Gov. Purdue`asks Obama to declare state of emergency

[wilt the stilt]

Source: Atlanta Journal and Constitution

Gov. Sonny Perdue on Tuesday asked President Obama to declare a state of emergency in the wake of near-record flooding in the state.
Related Metro stories »


Perdue said this week's flood levels may match or exceed levels recorded on Jan. 9, 1946, the established record.

The governor said he hopes for a decision by the end of Tuesday and is expecting "some level of federal reimbursement." He said the state "will do everything in its power physically and fiscally to help flood victims.

Read more: http://www.ajc.com/news/perdue-asks-obama-to-143933.html

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Not so fast. Georgia is especially hard on free government handouts. I think this is a free government handout. Georgians should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and this is coming from someone who lives in GA. Why should the good taxpayers from the north bailout the south.
comments Rep. Linder and`Price

[Myrina]

1. ... is he a secessionist? Does he think Obama is a socialist?

... then he better think twice about the role of "Big Gubmint" in the bad times, not just the good.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

50. Who cares if he does. I don't know.

But I do know there are real people hurting who need help and they shouldn't be punished just because they may (or may not) have elected an idiot.

[Zorra]

53. Why, I do declare, Wouldn't the conservative governor of Georgia rely on private charity

helping the people of Georgia, rather than that nasty ol' big gubmint in Washington coming to the rescue? Maybe the Teabaggers could pitch in and pay for it all, rather than forcing a good republican governor to rely on the nasty socialist policies and services those Democrats are always coming up with to help people in trouble.

[Myrina]

60. +10

:applause:

[onehandle]

2. Republican hack Governor asks for American's tax money for socialist bailout.

Sonny sucks.

[bluestateguy]

3. Fine. But bypass Perdue entirely.

You small government Republicans want federal help? Fine, but you are going to do it our way. FEMA is in charge, and state authorities must do as they are told.

[Cha]

44. Sounds about right..and this FEMA doesn't have heckava job

brownie in charge.

[Bigmack]

4. "Git the Fed'l gummint offa mah back." nt

[MidwestTransplant]

5. Was he one of the governors talking secession?

[Hawkeye-X]

6. First, destroy your Diebold machines, and resign, effective immediately

and take Chambliss and Isaacson with you.

Hawkeye-X

[TroglodyteScholar]

52. AMEN

None of those clowns would be in office if it wasn't for their magic voting boxes.

[high density]

7. Oh no no, can't have disaster recovery

That would be socialism. I wouldn't want to force the Gov to accept such a thing.

[damntexdem]

24. Bring Rep. Steven King in as a consultant on whether or not to grant relief to GA.

Hey, Perdue couldn't very well object to a conservative GOP rep as such a consultant, could he? ;-)

[Cha]

45. Especially one like steve king from Iowa whose proudest

moment was denying Relief to Katrina Victims.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6605709

[T Wolf]

8. Just ONCE, I wish the Dems would call out this hypocrisy and deny a red state the

socialist aid they demand.

Let them pull themselves up by their own god-damned bootstraps.

Of course, they are probably weighted down by by their shotguns and Klan robes. Drowning seems too good for them...

[Cha]

46. I'm thinking about the people of Geogia..

not ol rotgut sonny.

[TroglodyteScholar]

55. Are THEY?

I was among the "people of Georgia," and the best solution to that problem was to relocate. If the people of Georgia are so deserving of help, why don't they help themselves and boot that asshole out of office?

[Cha]

56. Maybe that will happen someday but

in the meantime people in Georgia are hurting.

[TroglodyteScholar]

54. Just once?

I think congressional Democrats should identify the 10 red states with the governors who bitch the most about big government...then cut their federal moneys to zero. And, although it's been said tongue-in-cheek here several times, the official justification should be that the federal government is sensitive to the demands of the nation's governors and will, as a result, plan to use federal dollars in a manner agreeable to those governors' respective ideologies.

I know, I know...what about the good Dems in those states? I say take charge of your own destiny and get these assholes out of office...or, quite simply, MOVE! I used to BE a liberal in Gerogia--I finally got some sense and moved to a blue state. Honestly, it's like night and day--anyone with a lick of sense who is still sticking it out in these hell-holes should really do themselves a favor and get out of there.

[tXr]

65. Some of us can't afford to move from the so called 'red state hell-holes'.

You ASSume a hell of a lot when you say that 'good Dems should just move'. Well, a lot of 'good Dems' can't afford to.

[RebelOne]

68. I, for one, do not want to move from this red state hell-hole of Georgia.

I love it here. And nothing could be worse than the hell-hole of South Florida where I lived most of my life before moving to Georgia in 1989.

[TroglodyteScholar]

70. There was a time that I couldn't afford to, either...

Having seen what I've seen now, I think being jobless here would be better than doing a shit job to make ends meet down there.

Sorry if I offended you, but you are never without options.

[Thothmes]

57. That right, for a political point, you are willing to allow

thousands of poor and minority citizens (most of whom are Democratic in philosophy) go down the shitter because you feel that it is necessary to try and stick it to a Republican Govenor. Bet that was the GWB felt about the folks in New Orleans. This type of Freeper mentality will do more to destroy a
Liberal Democratic agnda a whole hell of a lot faster than anything the Republican party can cook up. JMO.

[Doctor_J]

58. What Liberal Democratic agenda?

I didn't know there was one.

Anything that increass the chances of a fool like Purdue being booted from office is good, IMO

[Thothmes]

61. Would think that issues such as Healthcare

reform, banking reregulation ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan sort of fit.

[Doctor_J]

63. You think the half-assed HC "reform" and anti-war protests will be jeopardized

by calling out this blowhard anti-american Southern governor on his hypocrisy? Here's a clue: no one is listening to our anti-war talk anyway, and real health care has already been taken off the table and replaced with health insurance reform.

[tXr]

66. I just love the 'liberal tolerance' shown here on this hate site.

No different than the 'compassionate conservatism' on display at Free Republic.

2 sides of the same coin.

And you, T Wolf, are a hater.

[yellowcanine]

9. Why doesn't he ask Gov. Sanford of S. Carolina and Gov. Perry of Texas for help?

Secessionists need to stick together.

[Devil Child]

10. Declare a state of emergency...

...and the next thing you know, all the yahoos will scream conspiracy theories about President Obama and FEMA camps.

[wicket]

11. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[Devil Child]

12. Thanks!

[Hosnon]

13. Excuse me folks: Don't let your ideology and disdain for some in this state blind you

to what is going on in and around Atlanta.

People may need real help. And I doubt all or even most of them are secessionists (and I'm not sure that would really matter).

[wickerwoman]

15. Nobody is seriously suggesting not helping.

They're just pointing on the hypocrisy of the governor and the GOP in general when it comes to disaster relief and "big government handouts".

They don't want to pay a penny for anyone else, but expect a big fat check every time they get in trouble.

[Hosnon]

18. You sure? For liberals, DUers can be quite spiteful. nt.

[wickerwoman]

20. Yes.

Quote me one person on this thread who is seriously suggesting not helping.

[Hosnon]

22. Try T Wolf's.

And regardless if anyone is serious, the attitude expressed in this thread is inappropriate when people are dying.

[wickerwoman]

34. Well, I think the attitude expressed by the GOP

for the past 20 years re: disaster relief, taxes and federal funding for desperately needed programs is a hell of a lot more than inappropriate, it's obscene.

I'm sorry, but it pisses me, and many other DUers off, that the GOP has been getting away with this bald-faced hypocrisy for *years* and that it's the people in their states that suffer for it the most.

I'm also sorry if you're misinterpreting that anger as being somehow directed against the people who are suffering. In fact it is the opposite.

[Hosnon]

36. Thanks. I don't think posters here would deny aid to those who need it.

But the situation is serious, people are dying, and Southern DUers have to put up with a bunch of crap...all of which influence my take on this.

[DFW]

25. Don't take all of this stuff too seriously

No one here would ever consider refusing help to people in dire need of assistance. It's just the irony of
a Republican Governor who has expressed his disdain for "libbruls," Obama and his "big government socialism"
etc. etc. suddenly crying for help when he is forced to remember that there is, too a good reason to have
a competently functioning Federal Government, well funded by taxpayer dollars, ready and willing to help out
in such emergency situations. There may be a good reason as well not to waste those resources invading countries
that pose no military or political threat to us, so that we have enough at our disposal in case a natural disaster
should strike, say, someplace like Georgia.

