Why won't Romney talk about FEMA?

This is usually the time when Republican ideology is at its weakest. Since Republicans don't believe in government intervention in people's lives, they are usually sitting ducks when disaster strikes because this is the time when citizens look to government for help. Romney has nothing to say because he and the Republican party are irrelevant in times like this. P.S. I'm not American so I'm neither Republican nor Democrat.

I've been thinking that since Mitt hasn't taken ANY questions from reporters for something like 24 days he might have decided to play it safe and keep his mouth shut since he's starting to forget what he's said in the past about just about everything! I wonder if he remembers how he made a joke about the ocean levels rising not too long ago...was it during the first debate? Good one, Willard, I'm still laughing over that one and so, I'm sure, are many Atlantic coast residents. I'd love to hear him explain how a state which has had its entire infrastructure basically wiped out would be able to coordinate the relief effort alone or how it would work out if it were turned over to private enterprise. Contrary to popular opinion here, I'm not anti-profit or business but I really don't think it's exactly moral to have people whose very lives have been at risk and who are without even the most basic needs at the mercy of business types like Mitt Romney looking out for nothing but higher profits for themselves and their shareholders. In my opinion we're the UNITED States of America, which to me means we're in it together whatever "it" is and when it comes to disasters like Sandy and catastrophes such as the 9/11 attacks we need an agency like FEMA to coordinate everything. Of course things will never be perfect, especially when there's already a disaster to deal with which in itself makes everything more difficult but FEMA has worked pretty well with a few exceptions, most notably under both Bush Administrations with Andrew in 1992 and as we all remember Katrina. My family is currently debating which country to relocate to if Willard should happened to win the election. I know this will no longer be a country I can be proud of with people like him and Paul Ryan along with the tea partiers in the House running the show. Annie

Did you know that it cost the government $80,000 last year in welfare for every family in poverty? Now we know that not one of those families got $80,000. The lion's share of that money is eaten up in administration costs, all those public employees and their vacation days and pensions. If the majority of that tax-payer money was allocated to those in poverty, well, they certainly wouldn't be in poverty anymore, would they? FEMA is the same situation. Money spent on actually helping people is going to pale in comparison to the funds eaten up in bureaucracy. Anyone who doesn't see that local administration of taxpayer money is more efficient and better used just doesn't understand how government works nor how wasteful it is. It's one thing to ask people to pay taxes to fund programs to help others, but it's criminal to take that money and waste it. I think that redistributing those funds and resources and the control over them to the states is the most sensible solution. Government never does anything well, and the further removed from the immediate need that government is, the more money is just wasted.

Didn't we learn anything from Katrina when Bush's friend was in charge in FEMA? I don't know what the Republican ideology on disaster readiness, but it appears to me that it's just another form of welfare that needs to be done away with. At least if FEMA stays owned by the government it at the minimum provide some sort of jobs and it stays more in public view. Privatizing a public service? Isn't that an oxymoron anyways.

You are after Romney on all this stuff, but I have one big question for you. Did you ask this stuff of Obama four years ago? Also, why are you not asking Obama about his plans now. Not until 3 weeks ago when Romney caught up to him in the polls did Obama give out any details. Please treat both candidates the same. What you want from, ask the other. So where are your post asking Obama questions??

thegreatdebater Well of course Romney will be careful how he would respond to questions about FEMA while Fema is on everyone's mind. I agree he should clarify his position as to how the states and private would handle things especially now. I think anything states and private does is done more efficiently than government, but government does have a role to play in coordinataion. Romney should make that clear. What bothers me more is Obama squirms over questions about Behghazi and is being let off the hook..that is not right...

He won't talk about it right now because only a moron would talk about changing, cutting, or eliminating FEMA in the middle of a disaster. That's like talking about cutting the military 2 days after the 9-11 attack in 2001. Besides, he never said we should eliminate FEMA. He said we should cut their budget so more of that money would be with the states. State emergency crews are the first ones on the site to respond and they know the areas better than FEMA crews. Sure, there's the risk of having an incompetent governor. There's also the risk of having an incompetent president, FEMA director, etc. Even in New Jersey, with a competent governor, FEMA director, and Obama all doing a great job, we're stuck dealing with a bunch of people in flooded shelters in Atlantic City all because of one stupid mayor who told people they could go to shelters only one block away from the shore instead of listening to the governor and getting them onto buses that were there to take them to safety.

http://the-american-journal.com/obama-lied-voted-against-aid-for-hurricane-katrina-victims/ I am so sick of the lies and the people who beieve them.

Well see his views are easy to twist in this case but from what I have read about them he does want to make things run by the states not the Federal government. As some one who has lived through a disaster that FEMA helped us with I was grateful for it but I can easily see how by giving the States the authority to begin with (FEMA gives through your local States here in PA it is PEMA) how much time,man power, paper work and in betweens would be cut out opening more money for the people to receive. As of right now The system is flawed badly. Did you know that if FEMA is giving a State monies to buy out a person's house after a disaster the person who owns the house is not only given up to $30,200 (top amount given) to fix it before they are given the buy out monies. Now remember the houses will be torn down after being bought out by the state (FEMA gives the money to the states and they decide who gets it). SO basically millions of dollars are given out to fix homes so the government can then tear them down. As I said was grateful for the help but from going through the system I can see many of the flaws that cost millions of dollars that by giving it all over to the states could potentially stop that cash loss. Potentially as each state could misuse funds as well. No easy fix but with everyone so in need any comment Romney says that could be twisted into his not helping anyone would be counter productive for him. I wouldn't want the help taken away completely but I really do think the system could be revamped to be more efficient and less wasteful.