[soydaykam]

Over the weekend, Ron Paul said that he doesn't see why we can't eliminate FEMA completely and deal with our hurricanes like his district including Galveston has done in decades past. Of course, he doesn't get very descriptive about how that worked.

Here's an example: The hurricane of 1900 that slammed into Galveston killed an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 people. They don't really have a count because since they were on their own, they couldn't process the dead or care for the dying, who then died as a result. So they piled them up into massive piles and burned them, paying the conscripted men in charge of the fires with whisky to numb the horror of the situation.

I think most people would vote for having FEMA than taking any steps back in that direction.

Eric Cantor won't publicly state that he wants to kill FEMA. But he will say that they don't deserve a dime in new funding during times of disaster.

LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics...,5537241.story

As FEMA's budget is under new strain in the aftermath ofHurricane Irene, a top House Republican maintained that any new funds allocated for federal disaster relief must be offset by budget cuts elsewhere.

Speaking on Fox News Channel, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said a natural disaster like Hurricane Irene is an "appropriate instance" for a federal role, but that the government can't go deeper into debt to pay for unexpected outlays.

Cantor equated the situation to what an ordinary family would do in a crisis, doing without a new car to pay for the needs of a sick loved one, for instance. I think a better comparison would be this: A member of the family has to devote all their time to taking care of a gravely ill member of the family. So everyone pitches in what they can to make that around-the-clock care possible. That's how reasonable people see support for a functioning FEMA organization.

[Amorsesombabs]

Source? (edit: Either you added a source without an edit, or my phone just never showed the link).

I'm sure they love him on the eastern part of the state, which was hit hard by Irene. I also wonder if his district got any money after last week's earthquake, or if he would suggest giving it back, as his district was the epicenter.

[obHQNsY2]

Hmmm. Insurance isn't picking up on earthquake claims, and this article says it's up to insurance and federal funding to help the people of Mineral.

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2011/aug/2...t--ar-1260375/

[Almolfuncomma]

Source? (edit: Either you added a source without an edit, or my phone just never showed the link).

I'm sure they love him on the eastern part of the state, which was hit hard by Irene. I also wonder if his district got any money after last week's earthquake, or if he would suggest giving it back, as his district was the epicenter.

Yeah, I'd left it out but added it in once I saw your post.

[Depolit]

I wonder if Cantor would be so forthcoming with FEMA funding if his own constituents didn't need some of it.

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/30/140042...ns-out-of-cash

[quote]