Nation's Top Weather Officials Resign

[n2doc]

Nation's Top Weather Officials Resign
Saturday, May 19, 2007

(05-19) 11:52 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
One day after its hurricane forecasters complained of budget cuts, the head of the National Weather Service and his deputy announced they will retire next month.
David Johnson, the director, and John Jones, the deputy director, plan to bow out at the end of June, according to an internal memo they sent Friday to staff of the nation's weather agency.
On Thursday, the AP reported that the director of the Miami-based National Hurricane Center, which is part of the weather service, believes the government is wasting millions of dollars on advertising while shortchanging his hurricane forecasters' budget.
Bill Proenza, the center's director, said in an interview that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the parent of the weather service, is spending up to $4 million to publicize its 200th anniversary while cutting $700,000 for hurricane research. A NOAA spokesman said the agency plans to spend $1.5 million.
The day after that report, the weather service's top two officials, Johnson and Jones, announced their resignations to staff, but did not mention Proenza's criticisms.
Johnson has been head of the weather service since 2004 and formerly was a brigadier general in the Air Force. He told co-workers that the agency faces many challenges but his job has been "a superbly fulfilling opportunity."
Their departures were first reported by the Miami Herald.
NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher thanked Johnson and Jones for their service.
Lautenbacher said he is naming assistant administrator Mary Glackin as acting head of the weather service and Vickie Nadolski, director of the service's western region, as acting assistant administrator.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/19/national/w115225D05.DTL

[kurth]

1. Bush to nominate Global Cooling theorist

as replacement.

[tabasco]

2. Republicans want to privatize the Weather Service.

Then we would have to pay for weather reports.

I'm sure the "have-mores" wouldn't be bothered.

[n2doc]

3. You are correct except the have mores will use this as a way to enrich themselves

Bushco would have mercenary weather forecasters who would provide forecasts for a price to the big multinationals, hedge fund managers and agribiz. Of course, taxpayers would subsidize the expensive stuff like satellites. And Average Joe would get "fox weather lite" with lots of inspirational stories about animal resources after tornado's. insert 5 dollars for a current radar map, please.

Seriously, this all looks exactly like the rest of bushco's global warming denial plan. Get rid of the funding and hope that no-one notices the lack of forecasting. Then when a hurricane hits, well, all the problems are the fault of "looters" and "dumb poor people who wouldn't leave" :puke:

[shireen]

4. that was my first reaction too!

Starve the beast!

those bastards ... they don't get it. LIVES are at stakes.
:grr: :grr: :grr:

[madrchsod]

7. they tried that a few years ago...

[soothsayer]

5. * is mad at them ever since they caused Katrina

[NoPasaran]

6. All part of Darth Cheney's plan

To control the weather.
:tinfoilhat: