Fighting Wildfires Costs Money

Fighting Wildfires Costs Money updated

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Tell that to Mr. Bush.

… .. A review of Bush administration budget proposals by the Huffington Post showed that the flow of money from the US Forest Service to help state and local communities fight wildfires faced chronic cuts since President Bush was elected. During Bush’s first year in office, the Forest Service’s State Fire Assistance program for wildland fire management was funded at approximately $56 million per year. But the President’s budget proposal for 2008 only requests $35 million from Congress, an 18% cut from what it spent in the current year, already well below the earlier levels. Assistance to volunteer firefighting forces increased to a level of about $12 million during 2007, but only after Congressional intervention. At first, the Forest Service had requested only $7.8 million. After the budget mushroomed to the higher level, the administration proposed a 38% cut for next year, reducing the budget to help volunteer firefighters to $8 million, less than the level it was funded at in 2001. … .. Before Fires, Bush Cut Fire Preparedness Budgets, Outsourced Forest Service Work

Protecting citizens and fighting fires, this is what government is supposed to do. Things the citizens can’t. Considering
that Bush is the biggest federal spender since L.B.J., you’ve really got to
question Republican priorities.

George W. Bush, despite all his recent bravado about being an apostle of small government and budget-slashing, is the biggest spending president since Lyndon B. Johnson. In fact, he’s arguably an even bigger spender than LBJ. “He’s a big government guy,” said Stephen Slivinski, the director of budget studies at Cato Institute, a libertarian research group. The numbers are clear, credible and conclusive, added David Keating, the executive director of the Club for Growth, a budget-watchdog group. “He’s a big spender,” Keating said. “No question about it.” … .. Bush is the biggest spender since LBJ

UPDATE: FEMA holds fake news conference during wildfires. They’ve apologized.

On Thursday, FEMA employees had played the part of reporters. Johnson issued a statement Friday, saying that FEMA’s goal was “to get information out as soon as possible, and in trying to do so we made an error in judgment.” “Our intent was to provide useful information and be responsive to the many questions we have received,” he said. “We can and must do better.” Officials at the Homeland Security Department, which includes FEMA, expressed their concern. … ..