THE FEMA JUGGERNAUT (Created by Carter)

Sierra Times ^ | 11/10/2005 | Al Benson Jr.

[FerdieMurphy]

FEMA, typically for a federal agency, continues to run rampant, exercising its federal muscle with little or no regard for folks at the local level. After all, "they are from Washington and they are here to help us" so we are told. As it turns out, some of the folks that needed real help as a result of the two hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast this year had a lot more trouble getting it than others did. An editorial in the Monroe, Louisiana "News-Star" recently noted: "While devastated hurricane victims wrangled with red tape, delays and FEMA changes, it appears FEMA was more than generous with others who took advantage of the system." A South Florida paper observed that FEMA just might have made overpayments of around $174 million to Katrina "victims" through September 22nd of this year. The "News-Star" editorial said that it would appear that Michael Brown (Brownie) was not the only shortcoming at FEMA and that the report in the Florida newspaper has to make you wonder whether the people who really need the attention are receiving it while "scammers" are out there cheating the system. And it intimates that FEMA payments should be reviewed.

It mentions a few goodies from the report: "In Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama $102 million was paid to 51,000 more applicants than officials said were displaced. In three Louisiana parishes FEMA issued $70 million in checks representing more payments than existing households. About 25 families were displaced in Pike County, Mississippi, however, 2494 people collected almost $5 million." All I can say is that those 25 families must have been really, really big!

The "News-Star" editorial closed with: "FEMA and the federal government need to plug the holes and make sure financial assistance goes to true emergency victims. Otherwise it's just another example of government excess, waste and ineffective FEMA relief." So what else is new??? The federal government has been doing this sort of thing ever since the Marxist/Lincolnist War of Northern Aggression ended.

And, after all the reports of gross negligence and FEMAnist incompetence have emerged FEMA has come along and told the state of Louisiana that it owes FEMA $3.7 billion in recovery bills! After all, somebody has to pay for all that largesse that FEMA so cavalierly tossed around when they finally did arrive on the scene. So let's just sock Louisiana for $3.7 billion of it. We don't know what the final bills for Alabama and Mississippi will be yet, but I'm willing to bet they will be real beauts!

Lawmakers in Baton Rouge are not real happy with this. $3.7 billion is almost half of what Louisian's total budget for the year is. It amounts to about $9,000 per each state resident. And some of us here with limited incomes just don't have that tidy little sum sitting in our checking accounts waiting for the FEMAnists to come along and lay claim to it.

Louisiana lawmakers note that FEMA just came in and did whatever it was going to do and that the state had no say in anything. State Rep. Dan Morrish said: "It seems to me that FEMA is just out there spending money willy-nilly." He noted that the number of FEMA checks that were sent into Calcasieu Parish outpaced the number of households in that parish. But not to worry, FEMA is going to get it all back by billing the state. One representative asked "What are we going to do if we can't pay--give them New Orleans?" Good question--and since the feds really consider it all federal property anyway they just might repossess it, like what is done to your house if you can't pay your property taxes.

Legislators want to know a little more about how FEMA is spending and has spent the money. One legislator even posed the suggestion that Homeland Security czar Michael Chertoff ought to be supoenaed to answer questions as to how FEMA has operated in Louisiana. Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen. Federal officials have not been accountable to state officials since the conclusion of the Marxist/Lincolnist Revolution of 1861.

One lawmaker quipped that they should start calling this federal agency just "FEA" and take the "M" out of it "because there's no 'Management' in it."

And so the FEMA juggernaut rolls on, and on, and on. Just hope you don't ever need the gentle ministrations of this agency in your state!

[FerdieMurphy]

As of today in SW Florida, the supply to the public of rental cars is practically nil. Fema has rented 1,400 cars for 90 days.

Ridiculous?

Indeed.

[FreeInWV]

FEMA has been screwed up for years. They help people who don't need any help, and screw over those who do.

There are a few flood ravaged areas of WV where it is very unsafe to wear a FEMA jacket.

[gondramB]

And yet after Katrina, anyone who criticized FEMA in any way on FreeRepublic was getting attacked. I said I thought the FEMA response was slow given the warning they had and the media reports of conditions. Clearly the state and city get most of the blame but it had become clear that there were problems at FEMA.

It would be nice if the people who were on the warpath against anyone who dared to criticize FEMA would speak up now and correct the record.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476856/posts?q=1&&page=1#1

Howlin and hole_n_one come particularly to mind.

[George W. Bush]

Say, those FEMA lovers have been absent lately. Of course, the loss of 'fashion god' Brownie may have dampened their enthusiasm, his schedule cluttered by slow rude wait staff and juggling his appearances with Chrissy Matthews and worrying over who is taking care of his dog.

Yeah, ol' Brownie was doing one helluva job down there.

I'm trying to figure out how FEMA is going to bill the state if the state didn't request the aid or sign agreements to reimburse. It sounds like FEMA came and threw lots of money around and now wants Lousiana to pay the bill. Naturally, LA is outraged because that kind of irresponsibility is considered their private domain, not a federal role.