FEMA To States: You Want Cash? Say Climate Change Is Real. SAY IT!

[babylonsister]

This is a BFD. They won't be able to hide their collective heads in the sand!


http://wonkette.com/580175/fema-to-states-you-want-cash-say-climate-change-is-real-say-it

FEMA To States: You Want Cash? Say Climate Change Is Real. SAY IT!
by Doktor Zoom
Mar 19 9:09 am 2015

image:
No Disaster Preparedness Funds for you!


In an elegant reply to politicians who aren’t scientists but don’t mind ignoring experts who are, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has come up with a simple solution: States whose governors decide there’s no need to plan for the consequences of a changing climate will no longer qualify for federal grants for emergency preparedness. For climate deniers like Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, Florida’s Rick Scott, or Texas’s Greg Abbott, it’s a pretty clear opportunity for them to put their coastlines and their populations where their mouths are. Governors who refuse to consider climate in their states’ hazard mitigation plans could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA money.

The new policy would only apply to grants aimed at disaster preparedness — funding for FEMA assistance following natural disasters would not be affected.

“If a state has a climate denier governor that doesn’t want to accept a plan, that would risk mitigation work not getting done because of politics,” said Becky Hammer, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s water program. “The governor would be increasing the risk to citizens in that state” because of his climate beliefs.

Beginning in March 2016, states must assess how climate change may increase threats to their communities and include those estimates in hazard mitigation plans when they apply for federal preparedness funding. This could prove interesting for Florida, where state employees are literally not allowed to say “climate change” or “global warming,” or they have to put five bucks in the swear jar. (For second offenses, Gov. Scott personally shows up late at night to scare their children.) So we’re guessing Gov. Bat Boy is going to just kiss some big-time grant money goodbye, along with large tracts of Miami. And no, Sen. Inhofe, Oklahoma won’t get any disaster preparedness money for Tornado Alley, even if you wrap up a snowball and mail it to FEMA.

FEMA’s new guidelines make it clear that states need to take into account a range of possible effects from climate chance, regardless of how much oil companies have contributed to their governors’ election campaigns:

The challenges posed by climate change, such as more intense storms, frequent heavy precipitation, heat waves, drought, extreme flooding, and higher sea levels, could significantly alter the types and magnitudes of hazards impacting states in the future. Due to the inherent uncertainties with projections of future hazard events, states are expected to look across the whole community of partners (for example, public, private, academic, non-governmental, etc.) to identify the most relevant data and select the most appropriate methodologies to assess risks and vulnerability.

Good god. The federal government is telling the states they’ll actually have to listen to scientists about risks from climate change, at least if they want to qualify for disaster preparedness funding. What sort of madness is this? It’s as outrageous as insurance companies charging people more if they smoke!

snip//

Don’t be too surprised if this policy eventually gets portrayed on Fox News as FEMA forcing governors to sign a “climate loyalty oath” or some such bullshit, but let’s be clear about what it really is: a demand that if you want to get money to prepare for disasters, you can’t ignore preparing for the ones your wingnut constituents prefer to pretend aren’t real.

[Inside Climate News]

[world wide wally]

1. Sounds fair to me.

As far as Florida goes though, don't forget that Scott turned down a ton of money and job opportunities when he declined high speed rail. And yet the brilliant folks down there re-elected him.
I imagine that if he promises to garnish their paychecks and hand them back to the corporations, he'll be crowned Governor for life.

[d_legendary1]

16. We didn't re-elect him. The Dems hired a poser as their candidate

And we're fucked for four more years! And the fact that Wasserman-Shultz sold out doesn't help us Floridians either!

[staggerleem]

17. If Charlie Crist is a poser ...

... then what is Skeletor? Crist actually WAS governor before, and was a far better one than your present disaster.

SOMEBODY re-elected the bastard. Just because you didn't vote for him (and I'm willing to wager that YOU didn't vote AT ALL last November) does not mean that your population is not responsible for him holding the office.

[calimary]

28. WHAT AN EXCELLENT POINT!

It was just as much the fault of people who stayed home on Election Day for whatever reason, and didn't weigh in, as it was the fault of the assholes who swallow this shit whole and willingly jump off the cliff with the other "true-believer" lemmings.

Over and over I've heard the old adage - "if you don't vote, then you have no right to complain." And there's a lot of truth in that. Painful truth, but still truth.

