Comments on: OK, You Got What You Wanted

By: casey

casey — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 00:56:02 +0000

Fema was fine before Bush and his crony style of leadership fucked it all up. I guess that’s what happens when you put party before country. I voted for him in 2000. Big mistake. I have voted for many republican as well as dems. I didn’t think Bush would be such a “Fuck the Poor” libertarian in republican clothes. I can’t believe the administrator of this blog isn’t happier about getting to realize his libertarian dream. The bottom line is that half the country wants it one way the other half wants it their way. It’s always been this way. Burr shot and killed Hamilton remember. If we could compromise we COULD HAVE an extremely efficient small govt that wasn’t on your back but that had your back. Heres the kicker. It would need to be staffed with professionals that have experience and can actually do the job. It’s not a liberal idea to give people a free ride or a free pay check for the rest of their lives. It is a liberal idea to help those who do seek a better life find it. Sorry to say that’s not on the libertarian or republican agenda, and barely on the Democratic agenda. Some of these people we are talking have nothing. I hear alot about private sector this private sector that. What is the federal govt if its not the private sector. Are we not the federal govt.? Why are some people openly trying to make the fed govt.weak? Do they knock down their whole house when a lightbulb goes out or a pipe under the sink breaks? I think not.

By: Max Lybbert

Max Lybbert — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 21:14:19 +0000

I agree w/ the original article. Yes, the government has a role in the aftermath of serious disasters, but it’s pretty apparent that the role government has tried to play isn’t helpful. It ought to look at being a great facilitator instead of a great provider.

By: kaspit

kaspit — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 20:43:43 +0000

Respectfully disagree. Arguments against classical welfare liberalism don't carry over artfully against FEMA type role. Emergency response issues easily cross many local jurisdictions due to pipelines, transportation grid, scope of hazmat emergencies, multi-state aspect of hurricanes, etc, plus the capacity of some problems to incapacitate/overwhelm local/state abilities.

So, large-scale emergencies do require a good federal agency. You should consider how much FEMA was messed up, both w/priorities and staffing, by budget cuts and being swallowed up under the DHS mission (anti-terrorism).

I've tried to cover some of these points in my posts, though I admittedly don't do the subject justice. Take care, respectfully,

Kaspit

By: spectregunner

spectregunner — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 17:23:56 +0000

I'm working from often faulty memory cells here, but I seem to recall that stories went around after hurricane andrew about the heavy-handedness of the FEMA bureaucracy.

One story I heard, but never sought to validate, was that if you went into a shelter you had to turn in your identification (such as driver's license) and they would "hold" it for you. In doing so, you either lost the right to come and go as you pleased, or your rights were severely curtailed.

Based on that, the superdonme was "deja vu all over again"