People are dying, and now is the time to cancel the delivery of aid? This in the midst of the Biden admin's attempts to keep normal citizens from helping each other? You know, there's a prevalent thought that the Democrats basically want flood-stricken Republicans to die and therefore not vote. Have we really gotten to that point? If so, bring on the civil war. It's time to clean house. They want us dead? Well, FAFO.
It's been a rough week for the Kamala Harris campaign. To counter that bad energy, Dems everywhere seem to have decided to follow in the footsteps of Hillary Clinton and brand conservatives as stupid, craven, and not worth saving.
The first example is more of a backhanded slap. The Biden administration--as represented by Kamala Harris--offered up a $750 aid package for Hurricane Helene victims. The cruel twist: the paltry sum is available online, and virtually all the survivors have no electricity to plug into or charge their devices, let alone Wifi or cellular service.
In the meantime, the same administration is doling out massive and seemingly endless aid packages to foreign countries at war. Further, it has come to light that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has experienced a tremendous case of purpose drift.
Lets check in on our government:
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 3, 2024
Biden announced a new $2.4B aid package to Ukraine last week while Kamala announced today that victims of Hurricane Helene will get a mere $750.
Oh, and FEMA doesn't have enough money to make it through hurricane season yet spent $640M on… pic.twitter.com/otIebCIidC
As the name implies, FEMA is the agency America turns to during times of emergency such as natural disaster. Unfortunately, as reported by the Federalist, the agency's coffers are all but empty after allocating funds to illegal aliens. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allocated nearly $364 million in the fiscal year 2023 and $650 million for the 2024 fiscal year to the “Shelter and Services Program” “to provide humanitarian services to noncitizen migrants following their release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” according to the government’s website.
Buttigieg Misreads Situation
The tenure of Dept. of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has been plagued with issues from a train derailment in East Palestine, OH that resulted in a massive chemical spill, to a rash of Boeing airliner issues, to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Harbor. Now Buttigieg has attempted to ground drones in North Carolina. The army of drones, operated by concerned citizens, have located persons in need of rescue, and delivered lifesaving insulin and other supplies.
Mayor Pete was supposedly smart, speaking multiple languages and intelligently administering his chosen town as mayor. Since becoming head of transportation, though, he's presided over a series of disasters. The man's an incompetent retard.
As reported in the New York Post:
Considering the maddeningly slow pace of the rescue effort, Buttigieg effectively ordered residents not to fend for themselves and instead put their trust in an agency many believe have already dropped the ball was adding insult to injury. “You would think more eyes in the sky would be a good thing when there are people that need to be rescued but what do i know,” one X user replied. “Your ‘help’ is worse than doing nothing,” seethed another. Others pointed out how private drones have been used to deliver items like insulin and baby formula to those in need, particularly those living in more remote terrain who have been largely cut off from the rest of the world since the storm. “Private citizen drones and helicopters have been saving lives for days, and still are. You should be ashamed,” said another user.
Read the rest if you can contain your anger. Biden is, of course, calling people "brain dead" if they deny climate change is a factor. See my post here.
Yes, he sucks.
ReplyDeleteI believe the 750 is an upfront emergency payment so people can purchase necessities with further payments to come down the line based on assessments of actual damages incurred. Also, shouldnt republicsns be opposed to what are tantamount to universal welfare payments?
ReplyDeleteRepublicans and conservatives (not the same thing: a lot of conservatives don't call themselves Republicans, especially these days) aren't against government—they're against BIG government, which is why George W. Bush is a RINO, i.e., Republican in name only, for having created entirely new branches of government like Homeland Security instead of taking the Javier Milei "chainsaw" approach, cutting away administrative bloat.
DeleteAccording to the conservative view, government should be only about the big things, like protecting the border, guarding against foreign enemies, maintaining the freeways, and keeping citizens safe. How's the current government doing on that score, especially Pete Buttigieg the Incompetent? All other duties, meanwhile, should devolve to the level of individual states. This is what federalism is. So no, Republicans (and thank goodness I've never been one) aren't against temporary aid packages in times of emergency. Keep the people safe. And deliver the money in an easily receivable way.