[d_legendary1]

37. You guys can keep blaming the people who stayed home

but in the end no one is going to vote for a flip flopper. I don't give a damn if he's got a (D) next to his name he sucked as a gubbernor just like every other REPUBLICAN we've had in this state!

[Hekate]

47. So you didn't vote.

Nice to know.

[d_legendary1]

59. Never assume that someone did or did not vote

It makes an ASS out of U and Me. And for your information I did (I live in sunny isles. No waiting since the codgers here vote Republican).

[calimary]

54. Well, okay then. I guess you'll have to be okay with whatever shit you get.

I think you deserve better. I think we ALL do.

And I use the paul wolfowitz cautionary tale to illustrate how Rs and Ds are NOT all the same. Repeat - NOT ALL THE SAME. Look at the foreign policy team jebbie-boy has already assembled. It's got three of his fellow PNACers including one of the worst of all, paul wolfowitz, advising him on foreign policy. I wouldn't even have to bet with you how soon our nation would be lurching toward war again. I seriously doubt Hillary Clinton, for all her faults, would ask paul wolfowitz for advice on ANYTHING - even strategic hair-combing in the field. And just consider for a moment, who would you expect to see nominated to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, assuming she's the next one to retire (simply because of her advancing age). You want a samuel alito or clarence thomas type in there? Or would you rather have maybe a David Souter or a Sonia Sotomayor or an Elena Kagan in there.

Hey, if we could invent or otherwise design and construct the perfect candidate, I know we would. I know YOU would, d_legendary1. I know I would, too. But we can't. We have to dance with what's there. We get to pick only those who are at the dance. NOT the people hanging out, outside the dance hall, or those who never showed up to begin with.

I am never going to be one who holds out for perfect. All that does is allow the HORRIDLY, RIDICULOUSLY WRETCHED to be able to get in, instead, while I'm still waiting for Mr/Ms Candidate Perfect to show up. A candidate who, frankly, doesn't exist.

[d_legendary1]

61. And shit is exactly what's running the state

I agree with you 100% that Ds and Rs aren't the same, but you can't expect the people here to vote for a former R with a history of gutting the commons and flip floping just because he's got a D next to his name. This falls on my Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz since I grudgently voted for Crist and anyone who didn't have an R next to their name (can't believe Pam Blondi is out AG ) .

Listen I tried convincing people that Crist is 1000 times better than Scott who raised prices on everything, but all they kept telling me was that Crist is nothing but a turn coat. I don't sit on my ass waiting for election day to come so I can vote for all the Ds on the ballot sheet. I try hard explaining the lesser of evils to people (heck some Rs in my office voted for Crist) but its not enough for some of the hardliners out there. It also doesn't help that in Florida almost everyone in politics is crooked. Its pretty strange how no one likes career politicians here yet they are the ones they get to vote for.

I know who I have to vote for and trust me I try to help these knuckle heads get elected, but they need to do their part in becoming a candidate that people want to vote for.

[staggerleem]

63. If I recall correctly ...

... Crist STARTED as a Democrat. My mom (may she rest in peace) worked for the Democratic Party in Pasco County in the 80's, and I seem to remember her being really upset because Crist, who was at the time the incumbent DEMOCRATIC Governor, had lost the Democratic primary for his 2nd term, but was running for it anyway, as a Republican.

Now all this is over 30 years ago, and I was (and still am) living in New York, so I could be totally wrong about this - but it's how I remember things.

[d_legendary1]

65. You're reminding me of Arlen Specter

Started off as a very progressive senator who changed sides and later tried to change back. Didn't work so good for him in the end (lost to Joe Sestak who lost to Toomey).

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

30. Some of these same people are threatening not to vote for Hillary if she is nominee

If we get Walke and con house and senate I am going to blame the alleged libertarians (will NEVER call them liberals) who did it

[staggerleem]

64. First of all, "Libertarians" are NOT Liberal!

Truth be known, they're FAR closer to Conservatives, except on Social issues (marriage equality, abortion, marijuana, etc. - Thom Hartmann says that Libertarians are just Conservatives who like to smoke pot & get laid.) THEY would hate it if you called them Liberal.

OK - enough with grammar corrections, on to my main point - if you don't like Hillary, and she wins the primary, you have 4 options:

1) Hold your nose & vote for her ANYWAY.

2) Cast an "issue" vote for a 3rd party candidate.

3) Cast a "protest" vote for the Republican.

4) Don't vote at all - or at least don't cast a vote for President.

