HappySqurriel said:
richardhutnik said:
Doesn't matter what I believe in this context. I am not saying whether or not FEMA is or is not needed. I can say, done properly, it is good to have an organization on the federal level like FEMA. I would say that it being rolled into Homeland Security was stupid though. What I was trying to say is that Ron Paul now coming out saying FEMA is needed, and also saying that people who live in disaster areas have themselves to blame, gets subjected to a FUD factor by those who believe in a stronger role of the federal government. It is just, while it may have truth to it, the average person finds it nuts.
I did mention Perry. I could, in running counter to how it has been responded to, say Perry has a point by saying the Fed's monetary policy can be seen as treasonous. However, start saying anything about the Fed, and you get spun up by the mainstream, and the opinions of the majority, as being a nut. Again, what I said before, a FUD factor kicks in. Also, to even hint you will touch social security and medicare, also gets you in trouble.
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Actually, people who live in disaster areas (and their local governments) tend to be at fault for the severity of natural disasters. There really is no excuse for building in regions without considering the "1 in 100 year" disasters because, realistically, most buildings’ expected lifetime would have it facing several of these disasters. Beyond that, people completely ignore warnings and get them into trouble; this last weekend there was several news stories about how few people evacuated hurricane Irene’s path even though there was many days full of warnings. Had Irene turned out to be the class 3 hurricane that was initially predicted there would probably be millions of people in trouble because they can’t get it through their heads that they are not a special snowflake that is free from the consequences of their actions.
Seriously, if simple guidelines like "Don't build on 100 year flood plains" and people evacuated when an evacuation warning was given there would be no need for an organization like FEMA at all.
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Where I live, we're required by law to investigate the type of flood plains that are being built on. Most (conservative) banks will not loan you the money if it is on 100-year flood plains - unless your buying acerage for farming. Additionally, most times you are not allowed to build houses there, unless you can find an insurance company that would cover you which is rare.
We also forget what the government did before FEMA - nothing. And it didn't have as many issues as you'd think. Go read up on Grover Cleveland and the Texas drought. Places recover from disasters mostly through private organizations. Go ask those who got hammered by Katrina outside of Lousiana. The government did nothing for them, and the churches and other community groups were there, helping them rebuild.