But you see this government's priorities, its focus on Haiti and sanctuary cities and compassion for druggies, etc., and can you honestly say that this current administration is putting the safety of its own law-abiding citizens first? I'm not saying or implying the Republicans have done a stellar job in these areas; they haven't. But come on. Right now, one side is definitely worse, and a person has to ignore a lot of evidence to think otherwise.
I found FEMA's much-maligned site for combatting rumors, a site no one trusts for the lies already seen on it. It has this to say about the $750:
DeleteRumor: FEMA will only provide $750 to disaster survivors to support their recovery.
Fact: This is false.
This is a type of assistance that you may be approved for soon after you apply, called Serious Needs Assistance. It is an upfront, flexible payment to help cover essential items like food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and other emergency supplies. There are other forms of assistance that you may qualify for to receive and Serious Needs Assistance is an initial payment you may receive while FEMA assesses your eligibility for additional funds. As your application continues to be reviewed, you may still receive additional forms of assistance for other needs such as support for temporary housing, personal property and home repair costs. If you have questions about your disaster assistance application and what you qualify for, contact us at 1-800-621-3362 to speak with a FEMA representative in your language.
I love that last part. It reminds me of Korean services for foreigners where everything is written in Korean, with there being some instruction somewhere (also in Korean) about contacting staff who speak your language.
Anyway, the FEMA site sure seems to confirm that $750, if you qualify for it, COULD come your way (if you have electricity and can apply, as Kamala said in her speech), and if you qualify for further aid and services, those could come your way, too. That's a lot of "if"s. Meanwhile, word on the ground is that FEMA is withholding aid, and the authorities are doing what they can to stop private citizens with means from helping those without means. (FEMA shenanigans tracked here.) My impression is that FEMA is as incompetent now as it was under GW Bush.
Don't trust the government.
At this point, a lot of people move the goalposts and say, "Well, if local action is so great, what about the 1,400 deaths in Louisiana after Katrina?" Let me just concede that local action can often be as bad as government action. I was in DC on 9/11, on campus at Catholic University, when the Towers were hit. I didn't even bother to try to go anywhere because DC's streets were immediately overrun with traffic as drivers tried to escape the city. (Going south to Virginia, you have to cross a few bridges that span the Potomac River—that's a ton of choke points.) It was later discovered that DC's disaster plans hadn't been updated since the 1970s. What??? I bet a lot of local areas get complacent like that, so yes, I concede it's not always the federal government alone that sucks. That said, the locals generally have a better idea of on-the-ground realities than the feds do. This is practically a cosmic law. When the federal government swoops in, it almost always fucks everything up. So, given a choice between incompetent local authorities and incompetent federal authorities, I'll pick the locals every time.
TLDR: US conservatives don't like welfare, but they do want the federal government to step up in an emergency and act precipitously for the benefit and safety of citizens. Which is not currently happening.
It sucks when the local government isn't helping and then threatens to jail civilians who are. And too bad the current administration isn't as adept at helping actual U.S. citizens as they are illegal immigrants.
ReplyDeleteI had a chance to be at a meeting with a former FEMA director a few months back. At one point he said ‘basically FEMA exists to replace uninsured public infrastructure’.
ReplyDeleteTo be sure it was a flip comment and not exhaustive of all situations. But he meant that FEMAs main job is to replace roads, bridges, schools, etc that get destroyed in emergencies. It is assumed that private actors insure their potential losses.
Interesting. I have to wonder why FEMA would agree to offer aid to individuals and families, then ("disaster survivors"—see above)—$750 initially, if you qualify, and more personal aid if you qualify for that. Strange.
DeleteAnd what the hell is the time frame for the arrival of this aid? "...soon after you apply"? How soon is "soon after"? The language at the above-quoted site is vague.
DeleteKevin, the above comment was from me. Forgot to add my name.
ReplyDeleteBrian
No prob. Got it.
Delete