If you're on this site and reading this post, I think you'll agree that option #3 is MADNESS, so let's just eliminate that option. If your Hillary-hatred runs so deep that #1 is also a non-option, you're down to 2 choices - no vote or a 3rd party vote.

The wisdom of voting for a 3rd party depends on where you live. I'm in NY, which hasn't gone Red in a Presidential Election in my lifetime, so I can make a 3rd party vote without fear that the loss of my vote will swing the state to the right. If you're in a "purple" state, that option becomes much less attractive.

The non-vote option, however is a PURE WIN for the Right. Maybe you believe that the billionaires run it all anyway, so what difference do our votes make anyway? I would ask you to look at all the effort being put into suppression of the vote of traditionally Democratic constituencies, and to riddle me this - if our votes are worthless then WHY are they willing to invest a BILLION damn dollars to get us to vote either how they want us to, or not at all? However you look at the no-vote option, they win, and you lose.

[d_legendary1]

36. Skeletor stuck to his guns (so to speak)

unlike a certain former gubbernor who changed party affiliations twice and lost TWICE! Shit Skeletor didn't have to look far to catch Crist saying "I was for it before I was against it" and use him to run those campaign ads with all that Koch money he scored. So note to the Democratic party: Keep running stiffs and you can bet that Republicans will keep owning this state.

BTW if you look at the election results you'll see that Scott squeezed by and never overpowered his challengers. We hate him down here.

[hatrack]

45. You don't hate him nearly enough - or not enough to do anything about it

Sucks to be in Florida.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

29. So are you saying Rick Scott is acceptable if Crist is the alternative?

Would Crist have turned down the rail deal?

Anybody know?

I am betting no...

[d_legendary1]

38. You'd lose that bet.

Reps only listen to what their masters want, not what's good for the state. Crist never had an original thought in his entire political existence.

[world wide wally]

40. You definitely have it rough down there, but somebody elected him.

[d_legendary1]

42. Yeah. The same people who who vote Republican no matter how

they fuck up the state.

[world wide wally]

44. Then the rest of you need to work harder.

I know it's not fair…. but look what you ended up with

[tblue37]

2. KnR. nt

[Cha]

3. Brawaaaaaaaaaa

[DreamGypsy]

4. FEMA should also include the requirement...

...that state hazard mitigation plans incorporate realistic efforts to reduce fossil fuel usage and other sources of carbon pollution and that reasonable milestones are met under those plans in order to receive continuing funding.

IMHO.

[BrotherIvan]

5. Good job

And the rwnjs want to get rid of FEMA too because government bad--said by a civil servant. All in the most vulnerable states in the country. Idiots.

[lark]

6. Ahem, Rick Scott.

They are talking about you and hwo you are endangering the future of FL for your crazy teabagger theories with no VALID scientific backing whatsoever.

God, how I hate that man and loathe the fact that he's governor of my fucked up state, making it worse daily.

[BlueJazz]

19. Rick Scott in High School.

[staggerleem]

67. LOVE them suspenders! /nt

[nxylas]

7. Are you kidding?

Not only will red state governors continue to hide their heads in the sand, but in a few years time, many of them will be running for reelection based on their heroic refusal to accept FEMA's bribes to embrace the "warmist religion".

[hobbit709]

8. But some of them will have to learn the difficult art of mud breathing first.

[babylonsister]

9. Ha! They can't deny it forever! nt

[nxylas]

13. Anyone remember the movie Erik the Viking?

I don't blame you if you don't, it was pretty bad, and a box office bomb, but I always think of one part when I read stories like this. Terry Jones plays the king of Hy-Brasil, an Atlantis-like island, who organises a sing-song as it sinks beneath the waves, and reassures his loyal subjects with the words "Don't worry, this is *not* happening!" The film was made before climate change denial became a thing, but it now seems strangely prophetic.

[Brigid]

14. Sometimes bad movies have their moments.

[immoderate]

53. Think "Howard the Duck!"

--imm

[lpbk2713]

10. Too bad the citizens have to be caught in the middle.

But it was assholes like Scott who put them there in the first place.

[raven mad]

22. I beg to differ, lpbk2713 -

it was the citizens either voting for him or not voting at all who put themselves there by electing a tea-party, Kochsucking idiot as governor.

[raven mad]

24. I beg to differ, lpbk2713 -

It was the citizens themselves, who voted for him or did not vote at all, who put themselves in this place. Electing a kochsucking teapartidiot got them just what they wanted, evidently.

