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FEMA May Be Eliminated
- taylodl 2y agoAwesome! If California residents weren't paying for all the hurricanes in the deep red South and tornadoes in the deep red plains states, then they'd have plenty of money to take care of themselves. Does this guy ever think through anything before opening his mouth? Is he even capable of thinking?
- basementcat 2y ago> Does this guy ever think through anything before opening his mouth? Is he even capable of thinking? None of this behavior is new; the American people have been fully aware of this and a voting majority decided that he was the most qualified person for the job.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- sundaeofshock 2y agoDismal Trump did not get a majority of voters. He received 49.8% of the vote.
- tivert 2y ago> a voting majority decided that he was the most qualified person for the job. There's your mistake: the technocratic assumption that elections are job interviews selecting for the "most qualified" candidate. That's one part, but not the only part. This thought experiment should make it clear: You're voting in an important election. One candidate is an incompetent and unqualified clown, the other is a highly competent and qualified Nazi. You hate Nazis. Who do you vote for?
- basementcat 2y agoIf you're arguing that voters choose a person who is less qualified, can you explain how Harris is a Nazi?
- tivert 2y ago> If you're arguing that voters choose a person who is less qualified, can you explain how Harris is a Nazi? Why? Harris isn't a Nazi. The hypothetical was exaggerated to emphasize a specific point. Don't take it too literally or try to map it directly to current events.
- kcplate 2y agoThat was obviously sarcasm and ironically you took it literally.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- matthest 2y agoI don't know enough about how FEMA works, but I'm assuming it operates at a federal level? Could eliminating it force states to strengthen their own disaster relief programs? If that's the case, some potential benefits of this might be that states get more efficient with their overall budget (in order to support disaster relief initiatives). And maybe spurs more innovation in disaster relief tech/processes.
- dmicah 2y agoYes, FEMA is federal. If eliminating FEMA lowers federal taxes states could increase their state taxes to compensate and each have their own emergency management agencies. But generally it seems like having 50+ emergency management agencies is less efficient than having 1.
- redserk 2y agoI'd assume states with tighter budgets and less of a tax base will be unable to replicate FEMA's resources, while more populous and wealthy states will be able to work around it. My questions are if this would have any repurcussions on EMAC membership and if it would increase politicization of aid between states. We've seen this with a number of conservative-leaning states pulling out of ERIC over flimsy political reasons.
- taylodl 2y agoBINGO! Poor, rural states don't have the manpower resources or monetary resources to take care of the aftermath of disasters. Let me put it this way, North Carolina wasn't waiting on FEMA in order to start taking care of their disaster.
- joezydeco 2y agoRed states will still get government assistance after disasters. Just watch.
- taylodl 2y agoNever forget Super Storm Sandy
- dinkumthinkum 2y agoDoes California take any federal money? Do any of those plains states provide food to California. I don't think you would like this game as much as you think.
- taylodl 2y agoDoes California get its food for free from the plains states? No? Well then, you can sit down and STFU. BTW, over half of the produce in US grocery stores comes from California. Also, over 90% of the goods coming into the US from East Asia comes through California ports. No California, no Walmart. How do you like them apples?
- kcplate 2y agoYeah…that must be the problem. They just don’t have enough money for themselves because of all the red states. Of course what little money California does have is mismanaged to hell by its state and local governments, but that will obvious not happen if there is a lot more money available.
- Terr_ 2y ago> Florida, Louisiana and Texas residents have received the lion's share of FEMA direct assistance since 2015, per newly gathered data. https://www.axios.com/2024/10/08/fema-direct-payments-state-recipients https://www.axios.com/2024/10/08/fema-direct-payments-state-...
- xnx 2y agoWould be slightly more informative as per-capita numbers since Texas and Florida are #2 and #3 most populous states.
- Terr_ 2y agoWhile I am normally in team "hey scale it by capita", this case makes me hesitate. (Would we also need to factor in statewide cost-of-living values?) If $X is exported from residents of my state out to support another state, that's the same local impact regardless of how populous the destination is or how finely that $X gets split after it arrives. In any case, I think it's enough to support the idea that there's a tension (if not contradiction) where the states that receive the most absolute benefit are also the ones electing politicians who pretend the exact opposite.
- toomuchtodo 2y agoThis is splitting hairs. These are vocally low/anti regulation and tax states hostile to even the belief in climate change when scoped to state reps [1] [2]. Let them financially support themselves and their disaster risk costs. They voted for this (both at federal and state levels). If they would like federal support for their high risk geography [3] [4] [5], they should consider voting for an administration that will provide such policy and support and believes in the science. California is the world's fifth largest economy. They will be fine. [1] https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/02/texas-environment-climate-energy-bills-legislature/ https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/02/texas-environment-cl... [2] https://www.npr.org/2024/05/17/1252012825/florida-gov-desantis-signs-bill-that-deletes-climate-change-from-state-law https://www.npr.org/2024/05/17/1252012825/florida-gov-desant... [3] https://www.axios.com/2023/09/27/insurance-rates-climate-change-extreme-weather https://www.axios.com/2023/09/27/insurance-rates-climate-cha... [4] https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/Sustainability/Our%20Insights/Will%20mortgages%20and%20markets%20stay%20afloat%20in%20Florida/MGI_Climate%20Risk_Case%20Studies_Florida_May2020.pdf https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functio... [5] https://www.newsweek.com/map-reveals-scale-florida-property-insurance-crisis-1920042 https://www.newsweek.com/map-reveals-scale-florida-property-...
- legitster 2y agoFrom the article, it doesn't sound like FEMA will be eliminated, just incredibly politicized. So... yay? > Trump has criticized former President Joe Biden for his administration’s response to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. As he left the White House on Friday morning, he told reporters that “it’s been a horrible thing the way that’s been allowed to fester” since the storm hit in September, and “we’re going to get it fixed up.” > “I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems,” he told Hannity, adding that “FEMA is getting in the way of everything.” So to be clear, when it happened during the previous administration, it was the administration's fault. When it's his administration, it is the agency's fault and also not his responsibility. And it sounds like the president changes his tune based on whether the disaster was in a red state or a blue state. Everything that has been said so far is so in conflict with itself so it's hard to guess what a policy change would even be. So my guess would be nothing happens and we don't hear about it anymore as soon as wildfires are out of the news cycle.
- xnx 2y agoI'm not a fan of the "chaos agent" style of politics, but sometimes it does bring up topics that would be taboo to talk about otherwise.
- wmf 2y agoChat, is it good actually to let the gulf coast degrade into a third-world shithole?
- readthenotes1 2y agoWas it good to encourage people to settle in flood plains? LBJ has some explaining to do...
- taylodl 2y agoRight? We can ill afford for the Gulf Of America to be a third-world shithole. Doesn't look good for our brand.
- jschveibinz 2y agoI'm not taking a political stance here, because that's not the purpose of this forum. But from an efficiency perspective, I believe the question is whether a federal "agency" (and its associated bureaucracy) is necessary to deal with local emergencies, not whether federal "financial aid" may be necessary to help support state and local governments. Most if not all states have their own emergency management programs.
- Tadpole9181 2y agoAnd the answer to that question "obviously no". Stronger apart, economy of small scale. These aren't the phrases.
- swatcoder 2y agoThis seems a relevant time to remember that 90's-era conspiracy mythology saw FEMA as the big boogeyman agency whose emergency powers were essential to an authoritarian seizure of the nation. Along with the ATF and IRS (for other reasons), its looming and certain villiany rallied sovereign citizen and militia types to organize and arm themselves. Assuming some of those people now have more political influence than they have had in the past, it seems like the legacy of that mythos could be part of what's at play here.
- krapp 2y agoI don't remember anyone bringing up the "FEMA death camps" during COVID but it wouldn't surprise me if it made a resurgence.
- jaybrendansmith 2y agoDevelopers: America has been taken over by a bad, pointy haired boss. Suggestions on how to deal with him? Tell him what he wants to hear and continue doing what's needed? Ignore his insane announcements, just come in for work as usual and do the necessary things? Hope that he is ousted or removed somehow? Indeed.
- Ekaros 2y agoLeave and start new startup? Solely bootstrapped.
- jaybrendansmith 2y agoIf only. Maybe spin off a division or two...