Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumRollingstone: Helpless in a Hurricane: Mitt Romney's Five Dumbest Budget Cuts
Helpless in a Hurricane: Mitt Romney's Five Dumbest Budget Cuts
The Republican challenger's policies would be disastrous for federal emergency relief efforts
By TIM DICKINSON
October 30, 2012 9:00
As Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast this week, the so-called "Frankenstorm" exposed the dark underbelly of Mitt Romney's plans to delegate core federal responsibilities to the states and to blindly impose a 5 percent, across-the-board budget cut to all discretionary programs "excluding military."
The true impact of a Romney presidency would be a federal government ill-equipped to coordinate a response to a regional natural disaster like this one, and agencies hobbled in their ability to provide storm forecasting, emergency housing even Superfund cleanup in the toxic aftermath of a storm.
Here are the five most damaging cuts that a President Romney would seek "on Day One" from the agencies that are essential for federal storm response:
1) FEMA: Cut $500 million
Romney's budget cut would slash Federal Emergency Management Agency funding by nearly half a billion dollars. And the Republican nominee has gone even farther, suggesting a far more radical plan for FEMA: disband it and throw its duties back to the states. Asked about the agency during an early GOP primary debate, Romney said that disaster relief was a state responsibility, and might even be privatized. "Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states," Romney said, "that's the right direction. And if you can go even further, and send it back to the private sector, that's even better."
2) NOAA: Cut $255 million
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is responsible for daily weather forecasts and severe storm warnings. It runs the National Weather Service and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service; those amazing pictures you've been seeing of Sandy from space are courtesy of NOAA. The agency also operates a "hurricane hunter" fleet of jets and turboprops that fly directly into hurricanes to measure their intensity. Most important: NOAA coordinates federal climate science investigating the links between global warming and severe weather events.
3) SuperFund: Cut $60 million
Sandy has already caused flooding of Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal, an EPA-designated "SuperFund" site contaminated with toxins ranging from PCBs to heavy metals to untreated sewage. Superfund cleanup is chronically underfunded, resulting in painfully slow remediation work. The agency is just getting around to funding cleanup of toxics stirred up by the monster tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri, in May 2011. And Mitt Romney wants to slash funding for this crucial work.
4) Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Cut $50 million
There were 16 nuclear power plants in the path of Hurricane Sandy. Enough said.
5) HUD: Cut $2.05 billion
The department of Housing and Urban Development rebuilds housing and restores neighborhoods in the aftermath of catastrophic storms. HUD spent more than $16 billion to help the Gulf Coast recover from Katrina in 2006. Under a Romney presidency, those efforts will be seriously hampered.
BONUS CHOPPING BLOCK
These cuts are just the beginning. On his website, Romney insists his aim is to wield a much heftier budget ax "capping non-security discretionary spending below 2008 levels." Who knows what other critical federal services he'd eliminate or drastically reduce?
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/helpless-in-a-hurricane-mitt-romneys-five-dumbest-budget-cuts-20121030
The Republican challenger's policies would be disastrous for federal emergency relief efforts
By TIM DICKINSON
October 30, 2012 9:00
As Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast this week, the so-called "Frankenstorm" exposed the dark underbelly of Mitt Romney's plans to delegate core federal responsibilities to the states and to blindly impose a 5 percent, across-the-board budget cut to all discretionary programs "excluding military."
The true impact of a Romney presidency would be a federal government ill-equipped to coordinate a response to a regional natural disaster like this one, and agencies hobbled in their ability to provide storm forecasting, emergency housing even Superfund cleanup in the toxic aftermath of a storm.
Here are the five most damaging cuts that a President Romney would seek "on Day One" from the agencies that are essential for federal storm response:
1) FEMA: Cut $500 million
Romney's budget cut would slash Federal Emergency Management Agency funding by nearly half a billion dollars. And the Republican nominee has gone even farther, suggesting a far more radical plan for FEMA: disband it and throw its duties back to the states. Asked about the agency during an early GOP primary debate, Romney said that disaster relief was a state responsibility, and might even be privatized. "Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states," Romney said, "that's the right direction. And if you can go even further, and send it back to the private sector, that's even better."
2) NOAA: Cut $255 million
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is responsible for daily weather forecasts and severe storm warnings. It runs the National Weather Service and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service; those amazing pictures you've been seeing of Sandy from space are courtesy of NOAA. The agency also operates a "hurricane hunter" fleet of jets and turboprops that fly directly into hurricanes to measure their intensity. Most important: NOAA coordinates federal climate science investigating the links between global warming and severe weather events.
3) SuperFund: Cut $60 million
Sandy has already caused flooding of Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal, an EPA-designated "SuperFund" site contaminated with toxins ranging from PCBs to heavy metals to untreated sewage. Superfund cleanup is chronically underfunded, resulting in painfully slow remediation work. The agency is just getting around to funding cleanup of toxics stirred up by the monster tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri, in May 2011. And Mitt Romney wants to slash funding for this crucial work.
4) Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Cut $50 million
There were 16 nuclear power plants in the path of Hurricane Sandy. Enough said.
5) HUD: Cut $2.05 billion
The department of Housing and Urban Development rebuilds housing and restores neighborhoods in the aftermath of catastrophic storms. HUD spent more than $16 billion to help the Gulf Coast recover from Katrina in 2006. Under a Romney presidency, those efforts will be seriously hampered.
BONUS CHOPPING BLOCK
These cuts are just the beginning. On his website, Romney insists his aim is to wield a much heftier budget ax "capping non-security discretionary spending below 2008 levels." Who knows what other critical federal services he'd eliminate or drastically reduce?
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/helpless-in-a-hurricane-mitt-romneys-five-dumbest-budget-cuts-20121030
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
1 replies, 870 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (13)
ReplyReply to this post
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Rollingstone: Helpless in a Hurricane: Mitt Romney's Five Dumbest Budget Cuts (Original Post)
flpoljunkie
Oct 2012
OP
Lucinda
(31,170 posts)1. Thanks! Glad to have this to point people to...