[calimary]

32. Well, you really have to ask how he got into that job to begin with.

He didn't just walk into the governor's mansion because he could. He did it because the voters permitted it. Either the ones who actually got off their asses and went out and voted for this bastard, OR the ones who stayed home because their own "righteous indignation" was more important, since they didn't get the perfect candidate, or they found a few flaws in the candidate their side was offered. The "Oh YEAH??? Well, I'LL show YOU!!!" crowd - yeah, they wind up showing everybody else, alright - AND themselves, too.

BOTH THOSE GROUPS OF VOTERS are responsible for this. BOTH THOSE VOTING BLOCS bear direct personal responsibility for the results.

If you don't like the result but you did nothing to stop it, then it's on YOU.

[SheilaT]

11. So they won't get money for disaster preparedness if they won't admit to climate change,

but they'll still get all the help they need after the disaster they didn't prepare for happens? That's gonna cost a fuck of a lot more money in the long run.

No disaster preparedness, no funds after the disaster. Maybe it will take a couple of such incidents for the politicians and the ignoramuses who elect them to finally understand that science is real and it's a far better way to deal with the real world than prayer and faith.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

51. I agree

Stupid idea.

And I'm guessing that states will sue and win...

[kimbutgar]

12. Why are they waiting for 2016 it should be an immediate change of rules?

Put those governors on the spot especially in those states who will be experiencing tornados, hurricane and droughts this summer.

[SamKnause]

15. So a governor who denies the truth,

will be exempt from funds for preparedness, thus putting the entire population of their state in jeopardy.

Funds will be available after a disaster has occurred.

Does anyone think this is INSANE !!!

Wouldn't a sane solution be that every governor has to enact the preparedness plan for their state ?

If a governor refuses, it should be automatic impeachment.

Has the entire world gone insane ????

[staggerleem]

21. Hold on there, Sam!

Are you advocating for a Federal agency, run by people APPOINTED to their jobs at the national level, to have the power to impeach the ELECTED Governor of a state?? How unconstitutional is THAT??!!

Or, worse yet, it also seems that you'd be willing to condemn the folks whose homes and property are destroyed by a natural disaster to ZERO reparations, simply because they elected an asshole? Yeah, THAT's pretty fair, too, huh?

BTW - if you want to know how WONDERFULLY FEMA funds are distributed once a state gets their hands on them just ask the good folks on Staten Island, whose homes STILL have not been rebuilt, two and a half years after Superstorm Sandy!

[SamKnause]

33. No where in my post did I say or insinuate

that I favor zero reparations.

I am in favor 100% of disaster funds.

It should be the job of the state government to pass a law that enables them to impeach a governor who

threatens the safety of an entire state.

I am aware how poorly the funds of FEMA are distributed.

It seems oversight in government, at banks, at corporations, etc. is non existent.

Until greed and corruption are addressed on a global scale this world will continue on the same destructive path.

[gregcrawford]

31. I agree with you wholeheartedly!

Governor "Lurch" Scott (apologies to the "Addams Family" character of the same name, but the resemblance is just too priceless to pass up!) is a pathological liar with the moral compass of a snake. The mental defectives who voted for him deserve whatever horrors befall them as a result of his misguided and self-serving policies. The sane and decent people of Florida do not.

[drm604]

18. Here's what will happen:

They will accept the need for planning for climate change, but they'll deny that any change is caused by human activities.

[calimary]

20. WHAT? Consequences for one's actions? WHAT????? Excuse me? I must be dreaming...

This can't be true.

Can it?

There's actually a response to the willful idiocy and denial that grips the red states? I'm stunned. In a good way. But I'm stunned!!!

This is Freakin' FABULOUS!!!! Hey, haven't many of us here been mumbling, angrily, about these assholes who hate government and don't want government - up until they're in a HUGE pickle and realize they actually might need it. Like maybe the tornado just blew their house down. Or the hurricane flooded their neighborhoods and everything's ruined? Or they're buried alive in their homes because of a killer mudslide or outrageous record-shattering snow levels?

I think this is GREAT!!!!!! If they won't connect the dots, sometimes we have to MAKE them do it. Same thing with corporations that are disinclined to do the right thing - about their employees or their customers. Sometimes we in the greater society have to MAKE them do it. Sometimes maybe people have to be dragged kicking and screaming away from their idiot belief systems and into the bright light of reality. Sometimes you just have to beat down the unruly, infantile "nobody tells ME what to do" crowd and MAKE them do it. For their own good.

I think if they refuse to accept the facts and the reality of climate change, then let them live with the consequences. Your denial won't get you into Heaven anymore, guys - OR free aid or comfort or rescue from the government you tell everybody you hate and want gone. You hate it so much, then okay, fine. Go ahead. Do without. This might be a VERY good lesson to teach to the "you're on yer own" crowd and all their little anarchy-loving friends, at least in my opinion. They behave the way they do because there are no consequences for their actions and that piss-poor idiotic, willfully-ignorant world view of theirs. Maybe, as a taxpayer, someone like myself starts to wonder why I have to waste my tax money on those assholes anymore. Especially when there's so much legitimate need for the good that such tax money might do. As was said in the movies - "so let it be written, so let it be done."

[tclambert]

23. Wait, we have to listen to scientists about science? But what do celebrities have to say?

Like most Americans, I get my medical and science advice from celebrities. They don't study these subjects too much, but they're attractive, and they've been on TV.

[Lucky Luciano]

25. Next thing you know, the FEMA camps will be all set up!

Mu-ah-hahahaha!

[markmyword]

26. Why Any Money?

If these governors don't believe in climate change, then why should the Federal government help with the clean-up?
FEMA or the National Guard SHOULD NOT be sent to help out when there's a natural disaster!

Storms, tornadoes. hurricanes, snow storms, rising seas, all are getting much worse. I find it ironic, that the very people who DENY climate change are the FIRST to ask for help.

If they deny climate change, then I don't think should get one red cent of our taxpayers money.

Aren't these the same people who don't believe in BIG GOVERNMENT and want to dismantle it and yet they're always the first to ask for help from that very same government that they DISPISE!

[BlueJazz]

27. If it were up to me, any State that did not want to comply with the other states...

...(regarding Climate change), could fend for itself when disaster-time hit.

It would affect yours truly, but so be it.

[B2G]

34. Don't states already have disaster plans

to deal with hurricanes, tornados, floods, blizzards, etc?

I'm not real sure how this would affect the planning they already do?

[NuclearDem]

46. FEMA provides a lot of funding for building shelters and retrofitting buildings.

Also a lot of funding to keep flood insurance affordable.

[rock]

35. That's about the fairest ruling i've ever heard of the gov'mnt making

Wowie! Socko!

[Omaha Steve]

39. Works for me!

[Sheepshank]

41. Hey Ricky!!! Don'cha just love the timing on this? I do ;) n/t

[former9thward]

43. Why is there no link to an official government source?

[babylonsister]

49. Here's a link to

the FEMA site if you care to wade through it...found via google; anyone can do it!

http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/101659

Found here:
http://www.salon.com/2015/03/18/fema_wont_give_money_to_states_that_dont_plan_for_climate_change/
FEMA won’t give money to states that don’t plan for climate change

[former9thward]

50. Thank you.

But I am always suspicious of reporters when they do not directly quote in context from government documents. And none of the links did, including salon. I am not going to go through the FEMA document because there was nothing I saw in the table of contents that would lead me to the OP.

[Hekate]

48. Well, this is a BFD. Thank gods Heckuva Job Brownie is gone....

.....and an actual professional put in place by Obama.

Now, imagine what will happen to FEMA if the GOP wins the White House next time.

[Politicalboi]

52. They need to hold the deniers financially responsible

And when all the deniers are out, they need to make it mandatory to believe in Climate Change to run for office. These assholes make it almost mandatory to believe in Jesus, why not Climate Change.

[KansDem]

55. Sam Kinison should have worked for FEMA...

[malaise]

56. Fabulous

Ignorance does have a price

[Madmiddle]

57. After hurricane Irene

Caused devastation in Vermont, they brought FEMA up here to oversee the disaster it caused. Having witnessed the FEMA teams uselessness, I would say they should not be a part of any government ... To say they didn't help is an understatement. The FEMA people that were supposed to answer phones in their call center, even when they could be bothered to answer their phones, left vague messages and single name replies, so that people that when peopled called back, they had no idea who they called. To say FEMA IS USELESS IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

[rosesaylavee]

58. I wish it was possible to RECOMMEND this more than one time!

[Dont call me Shirley]

60. Good move President Obama!

Thom Hartmann was talking about this yesterday.

Thanks for posting, babylonsister.

[jtuck004]

62. "You'll make more with us than you ever dreamed. Say my name". n/t

[KamaAina]

66. Um, um, er, atmospheric re-employment is real?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10453216

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