Get rid of FEMA? It was fine until Bush showed up.

[Neil Lisst]

Like the problem is an entity, instead of the people running it.

If you take Republican hacks and put them in charge of government, guess what? It's going to suck hard. It won't run. It will do what FEMA has done.

Memo to Senator Collins: NOTHING is running well in federal government, not just FEMA. The problem is YOUR party that runs things.

[fishnfla]

1. Correction: it was fucked up under the last Bush too

re: Andrew.

Clinton fixed it

[BrotherBuzz]

6. To Clinton's credit he appointed James Lee Witt

Witt fixed FEMA.

[gatorboy]

7. And Carter created the program..

I had heard grumbling for awhile about the Neo-Cons trying to find ways to dismantle the program. Splicing it with homeland security was only the beginning...

[Roland99]

2. Worked just fine under James Lee Witt.

[madmunchie]

3. I know, take a functional department meant to help people and destroy it

This makes me sick and right before hurricane season starts again. What the Hell is going on? Why isn't the media talking about how * leadership gutted an effective agency designed to help people during their greatest time of need?

[Sapere aude]

4. Gutting federal programs is one of the reason repukes want power.

The other reason is to take the money, that use to be spent on programs for all of us, for themselves. They only talk about the first reason.

[CottonBear]

5. FEMA: created by Carter to be independent w/ cabinet level director.

We should demand that FEMA be restored both in funding and staffing (all professional people-no hacks or shills)to its original form and function.

[Neil Lisst]

8. And Collins scapegoated Brownie, of course.

what bullshit

[Divernan]

9. Not just put in charge, Albaugh's charge was to close it down.

Bush's campaign manager and Texas chief of staff was given the Cabinet level post of director of FEMA, with the charge to close it down. The political philosophy of the Bush puppeteers was that if you couldn't afford to take care of yourself in an emergency, you deserved whatever fate handed you. It's the survival of the richest. "Everyone I talk to at the Country Club has insurance - they don't need help" Albaugh immediately began harassing and abusing every FEMA professional with whom he came in contact. At that point, nearly every professional civil servant who had enough time in to take their fed. pension left, as did many others, who went to work for state and local emergency agencies. Then 9/11 happened and they couldn't publicly close FEMA down. So they put it under DHS and began raping FEMA for personnel slots and budgets, which got "transferred" from
FEMA's budget and disappeared into some goddamn black hole in DHS.

When Katrina hit, there were 900 unfilled job slots at FEMA. That's at least 20 percent of their manpower. And Katrina was far and away the biggest disaster to ever hit this country. We needed FEMA at full strength, with experienced, qualified management. Another shitty thing the Bush admin. did was put not only the standard layer of political appointees at the top, they also stacked the midlevel management with equally inexperienced people - often kids/relatives of big donors - again with no experience but starting right out at GS 12. But of course the GOP cannot admit how fucked up all the federal agencies, including FEMA have been while they have had total control in DC. When are they going to rename the EPA and the Dept. of Education?

[tridim]

10. Are they trying to privatize FEMA?

Maybe Halliburton is planning to open an "emergency management" division.

[mmonk]

11. It's failure was deliberate.

It's considered a government solutuion. The people in New Orleans and other gulf areas were denied adequate help and attention on purpose. Then they could say. "see how government fails you? It's a useless government program that needs to be abolished".

[Jigarotta]

12. they may be making the problem so private business can fix it up.

who was it that said Government ought to be drowned in a bathtub....

well, they're drowning themselves so the corporatists lifeguards can save them, at a nice price, of course.

[johnaries]

13. Anybody remember what Bushit said during the 2000 debates?

"I've got to pay the administration a compliment -- James Lee Witt of FEMA has done a really good job of working with governors during times of crisis. "

[Neil Lisst]

15. oh, but don't forget the HORROR of Al Gore mentioning the wrong FEMA

guy when he was talking about a trip after a hurricane

[central scrutinizer]

14. It worked "fine" in swing states prior to elections

Look back at Florida in 2004

http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=3603

and all of the assets they had in place PRIOR to Frances even making landfall and it was no where near as powerful or dangerous as Katrina. Of course, Jebbie is guv, it was aiming at white neighborhoods and there was an election to steal.

[spanone]

16. Bush* Cronyism fucked it up...where's the outrage? Just shut it down.

[ninkasi]

17. I wouldn't trust a doctor who hated practicing medicine...

Why do people continue to vote for people who claim to hate government, and that the government is the problem? Of course, with Republicans, unless they can profit personally from the taxpayer, they just run departments into the ground. FEMA was fine under James Lee Witt. Look at the massive screw-ups in Iraq, because Halliburton was awarded fat no-bid contracts to do what the military had done previously.

Everything Bush and his Republican vultures touch is damaged. The only things that work according to their plan is the massive transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top. Typical of them, though, they break something, then expect somebody else to clean up the mess.

[Maddy McCall]

18. The problem is nepotism and cronyism. Get rid of Bush...

and his ilk, and the problem will be resolved.

[DoYouEverWonder]

19. Oh there's a solution

let's just have nothing at all. At least we won't have to kid ourselves anymore.