Why did the GOP cut FEMA cut to point of being totally ineffective?

[Up2Late]

If you want to read a good time line of how we got to where we are now, check out this article:
<http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2004-09-28/cover_story.html>

Or for some highlights of that article, check out his post: <http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2075395&mesg_id=2075395>

To quote PRI's "Marketplace" show, "The Hurricane has kicked off a Federal Contracting Gold Rush, just like Iraq...," and with Federal Contracting rules suspended, and the Fair Wage Law "temporarily" waved, what was the REAL reason FEMA was dismantled to the point of total ineffectiveness?

[xray s]

1. # 3 and...

...they were HOPING for a major hurricane to hit NOLA

Kaa ching!

[Mass]

2. They crippled it because they hate all gov programs that dont profit them

If they could shut it down, they would (may be that could be option 3, but I am not sure).

[LiberalVoice]

3. #3

I dont give them enough credit to say they even thought about what implications a hurricane would have on the region. They simply destroyed it to make money for their buds.

[mcctatas]

4. I think Grover Norquist (evil black hearted fuck-wad) was just dreaming

of a disaster that they could mis-manage to prove that FEMA should be privatized, and he sold bushco on his master plan. Lucky for him, NOLA was full of poor whites and minorities (aka NOT repukes).

[gumby]

7. Grover's Wet Dream

[ProudDad]

5. It was an easy target

If they had their way they would completely shut down:

Department of Agriculture (Except to subsidize
corporate agri-business)
Department of Education
Department of Energy (Except Nuclear Weapons)
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Labor
Department of Transportation
Department of Veterans Affairs

------------------------------------

They only want to keep:

Department of Homeland Security
Department of Justice (Big Brother)
(Of course they would close down the Civil Rights
and Labor law enforcement divisions)
Department of State (Although they might fold it
under the Dept. of Defense)
Department of the Interior (to sell off the trees and
resources currently owned by the "public" once that's
done, shut it down!)
Department of the Treasury (They LOVE this place)
Department of Commerce (This one TOO)
Department of Defense (War, War, War, WE FUCKIN own all
your stuff and we're gonna take it!)

------------------------------------

Check it out at: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/Executive/Executive_Agencies/

See if you could guess which ones the regressive-right-wing would want to keep and which they would like to "drown in a bathtub".

[ProudDad]

6. Because they HATE the Federal Government

See my other post.

[Up2Late]

8. kick n/t

:kick:

[DuaneBidoux]

9. Other. See Krugman's recent column. Their goal is to do whatever they...

can to make government look ineffective and incompetent because they wish people to begin believing that government "is the problem."

[trof]

10. 2 is pretty close.

Repugs have always considered it to be an "entitlement" program.
They don't like those.

[West Coast Democrat]

11. Because poor people are expendable in their minds

[OnionPatch]

12. Other

While I'm sure they saw all the contracts ahead of time, I believe they wanted to make the federal govt. look ineffective so they could use it as an excuse to "drown it in the bathtub" like they've been wanting to do for so long.

[leesa]

13. Privatization $$$$$

[Dulcinea]

14. Other

Because all the FEMA money has gone to Boy George's oil war.

Nothing left for the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama.