Trust in our Institutions

[dimsum]

Yes, they're two different things. I assume pretty much everyone understand this, and that each of those two sets of demands have to be satisfied. The people responsible for checking the boxes in the legal process for requesting and activating assistance have to do their job, and the people responsible for finding the money to make things happen have to do their job. Are they doing their jobs with a sense of purpose, right now?

The question "Why aren't the authorities getting it done?" is just shorthand for "Why aren't the authorities completing the processes and getting the money flowing, and doing it quickly?"

If someone is the guy in charge, and his excuse for inaction is that he's waiting for his superiors to move...well, part of his job is to push his superiors to move. If he won't, he should resign right there and then.

You have just described the US govt.

These are the folks that every year, the federal (incl military) employees don’t know if they’re paid past Oct 1 (beginning of FY) bc their pay depends on the budget being approved. It almost never gets approved in time in recent years, so they have Continuing Resolutions to pay their folks and allow business to continue for a month or so at a time.

They make the Canadian govt seem agile.

 

[Brad Sallows]

You have just described the US govt.

These are the folks that every year, the federal (incl military) employees don’t know if they’re paid past Oct 1 (beginning of FY) bc their pay depends on the budget being approved. It almost never gets approved in time in recent years, so they have Continuing Resolutions to pay their folks and allow business to continue for a month or so at a time.

They make the Canadian govt seem agile.

That's kind of a vague excuse which could apply to anything. Yet time after time administrations manage to move quickly when they want to. On this one, they seem to lack that "want to".

[Add: one of the "takes" floating around is that Congress of course appropriates funds in specific buckets, and maybe the bucket for this one is running a little short. Whether or not that's true doesn't matter to what I would challenge the administration to do: take funds (temporarily) from another bucket and defy Congress to call them on it, just as administrations have for some time now made a habit of tweaking Congress's nose and watching Congress do nothing. I can guess that Congress would not move to block a temporary movement of funds for disaster response and recovery with an election not much more than a month away.]

 

[dimsum]

That's kind of a vague excuse which could apply to anything. Yet time after time administrations manage to move quickly when they want to. On this one, they seem to lack that "want to".

Well, the other thing is that the Governors of the affected states need to declare and emergency and request federal aid before the federal govt can step up, like the way we do Aid to Civil Power.

I’m assuming they did so, since federal funds are going, but perhaps the various state governors didn’t think they also needed federal military aid as well.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Well, the other thing is that the Governors of the affected states need to declare and emergency and request federal aid before the federal govt can step up, like the way we do Aid to Civil Power.

I’m assuming they did so, since federal funds are going, but perhaps the various state governors didn’t think they also needed federal military aid as well.

Possibly. My usage of "government" is not limited to "federal government". It's improbable that any of them (governments) have no staff that pay any attention to what people are talking about on-line, so they're not ignorant of all the people asking why this resource or that resource hasn't been made available. They know, so the alternatives are declining to act, declining to act quickly, or merely not competent to act quickly.

I gather that things are starting to move now, though.

 

[Kirkhill]

Helicopters! Helicopters! Helicopters!

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/10/02/fl_state_guardsman_what_the_media_is_telling_you_about_helene_is_complete_bullsht_politicians_dont_have_a_clue_and_are_lying.html

Oh. And money!

Hurricane Helene live updates: Hope fades in search for flooding disaster survivors

At least 190 people are known to have died as a result of the carnage and destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene since it made landfall in Florida a week ago.

www.nbcnews.com

Further to.....

https://thehill.com/homenews/4913942-pilot-helene-north-carolina-rescue-missions-arrest-threat/

Guy volunteers to help with his own helicopter. Some authorities accommodate him, encourage him and co-opt him. Another local shut down the operation and threatened the volunteer with arrest in the middle of a rescue operation with victims at risk. The order was counter-manded the next day.

Organization seems to be in short supply.

 

[Kirkhill]

Forgotten America in Crisis

The people of Western North Carolina deserve far more than the meager response the military has offered so far.

americanmind.org

From the sound of things they need Little Birds rather than Hawks and Hooks. Landing spots are small.