Jeff Danziger for October 31, 2012

“Mr. Romney, what are your plans for FEMA?”-“Uh, Mr. Romney?”-“Mr. Romney?”-“Mr. Romney?”

Pretty well sums up all the folks voting in total ignorance for Republican candidates, for Congress or otherwise. Do any of them have noses left?

Yes we know o would fly his magic ship and rescue everybody and Romney would let them drown for fun. Sorts Dems the public cant be fooled gain.

Don’t worry folks. By 3pm inauguration day FEMA will be gone. By 5PM all those silly environmental regs will be history too. Then we will finally be free again. Freedom is good.

Unfortunately the storm hit an area that wasn’t going to vote for Romoney anyway.

@ Dr C

“Then I don’t follow you. To whom were you referring?”

It was a point of general information motivated by a recent exchange with a colleague who has gone too far left, so far to the left he will not even consider anything that is moderate. According to this “professor” I am too right wing because I concede that they may have a point from time to time.

Didn’t think it necessary to explain the whole history just to post the (valid) observation.

Oh, by the way, you know that Massachusetts compounding pharmacy responsible for that outbreak of fungal meningitis? Well in 2004, while Romney was governor, state regulators tried to punish that same pharmacy for not following state regulations. The governor, however, felt that such punishment (including suspension) would harm its business, so he agreed to let the pharmacy regulate itself – after it promised to behave, of course.

Plenty of water there in which to dunk their ’bags.

I don’t know if this is a real story: FEMA uses the Waffle House Index.They call the Waffle Houses in the damaged area and if no one answers that area needs immediate help, if they are open with a limited menu that is yellow, and if they are open for regular business that is green.I couldn’t make this up.http://news.yahoo.com/hurricane-sandy-waffle-house-index-points-relief-eastern-172335063—abc-news-topstories.html

The smug attitude of many people these days against government help for the poor, against government-assisted green initiatives, against government relief agencies, against global climate change predictions, against anything the government does that does not stroke big business and financial interests – saddens me. It should infuriate me, but I have to control my temper these days, otherwise I’d be angry all the time. .Watching the recent “Frontline” broadcast about the strident and cynical right-wing PR campaigns against climate change didn’t help my mood. A summary of their efforts can be stated as “Suppressio veri, suggestio falsi.” (Suppression of the true is a suggestion of the false.) All information out there is not equal, although the way it is formatted might look equally impressive. .Once big businesses start to fund an opposition view, watch out! Once fast-mouth politicians tied to those interests start yapping, check your wallets. And I keep bringing this up, but it’s true: Young people, read “National Geographic,” not “National Review” for the issues that in the long run really matter. Most scientists rely on verifiable data, while many pundits go for exploitable controversies that raise their ratings and salaries. .In these current situations it is critical to get things right. So many people in the world now, and increasingly they all want Dignity in the sense of shallow material things put forth in advertising. Science and technology have pulled many rabbits of the hat in this regard, but it’s time to get serious and act as adults, not adolescents with their hands down their pants..Our economies have come to feed frivolous desires. We crave and buy expensive toys but gripe at maintaining national infrastructures. “Economic growth" is worshipped – but what about the square-cube law in which a volume increases faster than its area? The innards of an economy, where people reside, is demanding more than the framework can soon reasonably provide..Special interests are leading us to a society of citizens that act against their own best interests. Big business and big politics are in a continual “69” position, to put it crudely.

And somehow they have convinced a huge number of voters and consumers (they don’t really think of us as people) that what’s best for them is good for us. All those cute product ads have softened our thinking to be receptive to cynical political ads and those put forth by PACs. (Aren’t they the most offensive things?)

.Turn the television and Internet off, put away the smart phones, and listen to the calmness of your own original thoughts if you still have any. I find that most people panic in the absence of background noise..There’s a casual cruelty in popular attitudes now that masquerades as toughness. For some reason that attitude reminds me of the 1955 episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” with Joseph Cotten as a mean-spirited businessman who humiliates an employee as he fires him (“Breakdown”). He “enjoys firing” him, and who does that remind me of?.Although you really have to watch the episode itself to get the full, ironic impact, a synopsis of the episode can be found at:.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0508134/

Howgozit: Anything to deflect attention from the Republican House deleting a third of a billion dollars from the diplomatic security budget.

“FEMA should be run by the states, not the federal government”what ever happened to “ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE!”There is no way that a single state could deal with a major catastrophe. Listen to your Governor Christie.

Imagine Miss. and La. running FEMA. They do so well in every other realm!

Actually I am a lifelong Democrat who is somewhat fiscally conservative and socially liberal, if you must attach labels.

I truly don’t understand this argument. I keep hearing it and it continues to make no sense to me. If I lose a debate then I must refuse any of the things that come out of it? So if the republicans win a debate on increasing military funding no democrat can apply to the military??? Or if the Democrats win a debate for increasing food stamps no republicans can apply?? If the NFL rules committee decides to make a touchdown worth 8 points and the Denver Broncos vote against it does that mean when they score they only get 6 points. You argue your point and then you live under the result. Do I blame Ryan for trying to get stimulus money for his constiutents even though he voted against the stimulus bill, of course not!!! it is his job to do what he can for his constituents, if he did not he would not be doing his job. The money was going to be spent once he lost the vote at that point it is his job to see that some of the money comes to his district.

The whole fema thing is no different. Those that think the federal government overreaches with FEMA and other things that are not expressly empowered by the constitution have a right to think that, but to say that then they must refuse any assistance from the aforementioned governmental sources is the height of silliness.

Funny, my wife an I vote for Obama, for exactly the same reason.

I’d like to see the arithmetic showing that 50 state-level FEMAs is somehow more capable and cost-effective than one big one. Or that 50 private FEMAs would be.

Howie, guess what the F in FEMA stands for…….Give up? Federal, as in Federal Emergency Management Agency.

btw: Bush said “let’s federalize all the National Guard”, then he did, and sent all these “state” agencies, and their equipment, to Iraq to get blown up, then sent the troops home (well, the live and wounded ones), WITHOUT THEIR EQUIPMENT, leaving the states even broker than they were to begin with. Good job, George!

yup. Nobody can ask for federal aid faster than Jindal (there’s no H. He’s an Indian, not a Swede.)

are there not enough squabbles among the states? The money should go where the nation needs it to go.

CD any links you can post to verify this statement I have some friends I wish to enlighten. thanks“Oh, by the way, you know that Massachusetts compounding pharmacy responsible for that outbreak of fungal meningitis? Well in 2004, while Romney was governor, state regulators tried to punish that same pharmacy for not following state regulations. The governor, however, felt that such punishment (including suspension) would harm its business, so he agreed to let the pharmacy regulate itself – after it promised to behave, of course.""

Mitt thinks that federal aid to disaster areas is ‘immoral’. His word. How many folks in New Jersey or New York do you think are agreeing with that right now?

Reality is a bitch.

You know what? Forget it. You seem to be looking for a fight and I have better things to do.

Most states have emergency funds and plans already. The funds part is less than it used to be ecause as federal taxes go down, so do state incomes. FEMA takes over when state resources cannot handle the situation. Such idiotic posts about eliminating FEMA so the rich can save on taxes. Howdy, just wait until that hill of shlt you have been building slides down and covers your property.

You don’t know my thought on DrC and if I ever agree with you on anything it will prove conclusively tht on that occasion I was WRONG.