Presidential State of Emergency?

[Goose 188]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,479935,00.html

Sage has a point in that she had/has some socialist views but who cares, unless someone you know is more qualified to for the position by all means let Mr. Obama know but this woman regardless of her political views knows what to do regarding the environment and knows how to do it.

She will cause more good for the environment in 1 year than any Bush did in 12, and you can count on that.

Why does it matter what label themselves, as long as she is American, her policies will better America and the global environment considering the CO2 producing machine and gas chugging nation America has become. You knows, maybe she will even be able to save the environment for our children.

You don't need to constantly defend Obama and every choice he makes bro.

Some of the stuff she is associated with scares me...thats all..and I'm entitled to that.

Besides, have you stepped outside recently? If not, go for it...its pretty cold. If that's not enough for you, head over to Obama's home turf...its like -9 out there...

But, the best is, Obama's Mother-In-Law will be shacking up in the White House....i want to know who's going to foot THAT bill...

[27east 19]

And for those of you Bush fans, 15 million is a lot less to pay for this than the 105 billion required to handle Bushes mess after the 2005 hurricane season.

Right, I forgot that Bush and Cheney created the hurricane. If John Kerry would have been the president, he would have rode on down the Mississippi on a swift boat to save the people. With Fat Ted right behind him to look for anyone who may be in the water, since we know how much expierence he has rescuing people who have somehow fallen into the water.

Remember that FEMA was not, and is not, supposed to be responsbile for evacuating people who are in the path of a hurricane. That is the responsiblity of the state and really the local government. In this case, both the the state and the city were run by incompetent and corrupt idiots. Chocolate City Ray should have had a plan ready to evacuate the city.

But yes, Bush was 100% correct to declare a state of emergency. While I'm not sure I agree with the money coming from the FEMA budget, the federal government does maintain authority over DC. So yes, it is the right thing to do.

[FFPCogs 863]

The politicos have only one groups safety in mind, ...their own. Let them take the money from FEMA what's the difference? It's all a big shell game there anyway. When or if the funds are needed for a REAL emergency they'll come up with them so they can get re elected.

Inaugurations are just a show where the new President get's to blabber on about how he will "solve" all our ills while showing us all that things aren't that bad because we can afford to put on these grandiose spectacles. Maybe there's some value in starting off with an upbeat celebration, it might be all we get for a while.

To echo many of the brothers here, I'm no fan of our President-elect, but he WILL BE the President and as such I support him if for no other reason than I support the office of President and our Constitution.

Stay Safe (and away from DC)

Cogs

[Goose 188]

Right, I forgot that Bush and Cheney created the hurricane. If John Kerry would have been the president, he would have rode on down the Mississippi on a swift boat to save the people. With Fat Ted right behind him to look for anyone who may be in the water, since we know how much expierence he has rescuing people who have somehow fallen into the water.

Remember that FEMA was not, and is not, supposed to be responsbile for evacuating people who are in the path of a hurricane. That is the responsiblity of the state and really the local government. In this case, both the the state and the city were run by incompetent and corrupt idiots. Chocolate City Ray should have had a plan ready to evacuate the city.

But yes, Bush was 100% correct to declare a state of emergency. While I'm not sure I agree with the money coming from the FEMA budget, the federal government does maintain authority over DC. So yes, it is the right thing to do.

Now, now, lets be nice to Mr. Chapaquitic, his niece may very well be our next senator (if Patterson has half a brain, he wont allow that...).

But just to reiterate, Bush did the right thing. Hopefully this extra money will ensure a safe and orderly inauguration for the entire country.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

I will defend the president that I helped elect from detractors to the best of the ability. That being said, I do not support every decision Obama has made, including and not limited to his choice for secretary of state.

And as far as Katrina is concerned, it is the ignorance, lack of required information, in-action, failed policies and decisions, cronyism and incompetence of the Bush Administration has lead to the unregulated and wasteful spending that is synonymous with the 2005 Hurricane Season as well as pork barrel spending and the failing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Goose 188]

I will defend the president that I helped elect from detractors to the best of the ability. That being said, I do not support every decision Obama has made, including and not limited to his choice for secretary of state.

