Remember this, while you're cleaning up storm damage

[unclekage]

And keep it in mind when you're on your way to the polls next week.

Governor Mitt Romney, on Larry King Live, June 13, 2011

Comments

[pathia]

It's hard to find him directly saying it, but all the various statements taken as a whole seem to indicate he thinks FEMA should be privatized.

[oldhans117]

And he so worried about the debt but will not raise taxes on the super-wealthy to pay it down, it's been proven (again) in Europe that cutting the support for the common people out of the budget leads to a crashing economy.

But we live in the age of greed and all the news reporters are in the 1% and want their tax cuts as well.

[luagha]

I'd add the greed of the politicians for the power given them by the masses. The need to be seen as the giver of loot.

[anthrocoon]

Agreed about the overspending. We hand credit cards to the legislators who put us trllions in debt (though we can sell some of that to the Chinese). More inflation, less jobs, less revenue, then some of the things we NEED to do can't get accomplished. Who pays for all this...got a mirror? "The government big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take all you've got." Your money. Your freedom. Your life.

Meanwhile I know the Republicans take a lot of lumps from the younger generation (I am unenrolled in either party) but a few things in their defense:
--Lincoln and the Republicans who freed the slaves
--Martin L King Jr: A Republican
--Southern Democrats started the KKK.

[highwing]

Ah, yes - so worried about the world we're leaving our kids. But what about the here and now and the shattered communities left in the wake of natural disasters? Seems to me that would be pretty hard on "our kids" too, if no one's there to give them the proper helping hand in the form of relief aid. Or maybe Romney's just talking about his kids, and not anyone else's.

Bottom line, IMHO - if any society as affluent as our own installs a central government that refuses to respond to disasters and help the victims in the aftermath, then that society has something seriously wrong with it. And if the government isn't there to take care of its citizens in an emergency, then what the hell is it there for?

[ghostwolf]

Read the Constitution.
All the rest is tacked-on, superfluous enforcement of things we shouldn't need laws to accomplish, or stop.

[digoraccoon]

Well that's like building the frame of a house but refusing to "tack on" extras like walls and a roof. :)

[ghostwolf]

It used to be the Federal Gov't couldn't and didn't take a hand in disaster relief, and the states got along okay. Not fine or great, but okay - enough to get along.
Romney's thinking we can go back to that, but there's no way. Aside from the sheer scope of the problem, people are expecting the Fed to do for them what they should be able to do themselves, and so it won't happen.

I'm not advocating for Hypocrite Mitt. I'm just saying it's too late to go back to that self-reliant country. The world has moved on...

[panzier]

Indeed, the fed couldn't step in before until states had exhausted all resources, then they would declare a state of emergency and that would allow the process for federal help to begin. Now they declare an emergency days in advance before they've even filled one sandbag. I've been an emergency responder for 25 years and it does warm my heart to see folks helping themselves, helping neighbors and helping strangers without any thought of getting a payment.

I'm not saying everyone needs to run a chainsaw but there were folks driving around, handing out sandwiches and water to foks doing storm cleanup, they weren't paid by anyone.

I wonder if the context was disaster relief abroad? Its possible that foreign aid might need trimming or less free expendatures, Esp when most of the aid supplies never make it to those that need it.

[ghostwolf]

If so, he needs to clarify his statements; he'll be expected to as President.

[panzier]

Sorry Ghost, this seems to be politics as usual, take snips and clips and say, 'Look *he* kicks puppies' kl

[pogo101]

He doesn't say don't have governmental disaster aid, as you hope readers will infer. He says it shouldn't principally be federal.

And he's right. First responses are best given by responsible(*) local and then state governments, with assistance from state national guard units. FEMA and other assistance, with the possible exception of the USCG in coastal areas, is meant to support state and local efforts in most instances, not supplant them.

(*-- Unlike, say, New Orleans under Mayor "Don't Bother Evacuating" Nagin and Louisiana under Gov. Branco. It obviously makes matters hugely worse when local, state and FEMA leaders (Brown) are all incompetent. But that doesn't mean "Let's spend tons on FEMA first and relegate state and local needs for preparation.")

[kusanagi_sama]

You are right here. But the liberals only believe in federal control of everything and to them states shouldn't be allowed to do anything, except be dependent on the government, which is why they love having so many federal programs that take away from the states.