Christie: No Entitlements, But I Want 100% FEMA Reimbursement

Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is asking the federal government to reimburse the state for 100 percent of emergency costs for at least 90 days after Superstorm Sandy swept ashore on October 29.

In a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency dated November 30 and released on Monday, Christie said the economic damage from the storm could be nearly $40 billion.

FEMA generally reimburses states for 75 percent of emergency clean-up and repair costs from natural disasters. The agency can cover more, but state officials must ask for the relief.

Christie previously asked for 90 percent reimbursement.

news.yahoo.com...

Of course, pretend to hate the federal government until you NEED it. It's just entirely hypocritical, I bet he'll still be giving speeches on how entitlements and "big" government is bad.

The government is the best choice when it comes to disaster relief...because they do not work on a profit margin.

Right. Poor people are mooches because 30+ years of globalization and trickle-down economics have driven wages to the floor, while hamburger is up over $5 a pound, but this bozo wants 40 billion from a group his own party says is out of control printing money?

Give him 75% and make him hold a bake sale for the rest.

reply to post by 0zzymand0s


If he didn't give so many tax cuts to gigantic corporations maybe his state would have the money. The ironic thing is that the corporations cut jobs when they were given tax cuts. The guy is a clown corporate puppet.

"Since taking office in 2010, Gov. Chris Christie has approved a record $1.57 billion in state tax breaks for dozens of New Jersey's largest companies after they pledged to add jobs...The critics pointed out that even when the promised jobs have not materialized, the Christie administration has merely reduced, not withdrawn, the subsidies. And they say that the administration is mortgaging the state's future by forgiving so much tax revenue for the next 10 to 15 years."

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s
Right. Poor people are mooches because 30+ years of globalization and trickle-down economics have driven wages to the floor, while hamburger is up over $5 a pound, but this bozo wants 40 billion from a group his own party says is out of control printing money?

Give him 75% and make him hold a bake sale for the rest.

LL

why give him any fed money [taken from taxpayers, of course] at all?
he should be asking his rich corporate friends for the money

oh wait, that's right, his corporate friends got where they are today
all by themselves, with no help from anyone, or any need to use publicly financed infrastructure

or so they believe.

just goes to show who the real moochers and parasites in this country really are

For larger storms/disasters, it is normal for the Feds to pay 100% for repair to government buildings and nonprofit property. This also occurred for Katrina. By George W Bush.
And, BTW, FEMA is NOT a good agency to handle disaster recover/relief. They may pay for a lot but they do it in extremely wasteful, inefficient ways that do indeed completely waste taxpayer money. I worked directly with them after Katrina and Gustav/Ike. They need to be slashed significantly or dismantled. Terrible, fairly useless agency.

A better way to do it would be to pay directly to the state and then audit the heck out of their work and prosecute any funny business corruption(which is guaranteed when FEMA is involved because of their insane bureacracy- it is difficult to catch the guys lining their own pockets).
I don't care if NJ gets their 100% reimbursement, but regardless of what the percentage is, a solid chunk of it is going to corrupt contractors and into the trash can.
FEMA is a joke as are most aspects of federal disaster response. Even the Coast Guard, which was stellar during Katrina, was solely used as a tool to protect BP and connected out of state contractors during the Oil Spill cleanup.
All agencies/states should follow the model used by the National Guard. The NGB, in DC, helps administer the EMAC program but leaves most of it to the states and agreements between them. And the NG has been, by far, the most effective organization involved in both response and recovery. They operate by the authority of their governor and liaison mostly with state and local agencies. Just makes more sense.
Federal involvement in disasters, other than the check of course, is a horrid and tragic joke.

reply to post by SELAboy


NJ can't afford to pay the damages, so clearly the federal government is a good thing in this case.

Federal monies should pay for federal properties.

State monies should pay for state properties.

Private monies should pay for private properties.

Christie is a hypocritical buffoon!

He needs to go on a diet.

Its republican 101, talk bad about something and still use it

Originally posted by solarstorm
He needs to go on a diet.

This post gets two stars....shows the quality of ATS. Sad really, because there are some great thinkers on this side. Many of whom I disagree with, but at least we have a discussion that has critical thought put into it.