And as far as Katrina is concerned, it is the ignorance, lack of required information, in-action, failed policies and decisions, cronyism and incompetence of the Bush Administration has lead to the unregulated and wasteful spending that is synonymous with the 2005 Hurricane Season as well as pork barrel spending and the failing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Relax. This is a democracy - well democratic republic - and discussion is what makes our country so damn great. I can question and be critical of Obama until i'm blue in the face. He chose to run for public office and that's just part of the deal. No one has a perfect tract record and no single man or woman in a position of power is going to make decisions which will please every man woman and child in the country. It's just not possible. Obama is no different. He is a man - and politician, not a savior or a messiah.

Also, can we stop reading off the "Fight The Smears" script please?

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Relax. This is a democracy - well democratic republic - and discussion is what makes our country so damn great. I can question and be critical of Obama until i'm blue in the face. He chose to run for public office and that's just part of the deal. No one has a perfect tract record and no single man or woman in a position of power is going to make decisions which will please every man woman and child in the country. It's just not possible. Obama is no different. He is a man - and politician, not a savior or a messiah.

Also, can we stop reading off the "Fight The Smears" script please?

I respect your opinion and in no way am trying to tell you that you need to believe or even listen to what I am saying. I am only stating my opinion based upon facts and research, I am enjoying this banter, I hope you are too. This right here proves the strength of the American, Democratic system. Obama is not perfect, not my any means or stretch of the imagination, but I think he is the best damn thing this country has going for it right now.

And I am not reading off "Fight The Smears" script or anything like that, I do not even have any idea what you are talking about...but I will say that my opinion is based on undeniable facts, credited research and careful fact finding.

[mfkap 0]

PS: BVFD, Bush is not solely responsible for FEMAs failure during Katrina, if that nutjob Ray Nagin, Mayor of the "Chocolate City" (That's a direct quote from him, he really is insane) or the then-governor of LA would have recognized the hazard and requested help earlier, FEMA would have been able to respond sooner. Contrary to what the media tells you, Bush is not to blame for everything.

Sorry, wanted to let this go, but Bush appointed a friend of his as the head of FEMA. And this friend was a horse judge. He judged horses. And he was put in charge of FEMA. Any and every problem that happened was a direct result of George W, either through is appointment of Bushies or his lack of action. Blaming the mayor is good, except that FEMA failed on a MASSIVE scale, ignored previous warnings and simulations, and failed to respond well in 2 different states. Oh, and they screwed up for 6 months after the hurricane, which has nothing to do with your mayor. And is it a mayors job to recognize the hazard? Is he trained in that? If only we had a federal agency that is supposed to look out for disasters and respond to them... if only the hurricane rode in on a horse.

[aacofd40 6]

Greetings from DC. I don't want to put everyone to sleep with DC Policy-wonk language, but the decision to sign an emergency declaration before the inauguration was important for all of us. Disaster declarations (there are two types - Major and Emergency) are governed under the Stafford Act. What is significant for this conversation are the steps that need to be taken in order to request a declaration. In both cases a disaster must be declared by the Governor, and validation must occur (depending on type-weather, terrorism, natural) by federal agencies/organizations. Under no circumstances can a disaster be declared and any funding, resources, etc. be sent to a State without request from the governor. This is Federalism, and was a key factor in the response - good and bad - to Katrina.

The DC Emergency Declaration is important because post Katrina, the Stafford Act was ammended by PKEMRA (The Post Katrina Emergency Reform Act) that allowed for the declaration of an emergency to be made prior to the incident. This is one of the first - they did a few this summer in prep of the Hurricanes in the Gulf Coast - and will help all of us - regardless of jurisdiction - be better prepared, improve response, and shorten recovery time.

Be safe,

JR

[SageVigiles 1,194]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,479935,00.html

Sage has a point in that she had/has some socialist views but who cares, unless someone you know is more qualified to for the position by all means let Mr. Obama know but this woman regardless of her political views knows what to do regarding the environment and knows how to do it.

She will cause more good for the environment in 1 year than any Bush did in 12, and you can count on that.

