by Ron Paul
In the wake of hurricane Irene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to come hat in hands asking for more money from Congress. Like the rest of the government, it is broke. It has been suggested that any additional funds allocated to FEMA should come from cuts elsewhere. This seems harsh and lacking in compassion to big government advocates who do not understand economics, but I would go a step further. FEMA should never have been established. It is based on misguided ideas of disaster relief.
This seems shocking to those who have never been subjected to the secondary disaster that is the arrival of FEMA on the scene of a catastrophic event. But explaining FEMA’s ineptness is not the same thing as saying no one should help people affected by disasters. Quite the opposite.
Victims of disasters should get any and all help possible, and there is virtually no limit to the generosity and compassion of good American people after devastation hits. One only need to remember the outpouring after Katrina to know this is true. FEMA, however, did more to get in the way of relief than to actually provide and facilitate it. The examples are numerous. When the call was put out for volunteer firefighters, they volunteered by the thousands. It was FEMA, for reasons of control and bureaucratic ineptitude, who made sure they were not, in fact allowed to actually help. When a group of firefighters arrived from Houston, instead of being put immediately on the job, they were told to sit around and wait. After waiting for two days doing nothing, they were simply sent home. One thousand volunteer firefighters were sent to Atlanta to undergo sexual harassment training while fires actively raged in the city. The ones that remained through this stupidity were sent to escort the president around or to distribute fliers instead of putting out fires. Computer engineer Jack Harrison was told his skills were needed to rebuild technological infrastructure. After being given the runaround for about two weeks, he was misallocated as head of security on the cruise ship FEMA had leased, when he should have been using his skills to help. All manner of help was turned away or mismanaged by FEMA while people suffered and waited. Even the Red Cross had its hands tied by FEMA.
It has only gotten worse since 9/11. Compare the stories of two flotillas – one after 9/11 and one after Katrina. Within an hour of the 9/11 attacks, the largest boatlift in history was organized spontaneously by locals who saw an immediate need and responded immediately. Over 500,000 terrified New Yorkers were taken off the island by ferries, tugboats, pleasure crafts, fishing boats and barges when all other access points had been shut down. A similar flotilla attempt was privately organized after Katrina. 500 boats caravanned to New Orleans to rescue patients from hospitals that were out of supplies and desperate. Unfortunately, FEMA had taken over by then and they were turned away, empty, while the patients languished, still stranded. Tragically, the Vermont Air National Guard helicopters were in Iraq when Irene hit, and they were desperately needed here.
The establishment of FEMA is symptomatic of a blind belief in big government’s ability to do anything and everything for anyone and everyone. FEMA is a bureaucratic organization. Bureaucracies, while staffed with well-meaning people, are notoriously slow and wasteful by their very nature. When people are starving, injured and dying they need speed and efficiency, yet FEMA comes along with forms and policies and rubber stamps. This sort of thing is bad enough at the DMV, but in matters of life and death where seconds count, this is just not acceptable.
True compassion would be to get FEMA out of the way.
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The will of the people > The will of the government.
What has happened is we the people have allowed the government to gain too much power, but we have not lost ours. We have the ability to vote, and influence our congressmen.
Ron Paul is the will of the people.
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Question?? I love the ideas that RP has, however, how EASY would it be to disseminate an entity that has already been established by the govt…i.e. FEMA, Super Congress, TSA/Patriot Act, etc. I have wondered this and although it seems like an awesome opportunity to take our country back, I have little hope that TPTB will let these things come to place. Any response would be greatly appreciated.
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Mr. Paul, I was once told you can not help others if you don’t take of yourself. What do you think about stopping out sourceing the money to other countries temporarly until we have taken care of our debt and helping the American people?
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FEMA makes me sick!
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RON PAUL 2012
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RP is the only one in Gov talling to truth. Consistently honest, (NOT SOMETHING THE MSM WANTS TO HEAR!)