Here though, two other idiots beside the person who posted it thought this was worthy of praise. A quip upon a man's dietary habits, that has nothing to do with what the OP is saying. Classy ATS, classy. What a joke this site can be from time to time. Claim "deny ignorance" while the members run around with astounding ignorance.

---------------------- END RANT -----------------------------

Yes, it would seem Christie is falling into the mantra of only the Government can provide. I do not fault him for seeking assistance in Federal fund though. It is there. Why deny the citizen's of New Jersey that? Hypocrite, yes, wrong,no.

reply to post by ShotGunRum

because they do not work on a profit margin

hahahahaha, when ever ?

all FEMA providers, including the govt squeeze every penny of profit they can out of every disaster they "gather" to maybe address.
and that ^^^ my friend is the beauty of bureaucracy

don't let the propaganda fool ya

reply to post by ownbestenemy


He needs to go on a diet and your avatar is in need of earwax removal....idiot.

Originally posted by solarstorm
reply to post by ownbestenemy

 

He needs to go on a diet and your avatar is in need of earwax removal....idiot.

Clever...you think that up all by your lonesome? You really present a battle of the wits! What does his diet have to do with him asking for 100% FEMA reimbursement? Or is that too much critical thinking for you?

Maybe you should learn the definition of idiot before you use it. Are you saying I have extreme mental retardation? If so, I think I have proven the contrary considering the discussion at hand? Or are you saying I am acting as if I have extreme mental retardation? Again, can't really go with that one since you have yet to post a valid and contributing post to this thread yet save some deep seeded need to dictate other peoples' lives.

For fun though, we can go with your assertion that he needs to go on a diet. If he goes on a diet, do you think the people of New Jersey will no longer need help with rebuilding certain areas? Maybe if he goes on a diet, the amount of money saved from him not eating will be enough to reimburse the state right?

Seems you were projecting that "idiot" comment earlier....

Originally posted by Honor93
reply to post by ShotGunRum

 

because they do not work on a profit margin

hahahahaha, when ever ?

all FEMA providers, including the govt squeeze every penny of profit they can out of every disaster they "gather" to maybe address.
and that ^^^ my friend is the beauty of bureaucracy

don't let the propaganda fool ya

Haha. Very very true. The federal government provides huge amounts of taxpayer money to connected cronies. The federal government is all about getting as much money to the ultra-rich as it possibly can. Why do you think the agents of the federal government (of BOTH parties) are bankrolled by special interests?

Also, agencies involved, esp FEMA are full of bureaucrats who essentially do nothing but move paper and forms around, and argue about ways in which they can most irrationally "rebuild" communities.

I'll give some some credit. Sometimes they go with the second most ridiculously stupid way instead of the number one most ridiculously stupid way. But really they do what they do to justify their jobs' existence. Hence, the environmental office throws up red flags for things that have nothing to do with environment or are patently ridiculous. Bureaucrats often feel like they are not doing their job if they are not holding things up.

And the way in which government budgets are handled is downright stupid. Toward the end of the fiscal year, departments/offices of all agencies are scrambling to see what useless things they can spend taxpayer money on in order to justify the same budget for the next fiscal year. Ask any government employee about "end of year" money. Instead of being rewarded for efficiency and good work, and/or coming in under budget, departments/individuals are punished for not finding unnecessary things to spend others people's money on. This is a system that can't end well. And won't.

Ultimately I agree with Beezzer about different levels of gov't paying for their own, but having been actively engaged with disaster response/recovery in Louisiana, you'd be surprised at how interconnected the federal and state governments are in some ways. Also, when you are talking about a large area without basic infrastructure, you need some more muscle ($$$) in order to get things going immediately. I am not against the idea of federal involvement, but FEMA and the way the feds currently do it are extremely idiotic, inefficient, and backward.

