Angry New Yorkers say Obama pledge to cut red tape ignored by FEMA [W:36]

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.’”

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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.

:lamo people in the south don't complain about FEMA :liar

Fisher said:

:lamo people in the south don't complain about FEMA :liar

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I assume you're ignorantly lumping the people of the Gulf Coast together. The people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are a different group from those in New Orleans, where complaints about the government were loud and long and still haven't stopped.

The other example is Florida, which suffered multiple hurricanes and haven't complained one tenth as much as those Democrat strongholds of New Orleans, New York, and New Jersey.

In my experience in many emergencies...there are always unhappy people that are victims of disasters...some people you just cant do enough for...If you read other sources victims are very happy with fema responses..in NJ they are..so are some legitimate complaints, of course..with an emergency this large this bad spread so far there are always going to be errors and miss's

LowDown said:

I assume you're ignorantly lumping the people of the Gulf Coast together. The people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are a different group from those in New Orleans, where complaints about the government were loud and long and still haven't stopped.

The other example is Florida, which suffered multiple hurricanes and haven't complained one tenth as much as those Democrat strongholds of New Orleans, New York, and New Jersey.

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Yes, when it comes to complaining about the government, Conservatives are a beacon of restraint. :lamo

I would think you'd be thrilled that they're criticizing Obama.

lpast said:

In my experience in many emergencies...there are always unhappy people that are victims of disasters...some people you just cant do enough for...If you read other sources victims are very happy with fema responses..in NJ they are..so are some legitimate complaints, of course..with an emergency this large this bad spread so far there are always going to be errors and miss's

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Government is usually too big to do things quickly, and counting on them to do so is a mistake. The best thing FEMA can do is coordinate the response of smaller agencies. Maybe Obama should go and organize the community.

rocket88 said:

Government is usually too big to do things quickly, and counting on them to do so is a mistake. The best thing FEMA can do is coordinate the response of smaller agencies. Maybe Obama should go and organize the community.

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With an emergency this size and spread out...its virtually impossible to get aid to everyone in a timely manner and no one should expect that. If your a victim and your family is miserable and in need of course your going to be angry as hell and where do you direct that anger...well at the people your expecting to help...Im not excusing mismanagement or failure...I dont know that to be the case yet

LowDown said:

I assume you're ignorantly lumping the people of the Gulf Coast together. The people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are a different group from those in New Orleans, where complaints about the government were loud and long and still haven't stopped.

The other example is Florida, which suffered multiple hurricanes and haven't complained one tenth as much as those Democrat strongholds of New Orleans, New York, and New Jersey.

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So "didn't complain" is now "didn't complain as much" --Game set match

LowDown said:

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.

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If I find one news article saying the opposite, do I win?

Fisher said:

So "didn't complain" is now "didn't complain as much" --Game set match

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"Didn't complain as much" according to LowDown's very scientific method of measuring: Posting one article from Fox News.

When are the Obama supporters going to realize that the election is over? Obama doesn't need you now. Obama also realizes that if he were able to run again in four years, and even if you and the flood damage were ignored for the entire four years, YOU would still vote for Obama. So don't expect him to come knocking at your door anytime soon. Next time he needs you, he'll send you a $35.00 cell phone.

LowDown said:

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.

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Absolutely. As one astute observer noted after Katrina, "Republicans cry for action. Democrats cry for help." There was a vast difference in the way the people of Lousiana responded, compared to the people of Mississippi and Texas.

The people of New York and New Jersey who relied on the government to take care of them, or believed the promises of Obama & Co., are receiving exactly what rational people would expect: nada. Whether or not they actually learn the lesson is still an open question, but I would bet they won't learn a thing.

rocket88 said:

Government is usually too big to do things quickly, and counting on them to do so is a mistake. The best thing FEMA can do is coordinate the response of smaller agencies. Maybe Obama should go and organize the community.

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That's a brilliant idea! Therefore, it will not happen.

Senator Trent Lott was serving in Congress when the hurricane came. He worked very hard to convince his own party to 'not forget' the Gulf Coast. Still there was quite a stink raised as the massive scale of the flooding from torrential rains proved as devastating as the hurricane was with surge and wind. There was a double whammy when the insurance companies slipped off the hook for payments when the claim that the floods caused by the hurricane not the hurricane wind and storm surge caused a great deal of the damage.

The BushII crowd just shrugged and said... they know best...

I also recall the MidWest being hit by floods when the Red and Missouri Rivers flooded several times in recent history. I recall the Dakmota folk being very upset with the Gubmint over levee collapse as well as deliberate flooding of farmland in an attempt to save cities along the rivers. The swath of destruction was of course much narrower, no stranded in a dead city, but the calls for help and frustration were ever present. one big issue was claims not being paid fast enough to suit many.

There are just some folks who would bitch if you hung 'em with a new rope. No corner of our grand and glorious Republic has a lock on whine...

Why would Obama and Democrats do anything for New Yorkers? They will vote Democrat regardless and will blame it on Republicans anyway.

Once Obama had Christy's endorsement he flew off to Las Vegas because there was no reason left for him to do anything. He got more than he should have been able to hope for. Why stick around?

Probably be redundant to mention that Romney's a good guy, if he'd been elected, he would have taken good care of you by now, even if Obama had tried to stop him.

They think Obama is literally a supervillain.

Deuce said:

They think Obama is literally a supervillain.