It's all sarcasm and irony. It must pain Perdue horribly to ask Obama for help, and it's his pain that people are
laughing at, not a few hundred thousand Georgians in dire need. Don't think for a second Obama would hold back on
needed help just because Georgia's governor is an asshole. He won't punish the people of Georgia for a lapse in
judgment at the polls. He's no Bush.

By the way, wasn't it some Georgia pol who was out there doing some Indian rain dance to the Lord hoping for rain?
He should be celebrating. His prayers were answered. Too bad he forgot to include an off button.

[Hosnon]

27. Even if it's not serious, it's inappropriate.

People have died and more probably will. DUers should try their best not to show their asses.

And it was Perdue himself who held the prayer for rain.

[DFW]

41. I thought it was Perdue, but I didn't remember for sure

And I'm busy doing work here, and didn't bother to look it up. Thanks for the confirmation.

As for DUers showing their asses, look I get flack just for being from Texas, but I know full well it isn't directed
at me or just normal Texans, for that matter. I don't remember people showing schadenfreude over Katrina even though
it wasted LA and MS, not exactly progressive bastions themselves. I don't think DU people had any difficulty letting
their hearts go out to the suffering people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, while blasting the response of Bush and
Barbour, and mocking all the putrescence flowing our of their mouths at the time.

[LanternWaste]

26. Ofttimes it's quite easy to for a person...

Ofttimes it's quite easy to for a person to confuse someone else's visceral and rather inconsequential reaction for a serious, well thought-out opinion stating precisely where they actually stand on an issue.

[Hosnon]

30. Sure it is. But how many posting here would say the same thing to the

mother and grandmother of the child who died in the flooding?

[LanternWaste]

42. I imagine that few to no DU'ers would allow themselves

I imagine that few to no DU'ers would allow themselves to engage a visceral reaction were victims present. And as a message board is a rather appropriate place to allow those very reactions to flow without worry of consequence or hurt, I usually give it little more credence than due...

[wickerwoman]

14. Snicker at my volcano monitoring? Fuck you and your flood.

Aren't we all glad to be living in neocon America?

Seriously though, the bald-faced hypocrisy is just stunning. These are the same fuckers who mock Katrina victims and people whose homes were destroyed in mudslides and fires in California for "building homes where people just shouldn't live".

[Hosnon]

16. Back at you. DUers are absolute morons sometimes. nt.

[wickerwoman]

17. Try reading more than the headline

before you start calling people "morons".

[Hosnon]

19. I did. nt.

[wickerwoman]

21. Then what do you think this means?

"Aren't we all glad to be living in neocon America?"

[Hosnon]

23. I assume that was just usual blather. Like "truth to power", etc. nt.

[wickerwoman]

29. Hmm...

So if you don't understand what something means, it must be "blather". Got it. That's not an attitude that's going to take you very far in life, I hope you understand.

Likewise, sarcasm doesn't seem to be your forte, so let's try it in plainly:

Look, I'm really sorry there's a flood in Atlanta. I am happy to pay taxes to bail you guys out, this time.

I think it sucks that Georgia in general (which elected Purdue) doesn't want to pay taxes to bail me out when I'm in trouble. I think it's hypocritical.

I think it's likewise hypocritical to complain about socialism and big government and then the second you need money coming running up with your hands out.

If you want federal bailouts, stop bitching every time someone else needs them. Stop complaining about big government and paying taxes for anything. You can't have it both ways. But since the average neocon (that's short for "neo-conservative", meaning a "new Republican") has the attention span of a gnat, it's important to seize these teachable moments, even at the risk of offending the good citizens of Atlanta who know better than to elect jackasses like Purdue.

Peace out.

[Hosnon]

31. Thanks for the lecture.

You lost me here:

"Georgia in general ... doesn't want to pay taxes to bail me out when I'm in trouble." Not only can you not possibly know if that is true, but if you could, you'd likely find that it isn't true. Georgians, despite your prejudice, are not "in general" assholes.

And, by the way, the entire state elects the Governor, not just Atlantans.

