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"specifically tasked for this work would improve Hawaii getting their infrastructure fixed."
I was thinking the county maybe wouldn't have to comply with the strings that come with the Feds being involved.
It was complying with ridiculous environmental assessments that took 7 years. There was nothing left where the highway was. Why would an archaeological assessment need to be done. Something buried under the original road which was now under lava ?
I have a lot more reason why FEMA needs to go away but you are going to Google the hell out of it so you can rub my nose in any mistake I make.
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06-13-2025, 06:13 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-13-2025, 06:32 PM by ironyak.)
Obie - I was thinking the county maybe wouldn't have to comply with the strings that come with the Feds being involved.
They can already do that largely, by paying 100% of the costs themself, which is really ourselves. Want to take a poll to see if the everyone in the county wants to pay the full price for this work? Of course, Hawaii state has its own EIS requirements, which I guess they might be able to wave, but not sure that would be more successful ultimately (cough Superferry cough).
Obie - I have a lot more reason why FEMA needs to go away but you are going to Google the hell out of it
"the rules were that you weren’t going to fact check"? Birds of a feather I guess in that state that shall not be named.
Other people's money comes with strings - there's no free bento lunches. For the truly dedicated, can always find a way to do it on their own - just ask What Would Jack Thompson Do? Or the people of Kalapana Gardens?
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With Hawaii exposed to hurricanes, lava flows, tsunamis, massive fires - - and a relatively high potential for each over the next decades, isn’t grumbling about FEMA, and giving FEMA funds to billionaires after the 2025 hurricane season, kind of, sort of, voting against your own best interests if you live in Hawaii? Even our local billionaires Zuckerberg, Oprah, etc might see that they stand to benefit in some situations.
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Or the people of Kalapana Gardens?
Gotta love how that link describes Kalapana Gardens as having lush surroundings. Yeah, lush rocks.. everyone should be so lucky.
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(06-12-2025, 06:05 PM)HereOnThePrimalEdge Wrote:
...“I was left with the impression that he doesn’t really understand the scale of what FEMA manages on a yearly basis with a budget of over $30 billion,” said Coen.
https://apnews.com/article/fema-hurrican...e7e91a4474
No, of course he doesn't understand. Governor Green said such a move would be "absurd".
Sure, at face value it sounds good to "bypass the bureaucracy" and just give money to the states to take care of their disaster.
However, there could be a few problems with such an approach. First, it suggests that instead of a centralized capability to deal with certain issues, each state would need their own. This would be unnecessary redundancy. Green recognized the potential for tying political conditions to aid, a legitimate concern with the current administration.
Instead of blowing it all apart because there have been some problems within the agency, how about trying to fix them first?
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From the FEMA website:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employs more than 20,000 people nationwide. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we have 10 regional offices located across the country.
I wonder how much money goes to that, which could be better allocated directly to the states, for them to allocate instead? Every state has their own version of FEMA. Some, like Hawaii, are inept, so I will grant you that argument.
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could be better allocated directly to the states
Naive assumption. Federal "savings" will be used for military parades, Golden Dome, ICE enforcement, etc.
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could be better allocated directly to the states
…
Naive assumption.
It would work as well as self insurance on your home in lava zone 1, putting $1000 in the fund for a year or two, then nothing happens to your house so the next year you spend self insurance money on a new car. Which you would also like to self insure, except for the heinous big state government overreach.
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20,000 employees sitting around surfing the internet waiting for a disaster.
Couple of things about FEMA.
If there is a tsunami or a hurricane and a storm surge washed your house away, You have to have federal flood insurance or FEMA won't give you a nickel.
Something that happened in 2018 was FEMA passed out money to people who lost their homes. Lots of people had their hands out. If they got compensated by their insurance company later on , FEMA was at the door wanting their money back. Those that had spent that money and didn't have it in the bank had a problem.
Another thing that happened to a few. If it was found out that they actually owned another home. FEMA at their doors too.
There is one change the new guy has made. The administration in 2023 put in a 50% rule for flood insurance, this meant if the repairs were more than 50% higher than the assessed value, the home had to be brought up to all the latest codes. The idea was to make them more efficient to combat global warming. It also included ocean setbacks etc.
Most people would be priced out of their own homes.
New guy has already gotten rid of that rule.
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(06-13-2025, 09:19 PM)Obie Wrote: 20,000 employees sitting around surfing the internet waiting for a disaster...
LOL. Nope. First, there doesn't seem to be any shortage of disasters. Over the past decade a lot of employees have left due to burn out. Also, there aren't nearly that many full time employees.
".. At least 2,000 of the agency's roughly 6,100 full-time employees have either left or plan to leave under the waves of terminations and voluntary retirements ordered by Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency, Coen told USA TODAY.." https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati...267759007/
Link to confirm 50% rule has been abandoned? All I found is that a Florida Representative has been working to repeal it.
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