Rick Perry Whines About Helping Tornado Victims

[DarrinS]

"Why are you taking care of Alabama and other states?"

Would be a good place to start.

That statement is "hurting the nation"?

[Cry Havoc]

That statement is "hurting the nation"?

Why yes, when the governor of an entire state resorts to sniveling like a little child who isn't getting his way, it reflects poorly on our choices for office and makes it very apparent that he has no concept of how to do his job well as a governor. By issuing such a caustic statement, he demeans the very process by which he is asking for help from, and since his actions represent the voice his state, is it difficult for you to see how there are negative consequences to such a situation? Do I need to spell it out for you more clearly than it already has been in this thread?

[Winehole23]

So as long "the ends" are devoid of any significant negative consequences, "the means" of political gamesmanship with regards to disaster declarations is tolerable?

You're confusing ends (telos, purpose, goals) with practical results, so the analogy doesn't quite work. If you wanted to say that the delay is inequitable/unfair that would be one thing. Suggesting it is immoral/wicked seems a bit of a stretch. Bad leadership and foolish bluster have consequences.

BUT ALSO: you've a long way to go to convince me this is political gamesmanship at all. You've asserted it based on bare plausibility and fiat. You've neither shown that the Texas wildfires have reached a threshold for routine approval, or that the delay in the federal response is unusual.

If Texas's request is eventually denied, maybe your argument will have a leg to stand on. Until then, all we have is your assertion that Texas is hard done by, despite the lack of any evidence in this thread that Texas or Texans have been hurt in any way by the allegedly overdue federal response to Texas's request for a disaster declaration.

[Cry Havoc]

If Texas's request is eventually denied, maybe your argument will have a leg to stand on. Until then, all we have is your assertion that Texas is hard done by, despite the lack of any evidence in this thread that Texas or Texans have been hurt in any way by the allegedly overdue federal response to Texas's request for a disaster declaration.

And since the Fed is already in the process of assisting the firefighting efforts in Tejas, it throws the entire assertion under an even more dubious light.

[Winehole23]

Perhaps I spoke a bit loosely there. CG seems to be riled by the appearance of disparate treatment.

[Winehole23]

We come off badly in the comparison with Alabama and the SE, so there's a bunch of hand waving about California and pooh-poohing of the tsunami, without any quan ative comparison with the Texas wildfires.

[Winehole23]

In essence, CG is asking us to take disparate treatment for granted, as well as the reason for it.

[Winehole23]

He may eventually be right, but as it stands his argument is more emotive than empirically substantiated.

[Marcus Bryant]

Arguing from emotion isn't a bad thing, sometimes. Perhaps not in this case, but still.

[Winehole23]

In a general sort of way I can agree with that, but FEMA is a freakshow.

We need to stop encouraging it, and start relying more on ourselves. Whining about disparate treatment absent any detectable harm to citizens only strengthens the at ude that the federal government has the main role to play here.

[Winehole23]

Arguing from emotion isn't a bad thing, sometimes.

Asking people to back up their own opinions isn't unreasonable either.

[Cry Havoc]

Arguing from emotion isn't a bad thing, sometimes. Perhaps not in this case, but still.

When mul udes of people are dead, and you're asking for hand outs to cover your property losses, it's a pretty bad thing.

[coyotes_geek]

You're confusing ends (telos, purpose, goals) with practical results, so the analogy doesn't quite work. If you wanted to say that the delay is inequitable/unfair that would be one thing. Suggesting it is immoral/wicked seems a bit of a stretch. Bad leadership and foolish bluster have consequences.

Wicked and immoral are your words, not mine. I used the word "appropriate".

BUT ALSO: you've a long way to go to convince me this is political gamesmanship at all. You've asserted it based on bare plausibility and fiat. You've neither shown that the Texas wildfires have reached a threshold for routine approval, or that the delay in the federal response is unusual.

One paragraph ago you were hinting that Perry's bad leadership and foolish bluster have consequences. Now you're not convinced there's political gamesmanship going on? Appears inconsistent to me.

If Texas's request is eventually denied, maybe your argument will have a leg to stand on. Until then, all we have is your assertion that Texas is hard done by, despite the lack of any evidence in this thread that Texas or Texans have been hurt in any way by the allegedly overdue federal response to Texas's request for a disaster declaration.