[wickerwoman]

35. It's statistically true.

If more than 50% of the voting population didn't feel that way, they wouldn't have elected Purdue. Which I said quite clearly in the part of my quote you just blocked out.

I did not say that Georgians in general are assholes. I said that "in general" (i.e. more than 50%) of them elected an asshole.

[Hosnon]

37. That's nutty.

Perdue didn't run on one issue: "Not paying taxes to bail others out when they're in trouble."

Perdue's believing a certain way on one particular issue certainly doesn't mean that everyone who voted for him agrees.

[Gedankenaustausch]

40. I agree with your point.

I think it's in bad taste to make jokes about politics when people are dying, homeless, etc. Just because the neocons made jokes about Katrina doesn't mean liberals get to poke fun now. Decency and respect towards those who need help shouldn't be partisan. But, I also agree with wickerwoman that no one is seriously saying not to support the state. But, I still think the comments of some on here are a bit over the top.

[Ruby the Liberal]

28. Well, I hope they ask in a humble manner.

[TygrBright]

32. Buh-buh-but... Are they askin' the eeeevul soshlist commie nazi FEDERAL GUMMINT to help out? n/t

[Critters2]

33. So, the governor of Georgia is a Socialist? Hmm. Who'd a thunk? nt

[Vinca]

38. Government is eeeeeeevil . . . until you need it.

[Politicub]

39. I live here, and the hypocrisy by our state gov't is maddening

The people the floods are impacting may or may not be supportive of the state government, but the irony of Porky Pig Purdue asking for a handout is sad.

The cynical side of me would like for the fedgov to deny funding, but there's a lot of people who lost everything and are hurting. If there was a way to get help to individuals, that would be better IMHO.

[Doctor_J]

64. No one wants the people to go unhelped

What we would like is for Sonny and the two hate-spewing congressmen to apologize for their anti-American lies and then thank us after we rescue their constituents.

[Cha]

43. WTF, sonny?!! I want us to help Georgia but sonny's

got some 'splaining to do.

Sonny's all about dissing the US Government until he needs help? Mea Culpa Time, sonny.

[Piewhacket]

47. Parable of the two men on a sinking boat.

Parable of the two men on a sinking boat.

Ahem... two men stand in the sinking boat arms flailing
in signal to the coast guard cutter nearby.

the coast guard first mate peers into the storm and says
"I know these men, one is most deserving and the other most
undeserving. what should be done captain?"

The captain considered and spoke, "We must rescue both,
for if rescue is only for the deserving,
then what hope would we have if we flounder".

[KamaAina]

48. It wasn't all that long ago that Gov. Perdue (R-Naturally) was praying for rain.

seeing as how Georgia was then in the grip of a drought.

So now that it's raining, you'd think Perdue would be taking credit for this, wouldn't you? :shrug:

[Doctor_J]

49. I'm sorry, Sonny. If we send money, your people will be worshipping Marx by Halloween

We can't set GA on the slippery slope toward Maoism.

[TroglodyteScholar]

51. I used to live in Georgia, and I think...

...Sonny should just ask all his fine conservative constituents to PRAY for the rain to end. There's absolutely no good reason to bring BIG GOVERNMENT into this situation and make it messier....

[Odin2005]

59. Wow, the inhuman vindictiveness in this thread is sickening.

:puke:

[tXr]

67. It is. DU is a hate site.

[wilt the stilt]

62. Since I started this thread here is my 2 cents

Most of the areas hit the worst are actually very republican. That being said it has been a tragedy. Most of the people don't have insurance and will be devastated. I hope that the government will give them low cost loans to rebuild.
I live on top of a hill so I wasn't affected but it was incredible how much it rained. As bad as Sonny is it is really Tom Price and John Linder and the congressman who are the utter assholes. My congressman is John Linder and I worked on Doug Heckman's campaign against him. My daughter went to school with Doug's son since kindergarten. Doug is in Iraq and is considering running again in 2010. He and his family are terrific people. If he runs please support him.
I recently went to the healthcare meeting with Tom price and john Linder. What a fiasco and what a pair of jerks.

[DebbieCDC]

69. I guess when Sonny held his pray-in for rain over the summer

the gods finally decided to give him what he asked for.