Watch: Mitt Romney Proposes Gutting FEMA and Leaving Disaster Relief to States

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

It amazes me how many people in this country just don't care about the wellbeing of their fellow countrymen. It's nothing I've ever experienced before and it's so off-putting. If you're suffering in this country, it's your own damn fault and nobody should "bail you out" ... horribly sad.

You miss the point. Romney wants to get rid of an organization known for failure and lavish spending, and keep the organizations that have successfully remediated disasters in the past.

Edited October 29, 2012 by The Patriot

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Katrina was, for the most part, handled horribly. However I don't think that means that Romney should gut disaster relief the way he proposes and just leave it to the states themselves.

It amazes me how many people in this country just don't care about the wellbeing of their fellow countrymen. It's nothing I've ever experienced before and it's so off-putting. If you're suffering in this country, it's your own damn fault and nobody should "bail you out" ... horribly sad.

Do you know who is responsible for providing most of the actual hands on disaster relief already. ?

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

A country of people who don't give a sh*t about anyone other than themselves. When THEY get screwed, then they want help.

A give a sh*T about people that try to help themselves. Ever read the story of the little red hen. If I cut back and save, maybe can't have that nice vacation because I save for the future and pay for my insurance, and you party and don't. That is your problem.

Good example. I have a couple working at my company. They had a really nice home, 2 top end cars, took a vacation to Italy, but they did not get the company health insurance because it was too expensive.. She came down with a female problem and had to have expensive surgery and shortly after that he had a heart attack. He had to have stints etc etc. Thier total bills were over 100,000. The Hospital wrote them off or most of it.

Now tell me, why they should not have had to sell the nice cars, have the house taken, etc etc. They could go live in a trailer for a few years until they paid the bill. I would not feel one ounce of remorse.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

You miss the point. Romney wants to get rid of an organization known for failure and lavish spending, and keep the organizations that have successfully remediated disasters in the past.

I don't miss the point at all. I'm reacting more to the responses on here than anything.

Thank goodness for those who still volunteer and donate their time/money/effort.

Edited October 29, 2012 by Evylin

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

You miss the point. Romney wants to get rid of an organization known for failure and lavish spending, and keep the organizations that have successfully remediated disasters in the past.

Rmoney better tell Christie all about this. Christie lives in the real world and knows how crucial FEMA and the support of the President is. He said so today very, very clearly. You'll see this replayed in 2016 when Christie runs for the nomination - his opponents will try and use that against him. Suspect that Christie will bury the tea party idiots.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Rmoney better tell Christie all about this. Christie lives in the real world and knows how crucial FEMA and the support of the President is. He said so today very, very clearly. You'll see this replayed in 2016 when Christie runs for the nomination - his opponents will try and use that against him. Suspect that Christie will bury the tea party idiots.

I imagine Christie hasn't had to deal with a disaster this size before, or FEMA. He will learn. He will learn to trust the Coast Guard, the National Guard Bureau, and the Corp of Engineers. He will learn to tell FEMA to STFU, get out of the way, and not forget to bring their checkbooks with them.

Edited October 30, 2012 by The Patriot

[Póg mo 1,749]

The FEMA flood insurance should go immediately. why should we subside rich people building homes at the beach. If you can't afford a private policy then don't build there.

My wife's home town in Northern Minnesota was washed away a couple of years ago, stupid people living there all forgot to tell their great grandparents not to build the town so close to the damn river.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Christie needs to take a shower and get some sleep as soon as he can. You can tell he was up all night. These things tend to get worse before they get any better.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

New York is a mess from those fires! Let's see how Bloomberg is handling himself. I got a friend from California hunkering down in Brooklyn with other friends. He hasn't checked in since yesterday morning.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I imagine Christie hasn't had to deal with a disaster this size before, or FEMA. He will learn.

2011, Irene. Google it. Christie praised FEMA then, too.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

2011, Irene. Google it. Christie praised FEMA then, too.

I think this is a bit bigger. And I don't see FEMA there looking over his shoulder. He said thanks for the Food and the Water, and an ambulance contract. I don't see him letting FEMA take the lead. He also thanked the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Edited October 30, 2012 by The Patriot

[SMOKE 1,426]

As Hurricane Sandy approaches the northeast United States, the left is attempting to politicize the storm, attacking Republican nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), for wanting to shift more responsibility for disaster relief from the federal government to the states.

They ignore the fact that President Barack Obama's proposal for the upcoming budget sequester would cut nearly $900 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including disaster relief, food and shelter, and flood management at both the federal and state levels.

