recently retired from the military after 22+ year and see that R/R are warhawk pandering all over the place............
I mean in the sense of cutting it.
We are spending about 1.5 trillion on defense and security issues - FEMA in HLS is part of that spending...
There is lot's of waste in this 1.5 trillion -- especially in DOD and HLS.. I have seen it first hand over more than 2 decades and it was on steroids during the last 10 or so.. Not explicitly talking about disaster relief things, but all needs some review for effectiveness.. Still this is an area that does require a substantial federal presence
there is room for reduced spending and refocus on priorities in this area - just like in others and there will still be a need for increased revenue to get things back in a sustainable fiscal balance
Romney continued to campaign this morning until he was shamed into cancelling. Remember he and Ryan want to do away with FEMA. "Just let people take care of themselves". Well, the Governors of the thee states effected asked for and immediately got the approval for Federal aid. Reality !!!!!! Ryan voted 7 times to cut FEMA.
Yes Ryan voted to cut FEMA funding. Just like he and the republican Congress cut millions from our embassy security and now won't talk about anything but Libya.
t
Dear NBC,
We will let you know when we have been elected to serve the American Public. We greatly appreciate you your continued blatant lack of journalistic integrity when it comes to politics. That's why your seat in the White House Press Room will be in the can...
Actually this is an important question, and I think the voters need to know how Willard would handle a situation like this, don't you? He said he wanted to cut FEMA and have state handle their own disasters, well lets see if he still stands by that or if he'll flip-flop again on the issue.
Romney was asked by CNN’s John King if he thinks disaster relief would be better handled by the states. “Absolutely,” Romney said. “Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that’s the right direction. And if you can go even further, and send it back to the private sector, that’s even better.”
“Including disaster relief, though?” King asked.
“We cannot — we cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids,” Romney said. “It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we’ll all be dead and gone before it’s paid off. It makes no sense at all.”
http://www.salon.com/2012/10/29/romney_in_2011_shut_down_fema_let_the_states_handle_it/
He should put that in an ad, he is absolutely correct. It's going to be nice to have a solutions guy in the White House.
Yeah, if your solution is to bring private businesses into diseaster areas to gauge local residents on clean up costs-we shouldn't be promoting businesses profitting off of other's hardship. See how well private contractors have worked in these wars?
The problem with sending our money to Washington and then filtering it back out to the states is that there is always a lot less of it to filter back once the massive bureaucracy has sucked a big chunk off the top. That is what Romney wants to stop: the giant sucking noises that come from Washington 24 hours a day.
The bills would be sent to the state to pay with the money they didn't send to FEMA.
Romney is sharing his bus for those in need. Nice. That is because he is not using it. I'm sure he will make a donation to the Red Cross.
Sure he will, if the Mormon church approves the gift.
Willard and Ryan are on the campaign trail looking for votes, the only reason he let someone use the bus was because he had to stop campaign as it was looking bad. I wonder if he makes a contribution to the Red Cross will he take the tax deduction? I'm guessing he will, as nobody is looking this time.
UnionBaby-Did your pastor tell you to say that? You know where hypocrites go, right?
Romney's money goes to the MORMON church and that is his idea of charity.
I agree this one seems fair game to me - given what he said in the 2011and a other point in his campaign. same for ryan's proposals
folks can make up their own minds on the topic
sounds like a good ad showing what he said.....
Wow. This "news" organization can apin anything against Romney. Women, minorities, gays, is there any segment you won't say Romney is out to get? Now it's disasters. Never has anything been mentioned before, but now that there is a hurricane coming, they want people to think Romney will cut off disaster aid. What a pathetic, shameless bit of slander. Anything for the Obama agenda, right? The Romney landslide will make this storm seem tiny.
Never been anything mentioned before? Either you don't pay attention, or you put your hands over your ears and refuse to hear. Romney has stated, categorically, that he would CUT FEMA from the federal budget and hand it over to the states, or better yet, privatize it. Yeah, privatize it so that his crony vultures can get their hands on it.
PCwhat?
Apparently you know very little about the candidate you are supporting. Women, gays, minorities and yes...even FEMA are all under attack with Romney. Not to mention the 47%...which by the way he really meant but as you can see he was talking to his $50,000 a plate constituents.
Kathleen -
And how many $50,000 a plate constituents do you think Obama has?
Personally, I think it is demeaning and insulting to think that women need to vote with their 'female parts' when it is much more necessary for women to have a job.
By the way, Obama's White HOuse is considered an hostile work environment for women and he pays his female staffers substantially less than his male staffers.
So it looks like it is Obama and the democrats who are waging a war on women and not Romney.
Tammy,
Many fewer than Mitt, that's for sure! I see that you care little about women's issues with your statement. In fact..are you a woman? He signed the Lilly Ledbetter act, which by the way Mitt did not agree with! You should be home in the kitchen. Your 3rd statement is offensive. Provide proof of that or you have reduced your entire comment as illegitimate. Protecting equal pay, Planned Parenthood, Roe Vs. Wade, college costs/loans, Medical insurance, Head Start Programs, income tax deductions for children, as well as Wic are proof of his desire to help women. Mitt has NO daughters, a wife who's never worked and only sons. Get real here. The economy IS improving, despite what is happening globally. You can't provide millions of more jobs if no other country can buy! I've just wasted too much time on you already Calvin....(Hobbs)..."my mind's made up, don't confuse me with the facts".