My assertion is that I don't think it's appropriate to play games when it comes to disaster declarations. That's it. Simple as that. I don't think it's appropriate regardless of whether or not anyone ends up "hard done by". Whether there's harm or not isn't relevant to my position. I don't think it's an appropriate behavior either way.

We come off badly in the comparison with Alabama and the SE, so there's a bunch of hand waving about California and pooh-poohing of the tsunami, without any quan ative comparison with the Texas wildfires.

Perry is a buffoon. We all know that. I still don't see why that must factor in to the FEMA disaster declaration process.

In essence, CG is asking us to take disparate treatment for granted, as well as the reason for it.

I'm not asking anyone to take anything for granted. I'm stating an opinion. Agree with it or don't.

Asking people to back up their own opinions isn't unreasonable either.

It isn't, and I have.

[coyotes_geek]

When mul udes of people are dead, and you're asking for hand outs to cover your property losses, it's a pretty bad thing.

Does this apply to storm survivors who lost their houses? Or is this specific to Texas governors?

[Cry Havoc]

Does this apply to storm survivors who lost their houses? Or is this specific to Texas governors?

I'm 100000000000000% positive you won't find any survivors who are watching the next town over bury their dead en masse whining that the government isn't giving them their insurance money back fast enough. If you can find a single instance of someone in the south crying about $$$, by all means post it and I will admit that I'm wrong in this.

But I mean, those are average citizens. We shouldn't ask state officials to be held to the same standard as our everyday persons.

[Winehole23]

Wicked and immoral are your words, not mine. I used the word "appropriate".

I have no idea what you mean, but assume you mean politically inappropriate. Playing politics is politically inappropriate and worthy of censure, something like that?

(little help?)

One paragraph ago you were hinting that Perry's bad leadership and foolish bluster have consequences. Now you're not convinced there's political gamesmanship going on? Appears inconsistent to me.

Am I required to be consistent? Does the inconsistency damn me?

My assertion is that I don't think it's appropriate to play games when it comes to disaster declarations. That's it. Simple as that. I don't think it's appropriate regardless of whether or not anyone ends up "hard done by". Whether there's harm or not isn't relevant to my position. I don't think it's an appropriate behavior either way.

Eh, fair enough. I guess I don't really know what you mean by "not... appropriate", so I'm unsure what a relevant comment would be here.

Perry is a buffoon. We all know that. I still don't see why that must factor in to the FEMA disaster declaration process.

I'm not convinced it does, but lean that direction.

I'm not asking anyone to take anything for granted. I'm stating an opinion. Agree with it or don't.

Mainly agree, but your case is much weaker than usual.

It isn't, and I have.

For which, thanks.

[CosmicCowboy]

The request was denied.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/tx-deni...er-declaration

[TeyshaBlue]

Texas Fires YTD Totals 5-4-2011

Fires: 6,251 [17 new fires]
Acres Burned: 1,837,958
Structures Destroyed: 902
Source: Texas Forest Service (TFS)

Estimated 20,000 head of livestock lost.

[TeyshaBlue]

The request was denied.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/tx-deni...er-declaration

One of the comments from that link:

Perry should throw himself on the fire to help put it out.

[TeyshaBlue]

1.8 million acres and it aint even ing summer yet.

[coyotes_geek]

The request was denied.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/tx-deni...er-declaration

Sigh.

One of the comments from that link:

Perry should throw himself on the fire to help put it out.

Stop, drop & roll Rick!

[Mulchie]

One of the comments from that link:

Perry should throw himself on the fire to help put it out.

I don't remember Perry helping my ass out.

[CosmicCowboy]

1.8 million acres and it aint even ing summer yet.

This was the perfect fire storm. Two wet years in a row, lots of lush growth winter killed grass and undergrowth, and then 6+ months without a drop of rain.

[coyotes_geek]

1.8 million acres and it aint even ing summer yet.

2.2 million acres is the number I'm seeing published.

[CosmicCowboy]

I've been cutting some new roads at our place through the brush and it's so dry that the dirt is like sugar...the skid loader has a hard time even getting traction to work...