Would Romney Gut FEMA? (Leftist's Last Gasp Attack)

Forbes ^ | 10/29/2012 | John McQuaid

[comebacknewt]

Getting a clear policy statement from the Romney campaign is pretty hopeless, and his statements on the Federal Emergency Management Agency are no exception.

Yesterday the Huffington Post dug up a clip from a Republican primary debate in which Mitt Romney agreed it was a good idea to turn all of FEMA’s disaster response functions over to the states. Coming in the teeth of Hurricane Sandy, this was inconvenient, so today the Romney campaign has backpedaled a bit: “Gov. Romney believes that states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions,” Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said in a statement. “As the first responders, states are in the best position to aid affected individuals and communities, and to direct resources and assistance to where they are needed most. This includes help from the federal government and FEMA.”

Alas, this says nothing. It is a boilerplate statement of FEMA’s existing mission. FEMA is set up to coordinate disaster response between federal, state, and local governments and private entities. State governments are always in the driver’s seat in disasters, backed up by federal resources.

So, that’s good, right? Well, only in the sense that abolishing FEMA is not an official Romney position. In effect, there is no Romney position on FEMA and disasters at all. Which is, in an era of mega-disasters, President Romney will quickly find not a good thing.

[comebacknewt]

It now seems clear this will be the attack the leftists / MSM will use against Romney and Ryan from now until election day.

It has the potential to cost us votes. We might as well decide how to counter this to our liberal friends right now.

[FlingWingFlyer]

He can’t “gut” FEMA! He’s going to need them to clean up that disaster ****hole called Washington D.C. after we flush all of the ‘RATS out of that joint.

[Carry_Okie]

Would Romney gut FEMA?

I wish he would. Since when was the Federal government supposed to act as an emergency service provider, especially for disasters within a State? Without FEMA the insurance industry would be forced to invest in a new disaster mitigation industry that would actually be accountable to customers and wouldn't possess emergency powers that are a serious threat to my liberty.

[PGR88]

It would be best to eliminate a whole bunch of departments and agencies all at once.

Might as well go big.

Also, you can also show “compromise” by keeping 1-2.

RATS are going to complain anyway, whether 1 gets axed, or whether it is 8.

[DesertRhino]

And FEMA is the federal skeleton of any martial law implementation. FEMA should be one target, then the creepy Nazi named Homeland Security Dept.
They now have about the same manpower as the USMC, and twice the budget. And they are aimed right at us.

[GeronL]

they are getting stupid desperate

[Nifster]

we can only hope that this useless redundant agency is gutted

[cripplecreek]

Federal Emergency Mammary Analog.

Gut em.

[NoLibZone]

Man I hope he guts FEMA.

Or teach the democrats how powerful FEMA is.

[MacMattico]

When my dad was Mayor of a small city in upstate NY, and we had a HUGE ice storm, and our area was declared a national disaster area, he had things up and running long before any federal or state relief arrived. This issue has to do with fiscal responsibility, too— he had made sure money was available for such emergencies by balancing budgets and actually having a rainy day fund. FEMA eventually reimbursed, but really did no heavy lifting. FEMA had no knowledge of local characteristics, people, water supply or structures. My dad and other locals had plans in place covering every contingency based on local needs.

[moehoward]

"FEMA should be one target, then the creepy Nazi named Homeland Security Dept."

I'd dump DHS first. The amount of overlap between DHS, FBI, State Police even some larger city PDs, is ridiculous, and an incredible waste of money.

[Mygirlsmom]

How about this?

Obama's Sequester Proposal Slashes Funds for FEMA, Disaster Relief

[papertyger]

Romney turned me into a NEWT!

[HiTech RedNeck]

“Oh, I always was for more resources for FEMA.”

[Mygirlsmom]

You’ll get better!!

[hosepipe]

Federal FEMA officers are a waste of money..
Like Federal Dept. of Education employees..
and a whole range of other federal employees..

A state sens $100 to the Feds they send back $10..
$90 is wasted.. down a black hole.. sometimes a black-brown-white hole..

[Smokin' Joe]

So that explains the hype around Hurricane Sandy. Now push the 'anti-FEMA' meme at Romney and Ryan and try to bend the Northeast away from voting for them.

While a nasty storm (with the usual hazards that involves), Sandy is not another Katrina, but it sure is getting the publicity.

[Candor7]

Should Romney gut FEMA?>>>>>>>>>>>

Unless FEMA can explain why it owns three tiered railway cars in plenty, that are equipped with shackles designed for human beings, it most definitely needs to be gutted. Concentration camps for political prisoners are not
in the best interests of we,The People.

http://unitedtruthseekers.com/profiles/blogs/fema-ordered-102000-boxcars?xg_source=facebookshare

http://www.lookupfellowship.com/2009/07/train-prison-cars.html

These boxcars for humans are manufactured by the Gunderson Corporation of Portland, Oregon, under US Government contract ( 102,000 of them?).

And the left is upset that Romney will gut FEMA? EFF THEM!!!

[Senator Goldwater]

You knew this was coming.

But since we are talking hurricane politics, consider that the worst hit thus far are all blue states: NJ, NY, DE, MD, CT.

Electoral effect on Romney: Near zero.

Two swing states (VA, PA) have been affected, at least residually, in their blue areas (northern VA, greater Philly). This could affect turnout and certainly has affected early voting.

Electoral effect on Obama: potentially decisive in a bad way.