Bill Online Easily, Fast & Free with PayPal. No Software Needed. Sign Up Now!

All branches of the library system will have free wireless internet access by the end of the year.  The service was made possible by funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Netflix Delivers DVDs to your home. NO LATE FEES. Try for FREE!

I just finished viewing live coverage, on WIVB, of a special meeting with a FEMA official (Mike Beeman, acting director, FEMA response & recovery), Byron Brown and Brian Higgins.  The critical tone of Higgins and Brown, regarding FEMA’s response, was absent today.  Higgins  said, “They are here now, that is the important thing.”  The assessment process is starting today that could lead to a major disaster declaration that would result in more federal funding and reimbursement for storm related losses.

If you think you have a loss that could be covered, documentation is vital.  Take pictures and keep receipts to verify your expenses.

FEMA claims they are bound by a timetable set by the State.  True or not, the process isn’t working and the response is not timely.

As if there are aren’t enough fronts for aggressive behavior, President Bush has now declared SPACE off limits to incompatible foreign interests.

President Bush has signed a new National Space Policy that rejects future arms-control agreements that might limit U.S. flexibility in space and asserts a right to deny access to space to anyone “hostile to U.S. interests.”

Next he’ll be declaring the Moon the 51st State.

Read the full Washington Post article.

“If you look at the general overall situation, they’re doing remarkably well.”

-Vice President Dick Cheney

Rush Limbaugh interviewed Vice President Cheney on his show today. At one point, Limbaugh asked Cheney to respond to growing frustration over U.S. efforts in Iraq.

FEMA = Federal Emergency Management Agency.

e·mer·gen·cy (?-mûr‘j?n-s?)
n., pl. -cies.

1. 1. A serious situation or occurrence that happens unexpectedly and demands immediate action.
2. 2. A condition of urgent need for action or assistance: a state of emergency.

FEMA’s response to the Buffalo snowstorm was anything but immediate.  It wasn’t until Sunday, day 3 of the October Surprise, that a FEMA official came to this area to start the “evaluation” process.  This process now involves about 50 people and is still not complete.  Tom Reynolds toured the area with a top FEMA official without ever entering the City of Buffalo.  President Bush and FEMA are dragging their feet when it comes to declaring a broader disaster declaration that would allow individuals to seek reimbursement for storm related losses.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, with the aid of dozens of agency employees, to evaluate the damage this area sustained from the unexpected storm.  FEMA is a waste of our money, as is its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security.  Both should be dismantled and the savings could be applied to the Federal debt.

I am not a fan of government agencies and believe that we would be better off without them.  Since they do exist, is it too much to ask that they accomplish their goal???

FEMA Mission

DISASTER. It strikes anytime, anywhere. It takes many forms — a hurricane, an earthquake, a tornado, a flood, a fire or a hazardous spill, an act of nature or an act of terrorism. It builds over days or weeks, or hits suddenly, without warning. Every year, millions of Americans face disaster, and its terrifying consequences.

On March 1, 2003, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). FEMA’s continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program.

FEMA is a failure based on its own mission statement.