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Ron Paul has NO party support. He terrifies globalists. He threatens trillionaires.
NEEDS YOU & ME. I looked online for bargains- RON PAUL CAP — SHIRT & bought some. Daily, grocerys, mall, bike, fair, festivals, stadium crowds I AM THERE WALKING AROUND. Public responds. USA needs to see daily millions of RP supporters. MEDIA says he is a KOOK, has no supporters, is a fringe person. ALL LIES. DEBATES are coming & National INTERVIEWS. Get YOUR GEAR ON!!! Get out in public. BE SEEN! YOU???
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Why not reform FEMA instead of just scrapping it entirely? Ron Paul surely has a point when he talks about the inefficiencies of it’s current form, but volunteers isn’t the only function of FEMA.
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If more people were like Ron Paul, we would have a very great world, I hope he gets elected, but the BIG BANKERS HATE him!
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AMEN RON! FEMA ALSO CONFISCATED LEGAL FIREARMS AND RENDERED VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINE VULNERABLE TO ATTACK, MURDER AND VIOLENT ROBBERY, FOLLOWED INEVITABLY BY STARVATION.
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RON PAUL 2012
Did u know that Abraham Lincoln ran for public office 7 times without success before becoming president? Did u know that Walt Disney filed bankruptcy 7 times before building Disney World? Did u know that Albert Einstein was told by his teachers that he would never amount to anything?
Ron Paul.. 2012 A Great American. He has my vote!
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RON PAUL 2012
Did u know that Abraham lincoln ran for public office 7 times without sucess before becoming president? Did u know that Walt Disney filed bankrupt 7 times before building Disney World? Did u know that Albert Einstein was told by his teachers that he wouldn’t amount to anything?
Ron Paul.. 2012 A Great American.
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You anti Ron Paul people are quite arrogant . He is the only guy running for president that had a perfect record and never flip flopped. Some are you assholes are paid buy certain means to demonize Ron Paul, so he wont have a chance to win. I will never vote for a globalist or anyone who is pro Federal Reserve or big government.
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The media IS ignoring Dr Paul. There is so much they could be saying about him.
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AMERICA HAS THE OBAMA BLUES!!!!!!
ONE OF THE ONLY FACTORIES WE HAVE IN TENNESSEE AND THE FEDS SHUT IT DOWN! GIBSON GUITAR THEY USE THE SAME WOOD AS ANY GUITAR BUILDER BUT THEY CHOOSE GIBSON.
VOTE RON PAUL 2012 AND LETS END THE SELLING OUT TO CHINA AND MEXICO!!!!!!!
LISTEN TO THE OBAMA BLUES LIONK ABOVE
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=7t51PcPD4bE
WHAT IF ?
Ron Paul has my vote!!
He doesn’t care if you are gay, he wants to stop wars and foreign aid and concentrate on our own country. I mean why not pay the troops to stay home and invest in energy research, drilling our soil, environment, our own defense, free trade and free market. We don’t need the government to regulate our every move.
And REMEMBER::::: <3 :::::
We Americans are a Freedom Loving, Peace Loving people!!
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Would you like to lose your right to free speech?
Would u like to lose your right to bear arms?
F*** NO!!!
AMERICA WAKE UP!!!!!
R(EVOL)ution <3 I Love my country!
The government is slowly stealing our power… who is ready to fight?
Stand tall for what you believe even if you stand alone!!! <3 EDUCATE!!!
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Respond to this video… Once again Ron Paul makes perfect sense–how can a over bloated bureaucratic structure help ppl when they need it most???
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Ron, what are you going to do for Men’s Rights?
Are you going to grant men equal reproductive rights?
Are you going to do something about the feminized education system?
Are you going to address the fact there are 4 federal offices on women’s health & not a single one for men?
Are you going to do something about the fact men are 4X more likely to commit suicide?
What about equal rights for fathers? Do you see the fact men win only 8% of custody battles as a problem?