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No, Obama is not a super anything...In fact his action in disaster is by now predictable...When the oil spilled in the Gulf, he sprinkled a little Dawn and then forgot about it.. Same here, he flew to NJ, got Crispy Cream to endorse his oh so caring response, then he's out....good luck Rockaway's, good luck LI, good luck Point Pleasant, your on your own now...

At least there is a little entertainment in that I am sure that liberals/progressives are looking for a way to blame it on Bush....:mrgreen:

LowDown said:

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.

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A very well reasoned answer.

LowDown said:

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.

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You really think that the areas hit by Sandy even slightly resemble the MS gulf coast? You need to go visit NY. Just the absurd idea you think both could be handled the same shows you have absolutely no clue just what scale you are dealing with. Simply katrina could not do as much damage as Sandy because there simply is not even close to as much to damage where katrina hit. So yes despite GWB's complete stupidity in waiting so he could gain political points it was actually much easier to handle the destruction of Sandy. NY people did not rely on the government. Some people may have had to because they lost everything and had nothing, but most actually did the work themselves. Some of the work simply is not possible to do yourself. Road destruction, downed Utilities, and things like subway flooding are not simply things you can just march out there and fix as a private citizen. Just the idea that you think lots of people are complaining shows you really have no idea how many people live in the area you are whining about.

LowDown said:

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.

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Stupid point, this is not a bunch of farmers who might need some help. This is an area packed tight with peopleThere are no huge breaks of farmland around where Sandy hit. This is dense suburbs and packed cities. Of course Staten Island is going to be helped last. You have manhattan, bronx, brooklyn, and so many more crowded and important areas to deal with. The problems in manhattan alone are much more important to get fixed for all of us because of the revenue that place brings to this country. You have no clue how you organize repairs during a huge disaster. you don't go to the whiners first, you do the important places first and get to the most people. yes, that means some people are just going to have to suck it up, but that does not mean they won't bitch.

you should also be aware that this is a disaster trhat has hit a major populated area. no one can do this quickly. it is impossible to do quickly. the scale of population and destruction in this case are well beyond the capabilities of the human race to fix in a day or two. So yes a few whiny little bitches will have to pitch their fit. pretending those whiners are the majority of new yorkers shows how completely ignorant you are of the area. please take your bitch over to any NYer and tell them this to their face. We will contact you in the hospital when they remove the Ny boot from your colon.

LowDown said:

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.

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Small problem with that idea. The local groups also had their hurricane problems. The small groups who were in the area had no power, their people were fixing their own homes, and everyone was in the same boat.

LowDown said:

I assume you're ignorantly lumping the people of the Gulf Coast together. The people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are a different group from those in New Orleans, where complaints about the government were loud and long and still haven't stopped.

The other example is Florida, which suffered multiple hurricanes and haven't complained one tenth as much as those Democrat strongholds of New Orleans, New York, and New Jersey.

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And you just keep going further down the ignorance scale. Florida can more easily deal with hurricanes because they always deal with hurricanes. That is what you get when you live in florida. A NY snow dusting would shut the entire state of florida down. Hell, a sprinkle of snow for Ny shuts almost any southern state down. This is because those states are simply not equipped to deal with snow removal or ice. It is not a weakness of theirs, it is just simply financially stupid to pay for the once a decade snowstorm when you live in the south. The same goes for NY. About once a decade they get a hurricane to blow up or some huge rain. this one just happened to be the once in a century storm of destruction. You cannot spend all of your state's money planning for that, and that is why we have a federal emergency assistance program that can keep a mobile force that can help states when these disasters hit.

Just the idea of pretending florida is like Ny and areas like that is absurd. First off florida does not have mountains to deal with and run off. Seconmd florida does not have a lot of underground facilities like Ny does. Florida does not have to worry about temps that fall below zero at that time of year. Florida has trees and fauna used to tropical rains, which NY doesn't have. Florida has canals and run off areas to deal with the flooding of hurricanes. NY doesn't have that sort of run off.

You just need to calm down and stop pretending like each area deals with the same disasters like others. The disasters hit areas differently. If you had a kansas tornado hit NY the death toll and destruction of it would dwarf any kansas tornado ever. If you had a california earthquake hit NY you would see a disaster like you could not imagine. Of course if you dump three feet of snow in Florida their houses would collapse, their utilities would be ravaged, and the people would die because they simply are not made to deal with a huge snowstorm.

LowDown said:

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.

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I think it's clear....Obama hates white people. :shrug:

mac said:

I think it's clear....Obama hates white people. :shrug:

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Not all white people, just those who don't kiss his arse.... he seems to like Crispy Cream.

j-mac said:

Not all white people, just those who don't kiss his arse.... he seems to like Crispy Cream.

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I notice obama doesn't take any of the white people who think he should pack up and go back to kenya seriously at all. perhaps if they kissed his ass he would listen to one of their crazies?

Having lived through one major disaster- the January 1994 earthquake in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, recovery take time. FEMA was not much help there. They did have a loan program through the SBA to retrofit foundation anchor bolts. Ought to make all the difference in the next big quake:lol: It took about one year to clear all of the collapsed homes in my old neighborhood. Some were rebuilt. Others reverted to grass and shrubs. Most of that work was paid for by insurance companies and/or the homeowners. I do not recall any FEMA involvement in site clearance. FEMA may have transfered money to the City of LA. I do not know how much FEMA can really do for these folks in NY. One of the big problems in that quake clean-up was landfill locations to receive all the debris of collapsed houses. Perhaps FEMA can reduce some of the restrictions on opening new dump sites offshore. That might be more efficient that trying to truck it in-land.