Posted on 11/13/2012 5:09:06 AM PST by IbJensen
It’s been two weeks since Hurricane Sandy killed 113 people, wiped out portions of towns, and knocked out power to millions. It has also been two weeks since Barack Obama pledged, “No bureaucracy. No red tape.”
However, according to multiple public and private sources, unions and union-related red tape are causing workers from out of state to be turned back, as well as workers contracted by FEMA, as well as tons of supplies, already in New York and New Jersey to sit idle—at a cost of millions to taxpayers.
It has already been well publicized though the Daily Caller how the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers demanded unionization of out-of-state utility workers in order for them to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Long Island’s Newsday reported over the weekend that the union’s demands cost New York 125 extra workers to help with restoring electricity to those in the dark.
Barry Moline, executive director of the Florida Municipal Electric Association, said Long Island could have received 125 additional workers from utilities across Florida as soon as two days after the storm if a dispute about the letters had been resolved sooner. He said most of the crews from Florida who were available were nonunion and refused to join Local 1049 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, even if only temporarily.
[snip]
Crews that could have come to Long Island went instead to Pennsylvania, Moline said. “We could have been there on Wednesday, and instead we arrived on Sunday,” he said, after the union rescinded the requirement. [Emphasis added.]
It gets worse.
Over the weekend, a source (who wishes to remain anonymous) reported that contractors contracted—as well as, generators, water, and other supplies paid for—by FEMA are being idled at New York’s Floyd Bennett Field by “red tape” requirements, while unions deploy their members and many storm victims sit in the dark.
While there are about 4,000 National Guardsmen at Bennett Field, there are hundreds of out-of-state contractors for FEMA, many of them linemen and electricians, that are not being deployed to help turn power pack on for residents because of the red tape.
On Sunday, out of the 400-500 workers available, according to the source, only three crews went out. Crews, he said, are usually two-man teams.
The union crews, the source stated, are free to come and go as they please, yet the non-union FEMA contractors are being held back because of red tape requirements.
The red-tape bottleneck, he said, comes from the Corps of Engineers. They get work orders in (places that need help), but the work orders don’t come out as they should.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” the source said over the weekend.
On Sunday night, FEMA contractors put in one generator for a 14-floor building. Just one.
On top of that, there are tons of supplies in trailers, as well as rows and rows of water that are not being delivered.
Immediately after the storm, beer maker Budweiser converted its beer lines in Georgia to produce water—44,000 cases of water. That water was trucked into the storm ravaged area, but much of it is still sitting as residents in across Brooklyn and in Far Rockaway, Queens continue to boil their water as of Saturday.
According to a November 7 press release by the Defense Logistics Agency, fifty power generators and 150,000 blankets were sent to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (a FEMA staging area in central New Jersey) where FEMA-contracted crews are also experiencing red-tape related delays, though not nearly as bad as those at New York’s Bennett Field.
Despite the fact that there is apparently a news blackout—FEMA contractors are not allowed to talk to the press—Americans are shelling out tens of millions in taxpayer dollars for FEMA contractors to be paid while not being allowed to do the jobs they brought in to perform.
So much for the “no red tape, no bureaucracy” that was promised nearly two weeks ago.
The only help around is from other people in the neighborhood or people volunteering to help those in need. It's one thing to praise Obama and criticize Republicans on political issues; to absolutely ignore people desperate and dying to help Obama is staggeringly frightening.
I seem to remember an F5 hurricane hitting a below sea level unevacuated city and the President was blamed for every detail of what went wrong. Because of global warming, Bush was actually blamed for the existence of the hurricane.
A tropical storm hits New York and the whole thing is a government beurocracy nightmare, but the President is “doing everything he can do”.
If this occurred under a Republican the media would be screaming from every headline in the country.
live by the union - die by the union
Where is Sean Penn and his little dinghy?
They need posters of him out on the golf course the other day with the date on it ..... “the President cares about YOU ... thank you for your vote!” and post them around some of these hard hit areas. Snarky comment, but I’m pissed - first of all that the Obamazombies voted for him and second, that the aid we, as taxpayers, have paid for is not getting where it is supposed to be AND we’re having to foot the additional bill for red tape and bureaucracy.
“Where is Sean Penn and his little dinghy?”
I hope leaking so the B has to swim, hopefully a long way.
I’m not donating a DIME to the northeast recovery.
I’ll remember their suffering in my prayers,
but they support this behavior with their votes every election cycle.
People calling in radio shows to talk about all the checks Fema has given them.
Practically everyone has power now, so could care less about food, water, and clothes.
I am part of this bottleneck of relief. I was called to Philly to train and wait to be cleared work as a contractor to FEMA, inspecting damaged homes of Sandy victims. The inspections are a major step in victims receiving help from our government through FEMA. I was told via email yesterday that they had given me an “unfavorable” designation. This was due to my credit which is in the condition it’s in due to the economic mishandling of the present administration. The majority of people in my group were denied as well. This is a group of people ready to spend weeks if not months working sun up to sundown, 7 days a week to bring Sandy’s victims closer to the relief they need. This is a Catch 22 if I have ever seen one. I am not bitter. I am befuddled that my credit history prevents me from helping others. 80% or more of my group was turned away.......
Staten Island Storm disaster response (or lack thereof) proves with corrupt leftism “some are more equal than others”. I see an opportunity for some enterprising filmaker to create a documentary video and expose all this Union-Govt corruption while citizens suffer-—plus the massive taxpayer dollar waste with little results.
Indeed.
The liberals in the NE voted for this type of government, and they can reap the rewards.
Just so I am clear on what you’re saying here:
You’re skills are qualified to help but they won’t let you because of your CREDIT SCORE?
I think his dinghy has been leaking ever since he met Madonna.
FEMA is on top of the issue and everyone is getting everything they need. This ia an outrageous plot by right-wing media to make it a political situation when there is nothing going on.
Or so my liberal relatives tell me.
The rest of us know the score about oboma and we're not swayed by his “manly, take-charge appearance of the Sandy storm situation”.... these smart-azz NE’rs aholes thought THEY knew who the better candidate would be because 1. they ARE socialists/democrats OR 2. they are soooo easily swayed by the mere “appearance” of a socialist candidate masquerading as a “manly, take-charge pResident.”
To those who did vote for Romney and will suffer as well, I regret that you must feel the pain and loss, and we do say a prayer for you.
As for the rest of them, let ‘em eat cake
Thank goodness for Jimmy Carter whose foresight created that paragon of efficiency: FEMA.
Thank goodness for George W.Bush whose superior intellect and judgement was brought into play with his creation of Homeland Security.
Now. What can we thank goodness for in the current occupant of the White Hut? The destruction of this nation as well as the use of the Constitution as toilet paper.
This nation is as dead as the future of freedom and democracy in the USA!
“I think his dinghy has been leaking ever since he met Madonna.”
And his oar has been dripping, if you get my drift.
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