Be the MRA candidate!
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Finally someone is making sense. He Has My Vote
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He is not legalizing marijuana.. He is just saying the federal govt has no say on marijuana and he wants to leave it up to each of the 50 states whether they want to legalize marijuana or not. So we could end up where all 50 states decided to make it illegal again or we may have some ok and some not.
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Dr Paul has to chill out on all the FEMA is bad stuff, the media today has an attention span of a meth addict, he has to focus on how all the other candiadates and Obama don’t have an idea what to do with the economy.
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i really like this guy just cuz he plans on legalizing marijuana if he is president.
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i love it how if you spell the red letters in the word rEVOLution, it spells out love backwards. God bless you Dr Paul, I’m with you all the way in 2012 and beyond.
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Given his showing in the Ames straw poll, I don’t think it’s premature to talk about Dr Paul’s cabinet appointments. Alex Jones for Secretary of State. I don’t think there’s any question there. Bob Chapman for the Pentagon. Let’s see, who else might be willing? He’s going to do away with most everything, so there won’t need to be many. Well, of course Rand needs to do something, VP would be good for the kid. That’s about it I guess. You’re welcomr, Dr Paul.
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And DR Paul appoint a blue ribbon panel to investigate 911. People like Jesse Ventura, Alex Jones, David Icke, David Duke, Ernst Zundel and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad need to look into this.
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Ron Paul does not exist in the mainstream media. All they talk about is Mitt Romeny and Rick Perry.
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@ Destiny:
Great video!
@ Everyone else:
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RON PAUL 2012!
Volunteer!
Peace to all….:)
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Why is it that people look to the government to solve all problems? It certainly does not have a good track record as problem solvers. Private individuals, churches, charities, businesses, and community initiatives always do a far better, more timely and efficient job. People and organizations that volunteer time and resources to help victims of tragedies are the answer.
When government ‘helps out’ they do so by borrowing money to be paid for by tax-payers and spending as much as they deem necessary, without ever having a solid means to repay the debt. Tax-payers don’t get credit for the aid that government provides. The politicians who lobby for tax money get the credit and thus buy votes from the affected people. That is not true charity.
Victims need money to pay private companies for cleanup. Charitible giving can help pay for that. Victims need clothes, furniture, cleaning and hygeine supplies that people/businesses/charities/churches can collect and provide. Government entities pay millions of dollars in salaries/benefits/pensions to employ thousands of people to aid victims of tragedies. If tax-payers got to keep that money, they could donate it directly to aid efforts and volunteer efforts and cleanup efforts. Instead it goes to government workers. How does that help the affected victims ? It sounds more like a jobs program to me.
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Help from one’s neighbors should never be an entitlement, but should received graciously.
People should be taking reasonable precautions to protect lives and property and should purchase insurance to cover the longterm rebuilding. Those who don’t should be helped to continue a lack of wise planning.
Only individuals spending their own money can make these judgements. Bureaucracies never do.
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Bureaucracy is designed to provide opportunities for corporations providing campaign funds.
By controlling aid and the message, government seeks to make you beholden to it.
The only time anything different happens is when there is overwhelming outrage and political pressure to do the job it is allegedly designed to do.
Real people spending their own resources to help their neighbors and fellow Americans in distant locations are much better able to discern whats truly needed.
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I hope Dr Paul does something about Reptile mind control when he gets in. I know he doesn’t like the government doing stuff, but this is a matter of national defense.
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Why is it that everyone looks to the government to help them. Private individuals, private charities, churches, and businesses volunteer time, money and resources to aid victims of tragedies. The government borrows money in whatever amount them deem needed, and then claim that they alone can help ease people’s suffering. The tax-payers/forced donors do not get any credit for the government’s aid, and then the government claims that if they didn’t help victims then no one would.
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If it wasn’t for the death camps, FEMA would be ok.
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