Why does it matter what label themselves, as long as she is American, her policies will better America and the global environment considering the CO2 producing machine and gas chugging nation America has become. You knows, maybe she will even be able to save the environment for our children.

I didn't say she was a socialist, that was someone else. I'm assuming you mean the Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles that got picked to head EPA?

Though, it matters what they label themselves if what they label themselves is counter-productive to the principles this country was founded upon. IE: Socialism.

Edited January 15, 2009 by SageVigiles

[DES630 10]

I say take all the money - wherever it may come from - for this event's security and hire all the nation's law enforcement officers currently out of work.

How about that for change!

I think I will use that in my Presidential campaign in 12 years...

John Munson for President.

I'll vote for you bro.

[MJP399 4]

QUOTE(Remember585 @ Jan 14 2009, 04:28 PM)

I say take all the money - wherever it may come from - for this event's security and hire all the nation's law enforcement officers currently out of work.

How about that for change!

I think I will use that in my Presidential campaign in 12 years...

John Munson for President.

I'll vote for you bro.

Got another one here, 2 votes

[ny10570 745]

I love how this is now about Republicans vs Democrats when the sitting Republican President issued the order for the incoming Democratic President-Elect. This couldn't be anymore bi-partisan and we've turned it into Bush vs Obama.

Sage, that 1.4 Billion the secret service gets has to cover every American dignitary who travels abroad, every head of state that visits this country, former presidents for 10 years, the sitting president VP and their family, presidential candidates, and still perform investigation and enforcement for the treasury dept. What should they cut from their budget to cover the inauguration?

[50-65 205]

"Why does it matter what label themselves, as long as she is American, her policies will better America..."

And Hitler was German. I'm sure that there were those who thought his policies would bring a better (ie, "new", "hope", "change") Germany. And I'm sure that there are those who feel he did.

[ex-commish 490]

I love how this is now about Republicans vs Democrats when the sitting Republican President issued the order for the incoming Democratic President-Elect. This couldn't be anymore bi-partisan and we've turned it into Bush vs Obama.

I believe this is a case of everyone expressing thier opinions. Democracy at it's best.

[Monty 35]

Greetings from DC. I don't want to put everyone to sleep with DC Policy-wonk language, but the decision to sign an emergency declaration before the inauguration was important for all of us. Disaster declarations (there are two types - Major and Emergency) are governed under the Stafford Act. What is significant for this conversation are the steps that need to be taken in order to request a declaration. In both cases a disaster must be declared by the Governor, and validation must occur (depending on type-weather, terrorism, natural) by federal agencies/organizations. Under no circumstances can a disaster be declared and any funding, resources, etc. be sent to a State without request from the governor. This is Federalism, and was a key factor in the response - good and bad - to Katrina.

The DC Emergency Declaration is important because post Katrina, the Stafford Act was ammended by PKEMRA (The Post Katrina Emergency Reform Act) that allowed for the declaration of an emergency to be made prior to the incident. This is one of the first - they did a few this summer in prep of the Hurricanes in the Gulf Coast - and will help all of us - regardless of jurisdiction - be better prepared, improve response, and shorten recovery time.

Be safe,

JR

Thanks for that JR, that's useful info.

doesn't the Stafford act affect inter state mutual aid? I know there is EMAC that is also part of interstate mutual aid as well. Normally, these things are initiated by the Governor - given that DC is not part of a state, I don't know who would request this kind of help. The Mayor? The President? It certainly seems that this clears the way for interstate mutual aid ambulances, law enforcement or whatever.

Sometimes, you just can't win ..... laid in to for being slow to react, laid in to for trying to be proactive .....

[helicopper 1,050]

So what every one is saying because of the magnitude of this event, the local agencies just can't handle it! Bring in the National Guard if need be. NYC doesn't go to FEMA every time there is a major event at the UN do they? We have just as many foreign missions in NY as DC. We have heads of state from anywhere from 2 to 50 nations here at once. I have not heard NYPD cry out for help. When they ask for their fair share of federal funding they get turned down.Maybe they should go to FEMA now.