It is very unfortunate for media to politicize the natural disasters. According to all current data, Sandy may break all previous records. In my opinion, no matter who is the president, one thing must be a priority in taking action, swift and strong measures.
Mitt Romney may not be the next president, than almighty God. Hence discussing the future wherein Mitt Romney personal agenda matters little.
Focus, instead, on how and when the government agency, FEMA, start taking action and help mitigate the losses, tremendous losses affecting all those who may suffer.
...and I am Sid Harth@gosumercogito.blogspot.com
I love how all these libs keep bringing Fox News into the argument on a rival site. Whenever a conservative says something the libs don't like about gays, they say we must be secretly gay. Must be the same here. These libs need to come out of the lib-colored closet. They obviously spend a lot of time at Fox. Own it!
They are too used to the time when calling someone gay was the equivalent of calling them 'lame.' But they cling to that old definition like we cling to our guns and religion.
I have a very bad BS allergy so I have stopped watching any tv with a commercial. Also here in Florida we are getting so many robo calls we have a new policy at our house. It used to be if you picked up a phone and heard heavy breathing you'd hang up. Now. if you pick up a phone and hear no breathing, it's a political call and we hang up.
Robme's idea is to let the private sector take care of disaster relief. If people canafford it, if not oh well too bad for them. Thats his idea of helping Americans. What a real patriot >(
I beleive the government's - federal/state/local will do their best in this mess and afterward, but what Romeny said during the campaign is fair game for presentation and discussion as well......
Romney indicated several times during the primary he would push FEMA down to the states - he is on the record. However when you have a three front storm some 900 miles in diameter "It takes a NATION" to help the effected states! Do you think for one minute New Orleans would have recovered after Katrina? Even with FEMA help it took years to recover - Do you think for one minute La. would have been able to rebuild the Levees in under 20 years a a couple billion in graft and payoffs?
And just think the 47% are rapidly turning into 60-70% looking for Government aid (FEMA) RIGHT NOW!
Do you really want a gutless, heartless, cultist, Moron - i in the Oval office during the next natural disaster ( which will be coming more and more often as the climate change caused by his pollution causing 1%er's burning coal increases?
here's someone who gladly turns a blind eye to government waste that ran rampant after Katrina due to personal bias.
If you are dependent on the federal govt. for anything you didn't do such a good job of planning,most notably if you were for-warned..If there is a major catastrophe you are on your own anyways.There is already too much over-lapping govt bureaucracies the cost of which is enormous.
Well, be sure the wealthy voters in Boca Raton, Tampa, and West Palm beach understand that - you know -back to the states thing, so next time they are hit by a hurricain those folks know the gop sent hung them out to dry - all alone. Sorry folks, we are not an island, we are not in this alone, we are one nation under God and we should behave like one.
UnionBaby- One nation under which God? How are we supposed to act like that when you're spouting anti-religion rhetoric in your other comments?
All that wasted text and not one reason for fed disaster relief instead of state,great rebuttal.
Code translation from Romoney.....if you get wiped out by a storm or wild fire or a freak act of nature.....you're on your own. You better be rich, or have lot of expensive insurance (be rich again), or have access to money (be rich again), or very good at begging with private charities (poor).
Imagine a tiny state like Wyoming being left on their own to fight their wild fires....or a tiny state like RI left to deal with a major hurricane on their own. It's economically insane reasoning and logic...it's Republican and Libertarian logic which is basically GREED, The Republican logic ......you're on your own except when it happens to them, then they come squealing like a piglet that the government failed them.
So, why should we have a National Guard or even a National Military....let's leave that to each of the states on their own. Or better yet....leave it to each local community and their little militias. Close down FEMA and close down the US Military.
oh the states have a wonderful track record for these things, just wonderful........NOT!!!!!!!!
let's all think about all the government waste after Katrina. Millions of hard earned tax payer dollars rotting in some parking lot. Or about the horrible relief provided to the needy in Haiti. people starving while the U.N. burns through billions.
but then if anyone believes another typical op-ed speculation article from msnbc it's their own faults.
the democrats believe it's ok to waste billions as long as a couple million make it to the people and attack anyone trying to better the percentage.
Look at all the waste the private contractors have caused us during these wars!
NBC needs to take a look at the private relief organizations that usually beat the federal government into disaster areas by days if not weeks in some cases. Tell us, please, where FEMA would be without the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist Convention, and others being in there feeding people, providing temporary housing, providing clothing, and generally caring for people before the Feds can get their stuff together?
chris who was president and who was running fema during katrina? nuf said
This is pointless. One of the biggest hits G. W. took during his presidency was his lack of response to a hurricane. Now some are advocating it is just a state responsibility to handle a natural disaster. Try advocating that and staying in office at the same time when a disaster happens.
America in disaster...Romney's response...attack FEMA for having too much power. Could they put off the attacks until after the storm? Republicans are fond of applauding and mocking death.
People like you are the reason this and other sites get away with inventing the news. They say it, you believe it. Take off the lib-colored glasses and see the light.
"pc" - So it doesn't matter to you that Mittsy is on record and Ryan has a congressional voting record calling for the gutting of FEMA? Simply because you seem not to be able to remember yesterday doesn't mean any one is making up the news.
Go back and suckle on FOX...lord knows THEY never make anything up.
This is PRECISLEY the kind of thing that must be done on the federal level. This is akin to national defense. There is a reason why we don't have 50 navies and 50 air forces.
You mean "providing for the common defense" might include some kind of defense against natural disasters? Wow, what a concept.