Governor Perry Slams Obama For Ignoring Requests For Federal Disaster Relief (Video)
Posted by Jim Hoft on Friday, April 29, 2011, 7:35 AM
And, Obama really wonders why he is so unpopular in Texas?
Obama told reporters earlier this month that he is not targeting Texas.
Texas Governor Rick Perry slammed the Obama Administration for ignoring requests for disaster relief from the federal government. Fires have scorched over 2 million acres in Texas and left two firefighters dead.
Reuters reported:
Texas Governor Rick Perry criticized the Obama administration on Thursday for not responding to a request for a disaster aid for the parched state, where wildfires have scorched nearly 2 million acres.
“You have to ask, ‘Why are you taking care of Alabama and other states?’ I know our letter didn’t get lost in the mail,” Perry, a Republican and frequent critic of the federal government, said after addressing a Texas emergency management conference.
President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for Alabama, where storms — including a tornado that ravaged Tuscaloosa on Wednesday — killed nearly 200 people this week.
The White House said Obama will visit the state on Friday.
“There is a point in time where you say, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’” Perry said.
Perry had requested a federal declaration of emergency for Texas as the wildfires began to rage across the large state. The request has not been answered, although several federal agencies are supplying firefighters.
“They watch TV, they know what’s going on here, they can recognize that there is going to be a request for assistance, a request for help,” Perry said.
Two volunteer firefighters have died battling the Texas wildfires, which have destroyed more than 900 buildings.
A federal major disaster declaration could reimburse Texas and local governments 75 percent of the cost of their response. Local departments and the Texas Forest Service have spent more than $60 million since September 1 responding to wildfires, state forest service spokeswoman Linda Moon said.
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Published May 22, 2012 at 5:04 am - 81 Comments
Mikey commented:
I am getting sooooooo sick of Zero’s America. If you live in the wrong state, are the wrong color, aren’t union, etc., you don’t exist. You are not part of America. What a hyporite. He took an oath to defend ALL of America, not just cronies. I dislike this guy MORE everyday. Please just go away. He offends me daily by just existing as my elected leader. DISGUSTING.
John commented:
Well, they did pray for rain. Who is Obama to think hes God?
Jerry C commented:
PO$
Mark1957 commented:
Obama is the most petty, spitefull and vindictive president this nation has ever had. There must be something that the prick can be impeached for, we can’t wait until 2012.
SNAPTIE commented:
Deep down i wish Perry would of handled this better. This is going to give the Libby’s talking points that the GOP wants less government and now they want the big bad government.
workingclass artist commented:
Why is Perry wrong for asking for equal access to federal emergency aid….He’d be slammed if he didn’t.
Of course I’m in favor of seceding…Texas has her own grid, refineries, plenty of oil, the gulf, and Beef for BBQ….Besides it would stem the low of Liberal Californistan refugees….
* Then we can deal with Mexico in our own fashion without Federal Interference *
just sayin’
KR commented:
Obama: Tough luck.
jerseyj commented:
Yep, the Big O has kept his promise; no more politics as usual. A new day! Now this AH plays politics with natural disasters!
How is it that people do not see him for what he is? Is America at the tipping point?
chicago commented:
That’s the payback for Obama not being popular in Texas as that one reporter asked why he’s not popular in Texas. in Obama’s mind, someone needs to get punished because he’s not popular in Texas….he’s just keeping in line with that affirmative action mentality, that’s all.
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/obama-gets-testy-with-local-texas-news-reporter/
chicago commented:
also, in Obama’s mind, why not let Texas burn….maybe all of those oil and natural gas well in Texas would dry up if he let Texas burn just little while longer.
squeaky commented:
“How is it that people do not see him for what he is?” that would require them to admit they were wrong. they’d keep extending him the benefit of doubt off a cliff. and as they’ve said – some have invested a lot in their faith someone who promised to deliver something that is impossible. it will always be a larger problem than what they imagined. a zero return for their investment.
MWTexas commented:
We don’t need his stinkin’ bribe money. I’m a Texan and proud of it. The Obamination can go straight to the devil. God willing – that POS is out in two years.
Madkangaroo commented:
Obama will use this as an opportunity to make Texas admit its sins and repent. Then he will bestow aid as an act of grace while revealing His Word – ” And don’t you d@mn crackers forget who saved your @sses when it comes to Nov 2012.”
texas commented:
I’m throwing down the BS card.
Brack Obama doesn’t like cowboy people.
Carbon Pootprint commented:
Payback is a bitch and so is Obama
Rediite commented:
What a petty and vindictive man! Also therr are twice as many blacks in AL than there are in TX. The President is supposed to represent ALL of the country and not just the States that he likes.
Mutnodjmet commented:
The South must be punished for not supporting the Once. I refer to it as the NEW Southern Strategy.
Ruebacca commented:
Unionize the Texas firefighters and start sending checks to the DNC. Then you will get your help.
retire05 commented:
This more recent slap in the face of Texas is not the first time The Won has done this.
