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Angry New Yorkers say Obama pledge to cut red tape ignored by FEMA | Fox News
“We are the people – we are the middle class, and we are getting the finger,” said frustrated resident Scott McGrath, who personally spoke to President Obama and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo when they came to Staten Island to inspect storm damage earlier this month. “You were there when I met Obama, and I told the president … that the middle class was getting the royal finger. And he said, ‘FEMA works for me.’”
The difference between these folks and those on the Mississippi Gulf Coast who lost their homes but didn't complain about FEMA or the government is that the people in Mississippi relied on themselves and these New Yorkers thought they could rely on the government.
People who rely mainly on the government will always find frustration and disappointment. The main function of government is to keep bureaucrats employed. All else is secondary and without much priority.
But to be fair to FEMA, what they are tasked with doing is impossible. A federal agency can't be expected to provide assistance tailored to each individual family. Agencies are built to respond with one-size-fits-all solutions by necessity. The more the red tape is pared back the more fraud there will be.
The best assistance comes from local groups who know the problems and know what people need.