FEMA Red Tape Kept Moore from Building Safe Rooms for More than a Year Before Tornado (Ron Paul, Israel)
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Gov. Fallin Announces Federal Assistance Granted for Oklahomans Devastated by Tornadoes
Oklahoma City -- Gov. Mary Fallin announced today that the White House has approved the state's request for disaster assistance for five Oklahoma counties hit hard by this week’s deadly tornadoes.
The disaster assistance benefits individuals and business owners impacted by the severe storms that occurred May 18 and continuing in Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma and Pottawatomie counties. Gov. Fallin noted with additional damage assessments other counties could be added to the declaration.
The announcement comes in the wake of three days of tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding, which killed more than 50 people and injured more than 120.
“We very much appreciate the support and quick action of President Obama in approving Oklahoma's request for federal disaster assistance in the wake of today's devastating storms," Governor Fallin said.
The designation ensures federal assistance for housing repairs or temporary housing, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest loans for individuals and businesses to repair or replace damaged property, disaster unemployment assistance, and grants for serious needs and necessary disaster expenses not met by other programs.
Additionally, the declaration grants public assistance for state and local governments in the five counties to assist with debris removal and emergency protective measures to include overtime for first responders. The declaration also provides direct federal assistance in the form of bottled water, blankets, meals-ready-to-eat and other bulk supplies.
Are you kidding? Sidewalks and other things of that nature have to be handicapped accessible. This particular bridge was in out of the way area and unlikely to be used by pedestrians or the handicapped.
There are serious economists who study the difference between what our states pay in taxes and how much they get in return from the U.S. government. These people generally don’t draw political, let along moral, judgments from these numbers.
I’m under no such constraint. The numbers, for decades now, have been quite clear: With some exceptions, what we regard as red states are sent a whole lot more of your hard-earned tax dollars than the traditional blue states. In effect, supposedly indolent, “tax and spend” liberals actually subsidize the individualistic, pure, and hard-working lifestyle of our conservative countrymen.
I don't too much get into the red state/blue state dichotomy. But it's only common sense that Oklahoma damn sure doesn't pay more in federal taxes than New England.
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Originally Posted by thecoalman
How many times does this need to be debunked? Simple example of many, the state of South Dakota has something like 750 miles of Interstate 80 running through it. The traffic on that road is east/west traffic as it's one of the main corridors for commerce connecting San Francisco to NYC. It's not the people ND benefiting from the goods flowing West from NYC or the fruits and vegetables flowing east from California.
If you're going to make any comparison you first need to eliminate federally funded projects and installations that benefit this entire country like military bases, If you want another example you have New Mexico a left leaning state who often tops these lists. They just happen to be home to Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories and who knows what else...
Yea, well the Dakotas both have large military installations. So does Oklahoma BTW.
And 80 isn't 750 miles in South Dakota...it doesn't run through South Dakota at all. 90 does. And 90 brings in plenty of money for South Dakota. Those truckers spend a sh*tload of money in that state on everything from coffee to damn near 4 dollar diesel fuel. Same for Interstate 29 up there. I've ran both freeways myself in my day, and i spent plenty of money on overpriced crap when i was hauling freight.
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Originally Posted by OhioRules
We could just elimnate income taxes and let people keep what is rightfully theirs. Then they could build their own shelters.
That would be much more efficient. Both in monetary costs and time.
It would also mean progressives would have to give up control over other peoples lives. The inner-totalatarian that resides in every liberal would never allow for that.
Plenty of people that pay taxes manage to build their own shelters.
So $2mil to build 800 safe rooms in Moore, OK. Thats $2500 each. You aren't going to get a very large space for that, perhaps the size of a closet or a small bathroom - say 6x8 ft.
There are around 55,000 people in Moore, OK. That averages out to about 70 people to each of these 800 safe rooms. Could 70 people fit in a space that small? Could 35? 10? Probably less than 10 is more like it (although the average household size is more like 3-4). And if you are my size (I'm 6'1" and weigh 185), 5-6 might be a push (no pun intended). That would imply a max of less than 8000 people in them had these safe rooms been built. What about the other 47,000+ (and more likely, 50,000+) people?
Most of the houses built there before WW2 had basements (so I've read) but not afterwards. The people living in those houses would likely be ok. And, of course there are probably a few more structures around town that'd be ok. But if Moore is like any other American city there has been tremendous growth since WW2 (in fact, it had a population less than 1000 in 1950). Very few newer houses have basements. Today (pre-tornado) there are more than 15,000 housing units in Moore (including apartments).
Logically, 800 safe rooms would not be any where near enough for the entire city. Just in looking at the numbers they wouldn't be. Of course, 800 would be a start but thats all it is. IMO, the overall safety they might have provided is marginal.
With that, I don't see that this thread has a lot of validity.
I haven't read through this thread, but I want to say one thing.
It is horribly shameful that Americans who suffer through these disasters, lose everything, have to ask for help from fellow Americans. That Americans are asked to donate food, clothing, shelter to help these people out, is a disgrace.
Our government is so quick to pour money into other governments that they are propping up (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt) and filling the coffers of thieves, spend billions on nation building, while our own people are left to rely on the charity of fellow Americans.
What ever happened to charity begins at home? Why does our government think that charity begins and ends in other countries and ignores the needs of people who suffer through these disasters in this country?
Oh, man, I love this thread! The conservatives here are constantly demanding smaller government and whining about government spending and how it diminishes individual efforts. And yet, you're the very ones who are complaining that the big, bad federal government is preventing people from putting in safe rooms because, wait for it, the government isn't paying for those safe rooms fast enough.
This is no endorsement of nanny state socialism, but the opposite. Taking funds from the locals, funneling it through state and federal bureaucracies, and then redirecting it, minus all the cuts for bureaucrats, is a complete and utter waste. And this kind of red tape kills.
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