This was all so predictable.
The water has not yet receded in much of the storm damaged region, yet the big government straw man arguments survived and are flourishing.
On CBS this morning a correspondent (don’t remember his name) was asked by one of the anchors what the storm means in terms of how the public views the “role of government.” Needless to say, the correspondent pointed out that the Obama campaign could, but might chose not to, highlight Romney’s arguments for lessening the role of government in light of the federal response to Sandy.
The New York Times has an editorial this morning making the same argument, A Big Storm Requires Big Government:
Does Mr. Romney really believe that financially strapped states would do a better job than a properly functioning federal agency? Who would make decisions about where to send federal aid? Or perhaps there would be no federal aid, and every state would bear the burden of billions of dollars in damages.
A Romey quote from a 2011 debate about enabling states to deal with disasters is being taken out of context, as if Romney was saying You’re On Your Own When Disaster Strikes. Expect this argument to spread like wild fire today among Obama supporters.
(added) This is the clip (h/t Jean R) Obama supporters are relying on for Romney wanting to eliminate any federal role in disaster relief, but it says nothing of the sort:
Yet even under the current formula, the states will play the primary role in dealing with Sandy, and the federal government will assist mostly through coordination and financial assistance in the form of loans. This type of multi-state regional problem is precisely the type of situation where a coordinating role for the federal government is appropriate.
That does not mean we need an army of FEMA employees, and such bloated bureaucracies can be counter-productive.
It is the classic Obama straw man — the choice between “no government” and their version of government which creeps into every aspect of your lives, including your health care. You don’t like the Nanny State, then you must want no government at all.
This is, of course, a false choice. But with days until the election and the momentum having shifted to Romney, it’s about all Obama supporters have.
Update:
@davidcorndc Wow, Mother Jones working anti-Mormonism into Sandy coverage, truly disgusting ow.ly/eSvpi
— Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) October 30, 2012
Romney: MORMONMORMONMORMONMORMONhis church teaches communitarian values MORMONMORMONMORMONMORMON motherjones.com/mojo/2012/10/m…
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) October 30, 2012
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Any body recall a hurricane named Katrina and how the Left praised the efforts of Big government and GWB? How about the promise to lower the seas and let the healing begin? (Crickets chirping)
This is a favorite canard of the Collective.
It was used to excess by the kiddies singing that creepy ode to Dear Leader.
We don’t want NO government. We want the LIMITED government the Constitution chartered.
And one of the things that the NYT does that I always find amusing is ask and answer the same question; do these rubes really think that a state government can do stuff BETTER than BIG GOVERNMENT (or nearly as well)? The real answer is YES! WE CAN!
And it is OUR business under the Constitution.
After all…how many disasters did Obama simply choose to ignore during this last term of office? And why?
Limited government? The oxymoron to beat all oxymorons.
You are not entitled to a common defence or monopoly government.
Never let a crisis go to waste.
The NYT has become such a non-intellectual news and opinion source. The absence of much counterbalance has made it unreadable for me for about 4 years, now. Even when I visit my local library on some weekend days when I am bored, I find tens of newspapers to scan and catch up on over the weeks without touching the Times. I just have no desire to read it because on serious matters I find it mandatory to research elsewhere to find omitted facts, etc. What a waste of time. That wasn’t the case 10 or 15 years ago.
In this case, there is a reasonable answer if the author had any desire to look at the matter objectively. If the federal tax burden were reduce in a measurable way, it would be reasonable and manageable for the states to raise any taxes – income, sales, etc. – to a lesser degree without being a burden. I’ve often wondered why federal income taxes are so many times more than most state income taxes, it they exist. After all, the pool sizes are hugely different.
Imagine if the federal rates were reduced by 5%, on average, with a corresponding reduction in federal agencies, services, etc. If states chose to increase their rates by, say, 2%, there would be an massive windfall of revenue for most, even states like Montana with lower populations and diverse income. These numbers are hypothetical, but prove the point. States are better at providing most services in the first place. I would much rather have those who take and spend my money living closer to me than in DC, too.
Julia did not heed warnings to evacuate and is holed up somewhere …. who can deliver her birth control pills? Big government.
Julia was humping like a bunny during the storm and forgot to take her birth control pills …. who can help her get an abortion? Big government.
Already saw this “Sorry, you’re on your own” statement on Facebook. Left comment that this is almost as bad as Obama telling Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty “Sorry, you’re on your own.” I guess I will have one less “friend” on Facebook, but as far as I am concerned, if you vote for Obama after Benghazi you have blood on your hands too.
This final week’s ugliness will likely only pale to the ugliness that will ensue in the first few days after the election if Romney wins.
Obama said his day was the day the oceans would stop rising, and there is no sensible context for that.
Big disasters require a big ECONOMY, to fund the billions in relief. Much of the relief should come through insurance, and why not the states that will benefit most, pay first?
Stossel did a show on how even he gets disaster relief for his beach home for storm damage. How much of Obama-money goes to the 1% and their million dollar seaside homes?
This is an opportunity for Romney (when the time is right), saying “the wealthy need to insure themselves, and a bankrupt country won’t have a rainy day fund when disaster hit“. But FEMA is still what we have in place now, as wasteful as it might be.
The NY Times hit piece says “Katrina was just waiting to happen”, blaming Bush. But President “Lower Seas” will get only praise for this storm. Of course Louisiana was run by corrupt Democrats, perhaps ranking second in corruption only to Obama’s Chicago machine.
In Chicago the blacks are now complaining how the Obama-money only reaches the Obama gang members, not their community. How much of Katrina FEMA and private relief was absconded with, and never really used for intended purposes? I’d bet at least a third.
Obama will be out in galoshes (figuratively) tossing out Obama-billions, being the candy man. Romney can point out the need for state level action, being more efficient.
Romney can add: “Look on TV .. who is giving the details out … the governors. State level has the knowledge.
Who is working overtime? The utility companies, and thousands of private industry companies. Only a vibrant economy can make all these front line responders well equipped and prepared.
FEMA will offer support, but Governor Christie is the general in the field.”
That could also wander into a comparison with Libya, where the men at the local level were ignored by those far away in DC.
“You don’t like the Nanny State, then you must want no government at all.”
This nonsensical “logic” of the Left is extended to each of its issues,
~If you won’t support and fight for homosexuals marrying each other, then you HATE homosexuals.
~Not for aborting unborn children at any point of gestation and for any or for no reason, then you WANT to see women DIE.
~Want to see more become independent and self-fulfilling, then you must HATE poor people because you want to dismantle the welfare state.
And on and on it goes. The Left and its many, many members are unreasonable because one of their strategies for destroying Western culture is NEVER being reasonable. To borrow a word which is both au courant and accurate, they’re being savages.
That Mother Jones Mormon hit piece even uses a photo-shopped picture of Romney to make it look like he’s blessing sand bags or something. Although after the cussing elders video, I’m not really surprised by any of the lows the left sinks to anymore.
From the Timing is Everything file: Once again, the stars have aligned for us; not only will The One have brought us through the biggest financial crisis in the history of the country, saved the automobile industry, and ended two wars — now, He (see note below) will bring us through the darkest hours of the biggest natural disaster to ever hit our most important city and the entire eastern seaboard. We are so blessed.
(Memo to Schumer and Bloomberg: Get your own face time.)
[…] Legal Insurrection points out that this is a complete strawman, a gross misrepresentation of what Mitt was saying. It’s an absurd notion, but it’s fully in line with decades of Republican resistance to federal emergency planning. FEMA, created by President Jimmy Carter, was elevated to cabinet rank in the Bill Clinton administration, but was then demoted by President George W. Bush, who neglected it, subsumed it into the Department of Homeland Security, and placed it in the control of political hacks. The disaster of Hurricane Katrina was just waiting to happen. […]
All the Obama election team (and indeed Obama himself) can come up with are scary strawman tactics to energize the mooches who want other people to provide for them.
You know, there’s a model for what disaster recovery efforts look like when the federal government is in charge: the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The federal government was in charge; they were so slow to react that states starting trying to take over; then the federal government sped up—to block the states from implementing their own clean-up efforts.
Let’s triple the size of government … and then people in a hurricane’s path won’t even feel the wind or get wet.
Heck, they’ll probably be able to have a picnic outside.
Big government is to liberals what beer is to Homer Simpson … the answer to everything.
As a government worker, I can tell you that in the offices where I’ve worked, you could get rid of the slackers (about 40% by my estimate) …
… and productivity and efficiency would go up!!
LukeHandCool (who is aggravated by few things in life more than having to fix the mistakes and messes created by incompetent coworkers)
FEMA is a four letter word. I should know being from South Louisiana. Do not be fooled by their so called help. Post Katrina billions of FEMA ollars were wasted on bailouts and scams and the only good thing that came out of it is that some corrupt politicians went to prison.
FEMA actually impedes aid by hoarding resources and then not distributing them. We were recently hit by Issac and FEMA came in and rented every car and hotel room in Baton Rouge. They didn’t use them, they just rented them in case they may be needed.
Thousands of used camper trailers are still sitting in lots all over South La. as a remnant of Katrina, 7 years ago.
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I remain struck by the way the President speaks as if someone else had been President for the last four years.
In his comments at the Red Cross today, he said that he had instructed his government to “cut out red tape.” OK, good idea, but why is that red tape there at all? And which red tape will he cut? EPA regulations? The Davis Bacon Act? Who is this phantom executive he’s countermanding?
Someone should break the news to this poor fella that Obama has already SHRUNK big Gov. He said yesterday that people should cut right thru all the red tape, regulations etc. and get aid to the people. Who is the author of all that red tape he is cutting? Big Gov.