The cuts, detailed on pages 94 through 96 of the White House's sequestration proposal, released in mid-September, show how far the Obama administration has been willing to go in order to preserve the idea of tax hikes on "millionaires and billionaires" rather than reaching a comprehensive grand bargain on deficit reduction that does not place additional burdens on the economy or essential services.

As Bob Woodward notes in his definitive account of the debt ceiling negotiations, such a bargain was within reach in July 2011, before President Obama destroyed it.

Obama's proposed cuts to FEMA include the following (emphasis added):

•Flood Hazard Mapping and Risk Analysis Program - $8 million

•State and Local Emergency Programs (non-defense) - $183 million

•State and Local Emergency Programs (defense) - $5 million

•United States Fire Administration and Training - $4 million

•Salaries and Expenses (non-defense) - $75 million

•Salaries and Expenses (defense) - $7 million

•Disaster Relief - $580 million

•Emergency Food and Shelter - $10 million

•Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program - $3 million

•National Pre-disaster Mitigation Fund - $3 million

These cuts likely underestimate the total cuts proposed to disaster relief functions, since the U.S. armed forces--subject to separate cuts in Obama's sequester proposals--frequently provide support to FEMA operations, as well as essential search and rescue services.

The White House sequestration proposal also warns: "The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s ability to respond to incidents of terrorism and other catastrophic events would be undermined."

While Romney and Ryan are merely proposing to shift some of the emergency functions to the states, or to balance further increases in FEMA funding with offsetting cuts in other discretionary spending, Obama has proposed actual cuts, at both the federal and state levels.

During the Third Presidential Debate, Obama attempted to blame Congress for introducing the idea of the sequester, and said that sequester cuts are "not going to happen." However, as Woodward notes, the sequester was Obama's idea, and he subsequently signed it into law in the Budget Control Act. In addition, Obama privately continues to tout the sequester as proof that he is capable of reducing the budget deficit.

What the left and the media are trying to do--once again--is to politicize a natural disaster. It is worth noting that Romney visited the regions affected by Hurricane Isaac in August long before Obama did. Obama, in fact, spent days campaigning elsewhere while the storm and its aftermath ravaged the Gulf Coast.

Only when he was shamed by Romney's example did Obama cancel campaign events and accelerate his trip to the region--three days after Romney had already been and gone.

Obama has also shown a singular disinterest in other natural disasters, from the earliest days of his presidency; his newfound interest is an election-season phenomenon.

It is precisely Obama's reckless spending and mismanagement that has placed FEMA in the budget-cutting crosshairs.

Democrats and their media allies would be well advised to train their criticism on the White House, which has already proposed sweeping and damaging cuts to FEMA that will soon take effect, rather than using Hurricane Sandy as yet another misguided attempt to use natural disasters to bash Republicans.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/10/29/Obama-s-Sequester-Slashes-Funds-for-FEMA-Flood-Management

[Ban Hammer 13,567]

one bait post removed along with one quoting.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

The Etch-a-Sketch candidate does it again....

Romney Now Claims 'Federal Government And FEMA' Should Help In Disaster Relief

After major disasters struck the U.S. last year, Mitt Romney suggested closing FEMA, the emergency response agency, so that states could have greater control over disaster relief. "And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that's even better," Romney said during a GOP presidential debate in June 2011.

Those words came back to haunt him, though, as Hurricane Sandy slammed the East Coast and left at least $20 billion in damage in its wake. At first, the Romney campaign vaguelystood by Romney's plan to get rid of FEMA and put states in charge of disaster relief. And one GOP strategist defended Romney's idea to dismantle FEMA. But as Politico notes, the Republican presidential candidate's campaign now insists that Romney would keep FEMA in place:

"

Gov. Romney believes that states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions

," Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said in a statement. "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.

"

A campaign official added that Romney would not abolish FEMA

.

Basically, this is exactly how the system works now. But federal emergency response could be hampered by the GOP ticket's budget proposals, which stipulate that the government should only disburse disaster relief funding if Congress agreed to offsetting budget cuts elsewhere. And House Republicans have repeatedly attempted to slash spending on disaster preparednessand response to offset cuts in military spending.

It is still unclear "what actions Congress will need to address the massive devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy" and whether Republicans would support providing greater federal aid to the states most devastated by the storm.

http://thinkprogress...ney-flips-fema/

Edited October 30, 2012 by Commie Appeaser

[james&olya 1,121]

I am not a supporter but I will take a wild guess. He will trickle it down to the state level and they will be forced to tax everyone more. That way he can say he did not raise taxes. The state did it.

And I always thought it was Texas.

I am sure Mitt will be more than happy to trickle on everyone beneath him. What I DON'T understand is why so many people are so eager to get Mitt p!ssing on them!