In case you’ve been living under a rock recently or are a Harris/Walz supporter (which is pretty much the same thing), there’s a bit of a weather situation hitting the East Coast right now. It’s a little something the kids call Hurricane Helene. And with things being wilder than a Charlie Sheen bender with Britney Spears, people are looking for help.
That’s where FEMA comes in! Or should.
With the current Administration, the Left is all for letting FEMA do its job without question, but some people (like your humble correspondent) have questions. Namely, the people negatively affected by Hurricane Helene and waiting for help from FEMA.
So, why all the hate (I mean, aside from the obvious) and why does the Left feel they have to circle the drain…I mean wagons? Let’s take a look!
FEMA
What the Left thinks it means – a necessary government agency that takes care of people during disasters
What it really means – a government agency that makes the EPA’s Super Fund look well-managed
Before we go further, I have to be real for a moment. Regardless of how I feel about big government, I do feel there is a legitimate argument to be made for FEMA’s existence. When you consider the depth and breadth of damage that comes from any hurricane, derecho, or other major meteorological event, it could bankrupt any state unless someone or something helps out. In these cases, the federal government has the means and the money to make a difference.
It’s a great theory, but the practice leaves a lot to be desired.
Much of the negative attention surrounding FEMA started with Hurricane Katrina. To say FEMA fucked up with Katrina is an understatement of Homeric epic proportions. There is plenty of blame to go around, but it was clear FEMA wasn’t up to the task. Guess putting a horse trainer in charge of disaster relief was a bad idea, but what do I know? I’m just some asshole on the Interwebs. Heck of a job, Brownie.
Katrina exposed a lot of problems with FEMA, not the least of which being a lot of fraud and use of FEMA funds for jewelry, strip clubs, and, oh yeah, internet porn. But at least it wasn’t for mean tweets!
You would think the federal government would have learned something from the FEMA foibles, but if you think, you know they didn’t. Government isn’t in the problem solving business, especially if it means solving the problem would result in not being able to waste our money. Whether it was Hurricane/Super Storm Sandy (not AOC), Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Rita, or even more recent hurricanes, it’s clear we don’t have a handle on how to prepare for and recover from hurricanes. Oh, the Left blames climate change for hurricane activity, but ask them to provide solutions, they’re clueless.
In other words, standard operating procedure.
While people are still recovering from the aftermath of Helene, we still have a federal agency that can’t stop stepping on its own dick. Having President Brick Tamland and Queen Kamala the Appointed at the helm only makes the situation worse. As of this writing, it appears FEMA is offering a whopping $750 to help with things like food. What do they think this is, a wildfire in Hawaii?
Seriously, though, the way the federal government has responded to disasters is, well, disastrous. And now the Administration is warning us FEMA may not have money to get through hurricane season. But a closer look at what FEMA is spending money on tells us they don’t have a money problem so much as a spending problem. Of course, I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure DEI training has jack shit to do with disaster preparation.
Then, there’s FEMA spending on immigrants. Unless those immigrants have the skills to help rebuild and provide support to Helene victims, that’s another waste of money. Whether that money is going to illegal immigrants is a matter of debate, but the fact any money is going to any immigrants is a problem.
I would say FEMA spends money like a drunken sailor, but that would be an insult to drunken sailors.
So, how do we fix it? The bad news is…we can’t. The federal government has no incentive to make FEMA work any better because it’s not in the Leftist playbook. After all, if FEMA worked like it should, it might mean fewer people would need government to help them get through life. And when you have a disaster like a hurricane, that’s the perfect time to get more people on the government teat.
Even with the Trump/Vance ticket, there’s not a single reference to FEMA in the platform on Trump’s website. You can bitch and moan all you want, but the lack of a plan to deal with the too-frequent issues with FEMA doesn’t exactly instill confidence. And it sure as fuck doesn’t instill competence.
So, much like with the FBI, the CIA, and Taylor Swift, we’re stuck with what we have until we can dismantle it, fix it, and get it back on its feet. I wish I could also tell people not to have natural disasters happen, but that’s a non-starter, too.
But that’s not to say there aren’t options we can exercise. Look for smaller charitable operations, like through churches. See what can be done to put together care packages or, if you’re close to the area and you see a need for victims to get shelter, see if you can spare some room. For all our faults, Americans remain charitable during times of great need.
That is if FEMA lets you try to help.
I will admit FEMA is a necessary evil, but does the emphasis have to be on the “evil” part? When Americans are suffering in the aftermath of a natural disaster, they don’t need a man-made disaster swooping in to make things worse. Donald Trump got a lot of shit for throwing paper towels to Puerto Ricans after they suffered a hurricane, but it was a lot more than FEMA is doing now.
And that should make every damn Leftist hang their heads in shame.