Bad example. NYC gets HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of dollars in counter-terrorism and other funds to prepare for and respond to incidents of all types within their borders. So, they may not go crying to FEMA but they sure do go to DHS and hit them up for the BIG bucks!

[helicopper 1,050]

I love how this is now about Republicans vs Democrats when the sitting Republican President issued the order for the incoming Democratic President-Elect. This couldn't be anymore bi-partisan and we've turned it into Bush vs Obama.

Sage, that 1.4 Billion the secret service gets has to cover every American dignitary who travels abroad, every head of state that visits this country, former presidents for 10 years, the sitting president VP and their family, presidential candidates, and still perform investigation and enforcement for the treasury dept. What should they cut from their budget to cover the inauguration?

THANK YOU, NY!!!! This should not be a political discussion or a pro / anti anyone debate. The issue at the heart of this is whether or not it is appropriate (or warranted but I think our colleague from the DC area spoke to warranted already) to use FEMA disaster relief funds for the inauguration. Can we focus on that part of the discussion, please?

I for one would like to see how much money the DNC has and find out how much they're contributing to the event and it's security/emergency preparedness - much the same way an event promoter has to contribute to their events.

I don't think that it is inappropriate for FEMA to be proactive (its a pleasant change) and ramp up the capabilities and resources for the DC area. Anytime a community's population triples or quadruples in a matter of hours, there is a strain on existing services.

It will be interesting to see - hopefully it warms up some by Tuesday or their will be strain on EMS and hospitals down there!

[aacofd40 6]

Monty - great point about EMAC and the uniqueness of DC. You are correct that EMAC is a state-to-state compact that allows - and encourages - coordination at the state and regional level. For the most part, it is separate from FEMA. Think of it as a giant run card. You get the local, then state, then the region (EMAC), and then the Feds (FEMA). What EMAC does - and it does it very quickly - is get resources (mostly people, supplies and equipment) to the affected state. This is often done within hours. Getting similar resources from the Feds can take days. It is outside of Stafford because the States needed something that would provide support during that "gap of pain" btwn when the states are overwhelmed and the feds finally show up on their white horses.

DC has signed the compact. The mayor is similar to the Governor in this case. What makes this unique is another structure that the DC area has, the Council of Government (COG). The COG is an organization made up of officials from VA, MD, DC, and the surrounding counties. They have established mutual aid systems, automatic responses, they train together and respond together. At a tactical level, the fire departments have all moved to a 3 digit numbering system to improve on-scene communications. Fairfax has a 5 (so engine 540, truck 502) Prince Georges is 8, Arlington is a 1. (Don't hold me to the actual numbers). So, most mutual aid in this case, is covered through the Metro Washington COG than by EMAC.

And, Chris, can't help you with the size of the DNC coffers, but they will probably not be used to to reimburse any of the Fed/State/loc folks for preparedness and security. They may at a specific venue - like hiring an off-duty cop to man the door, but since this is a National Security Special Event (NSSE) the Secret Service is going to run the show anywhere Obama is going to show up, and they won't take money -or probably much assistance - from anyone they don't know and trust. This is to ensure no special favors, special access, or any other action that could impact the safety and security of Obama.

Be Safe,

JR

(sorry to answer both questions in one post, I am new to the posting-thing and not sure how else to do it. I know, I should read the directions, but where is the fun in that).

[Guest ECAFD3]

are you people serious ? what do you care where the money comes from. If your read the atricle it said the capitol wouldnt be able to handle the crowds. Hes trying to allow the Emergency Services to be adequately funded for this event we should be greatful for that.

[Oswegowind 17]

That's a little naive. President-elect aside, the Government is responsible for the safety and security of an estimated 3 Million people who will be present. That's a significant terrorist target.

Remember the old saying, An once of prevention...

I agree with this! It is Federal, it could be a major Emergency, and need to be Managed...

[ny10570 745]

What would really be nice to see is DNC cover everything from the stage back and public funds cover the people. The parties, dinners, special events, all the self congratulatory junk should be paid for by the party. Public inauguration ceremony, parade, etc that the average citizen can partake in gets paid for by public funds. I've gotta stop huffing glue, these hallucinations are getting a little to out there.