So what I'm saying is that when it comes to FEMA and other federal agencies, much of the Republican rhetoric is 100% accurate. And I find it humorous that people posting on here would want to exact vengeance on Gov. Christie by denying him aid, when the people that are suffering are the real people of New Jersey (I'm sure Christie himself will be fine with or without federal aid). Esp. when New Jersey is such a blue state, which voted for their adored demagogue. The Democrat brownshirts are starting to get a bit scary.

reply to post by Honor93


Well I'm talking about not on a profit margin to help the damaged people. They might give whatever to their cronies, but they'll sure help you with damages at no cost. The cronies can always be cut out once people start paying attention to their government.

That was the whole point. A private company will never do that, at least not on a large enough scale to help badly hit natural disaster victims.

FEMA actually sells flood insurance, Insurance companies do not sell flood insurance in flood prone areas. FEMA took the money to cover private property in case of a flood so FEMA is responsible for covering said private property damaged by said flood.

Originally posted by jimmiec
FEMA actually sells flood insurance, Insurance companies do not sell flood insurance in flood prone areas. FEMA took the money to cover private property in case of a flood so FEMA is responsible for covering said private property damaged by said flood.

And this is largely why no one will ever improve unsustainable systems. No one in South Louisiana should live on homes on slab in low-lying areas, drained marshland, or floodzones. Hubris about our "control" of nature created situations where the federal government comes in with taxpayer dollars and builds things exactly as they were prior to the disaster (unless you want to go through costly and extremely time consuming "alternative/improvement project" red tape).

It's the same moral hazard as bailing out companies and banks that fail or giving free things and money to people who continue to make bad personal decisions. It eliminates any incentive to be innovative, to excel, or to improve the situation You never fix the problem and you exacerbate a culture of irresponsibility and dependence.

And people who claim "that people shouldn't live there anyway" are just as ignorant.
Discounting the indigineous tribes that lived there for millenia, people lived near coasts and in low lying areas for centuries. They lived sustainably by building in the higher areas of those zones and by building on piers. Even a foot or two off the ground would eliminate the vast majority of flood claims that taxpayers who chose higher places to live subsidize. FEMA policies don't try to achieve this. And when they do, as in Louisiana in 2009/10, it becomes a jumbled mass of corruption and ineptitude.

And the idea that the federal or state government isn't interested in a profit margin is an idea only entertained by idealists unconcerned with reality. Taxpayers pay MUCH more for the gov't contractors under current circumstances created by a gargantuan government than they would if the process were handled by a very limited government in conjunction with free market, competitive companies and a very transparent process.

Gov Christie may be a hypocrite (in fact I'd say he certainly is for many reasons) but so is every Democrat who entertains the notion that a big federal government is somehow at odds with large corporations or that it exists to help "the people". They are the ultimate hypocrites. Huge corporations, especially ones with gov't contracts, never would have gotten that big and powerful without the very out of control federal government giving them privilege and aid at every turn. The same government that promotes the idea of "taking care" of citizens by turning them into powerless subjects. They get to have free cellphones, though!

reply to post by ShotGunRum

Well I'm talking about not on a profit margin to help the damaged people

sorry, i cannot make sense out of the above statement. care to clarify ?

there are only two ... profit or non-profit, it can't be both.

but they'll sure help you with damages at no cost

at no cost to Whom ??
if you're gonna say the victim, think again.

the victim may not incur initial fees for service, but i assure you, they pay ... oooooh boy do they pay and so do the rest of us.

The cronies can always be cut out once people start paying attention to their government.

nah, the system is designed this way.
the only way to fix this one is to scrap it and start over.
[yes, i've been a FEMA authorized provider/food service]

A private company will never do that, at least not on a large enough scale to help badly hit natural disaster victims

and this is where i have to agree while disagreeing at the same time.
yes, a single private company would likely fail at such a task.

No, FEMA doesn't work that way.
FEMA manages (creates multi-layers of protocol & paperwork) for a group of private contractors who provide services directly to the damage zones/people/property.

in other words, without the Private Contractors, FEMA couldn't achieve any of its 'goals'.

reply to post by SELAboy

the way in which government budgets are handled is downright stupid.

yes it is and come to think of it, i cannot remember the US government producing an actual "budget" in more than a decade

however, what you said about how govt. providers work their budgets is exactly true.
every bureaucracy MUST utilize its funding in order to renew it in the following year.

edit: wrong thread