Two years ago next month, Governor Perry contacted Janet Napolitano and wanted to know where the funds were that Texas was promised for the Hurricane Ike cleanup. Texas had been told to use its own resources and the state would be reimbursed from FEMA later. Well, those funds never came and Nappy Jan told our governor that those funds would not be coming as there were other areas that needed them worse. That was as the Obama administration continue to pour more and more money into New Orleans.
After writing to the President two weeks ago, after having millions of acres burn, hundreds of homes burned, and the loss of two volunteer firefighters, we wait for the aid that would be given to Illinois post haste.
There are some things that the government is better suited to handle than the individual states; a military for one, and aid for major natural disasters. Now that help will be divied out depending on how your state voted in 2008. So if Obama is going to dole out federal relief funds depending on how a state voted, I suggest we send our money to D.C. depending on who is in office.
Cowboy up, Texans. You will get nothing from this President as long as he can funnel the money to those states that voted for him.
ReaganRepublican commented:
What the hell is Perry doing asking for assistance from the fed? I thought he was one of us? Recall election now!!!!!!!!!!
S. Wolf commented:
Obama told reporters earlier this month that he is not targeting Texas… whatever Zero says he means the reverse.
workingclass artist commented:
“For four years, the Republican Governors Association has methodically built toward establishing a majority of governors — on the promise that executives at the state level would transform the nation….”
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/RickPerry-RepublicanGovernorsAssociation-ScottWalker-JohnKasich/2011/04/28/id/3
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/RickPerry-RepublicanGovernorsAssociation-ScottWalker-JohnKasich/2011/04/28/id/3
This explains it…..
L.E. Liesner commented:
Obama has to many things to worry about, than national disasters, There’s the economy when he first wakes up in the morning, then there’s jobs when he goes to bed at night and then there’s golf to worry about all day. Of course there’s those pesky campaign dinners and fund raising events that take time away from the economy and jobs worries. Now if there is an opportunity for a good photo ops, like Obama standing there looking down his nose at the huddled masses, he’ll be there. So cut the corrupt SOB some slack.
DomesticGoddess commented:
You can hear the hissing sounds when Hussein speaks.
Beef commented:
“You have to ask, ‘Why are you taking care of Alabama and other states?’
Well, the answer that jumps to mind is that there are a lot of black people in Alabama. Whether or not this is a fair assumption in this particular case, the past actions of this administration have been so politicized and so racialized that everything they now do is suspect.
neverends commented:
It’s just as Trump says: Our leaders are stupid, very, very stupid people. What he really means is that they do NOT have the best interests of this country at heart, only their own.
Redlite is absolutely correct, the color of most Texan’s skin is way to white. What everyone needs to point out, however, to any and all is that Texas also has one of the largest Mexican-American populations, and why is he picking on them. Alienate yet another one of Obozo’s constituencies even more than they already are by reminding them they are being ignored yet again.
I, also, would love to see the petty piece of human dibris impeached but as long as the dems have power in the Senate, that won’t happen. Take over the Senate in the next election, and bring the POS to trial for treason after he is defeated!
Pat the First commented:
“Of course I’m in favor of seceding…”
How are you going to protect yourself? Good grief . . . even Canada needs the US to protect it. Seceding is silly talk and very unreal.
Mama Lion commented:
I am sorry to say this, but if some crazy person blew his head off I would dance in the street. I see no difference between him, Quadafi, Saddam Hussein, except that the citizens of this country won’t put up with his BS. Well, we do have a heavily mentally incapaciated population that would fit in with the citizenship of Iran, and they are loud and obnoxious, but thankfully few and far between.
Allen West 2012….PLEASE.
jwyatt03 commented:
If I were Perry I’d join OPEC and stick it to president dumbass.
Callipygian1 commented:
Well, this certainly won’t endear him to any Texans that were on the fence with him…
Callipygian1 commented:
Also, just wait until the cluster**** unfolds over the tornado damage. The MSM had better barbeque Obama like they did for George Bush over the FEMA responses.
I have the opinion that anyone Obama appoints to a major office is incapable of competence.
chill out commented:
He’d probably use the money for something else like he always does.
demnkids commented:
hmm, perry wants to secede from the union, complains about fed involvement but now wants a bail out. like he got for his deficit. maybe he should quit whining about not getting help from people he has villified and pick up a hose. you people are all about rugged individualism. be rugged and individual. fix the problem yourself
Buffalobob commented:
Typical pay to play community organized tactics.
aprilnovember811 commented:
Mama Lion,
Don’t worry about you saying it. I told my husband last night, I hope another Sirhan Sirhan is waiting for him on the campaign trail. There is no need to feel guilt about wanting to see evil destroyed. It’s a perfectly normal reaction. He’s worthless.
aprilnovember811 commented:
demnkids,
This impostor president of yours, not mine, has an obligation to do his damn job. He needs to quit flying around in the peoples plane and do his damn job. Or maybe it’s because he’s not brilliant like all of you useful idiots say? He was a drug addict drop out at Occidental. The guy never attended Columbia. He’s a bum.
workingclass artist commented:
Seceding is silly talk and very unreal. – #28
Seceding is Native Texan Talk….and we all do it….And I don’t think we’d be alone….
Madkangaroo commented:
demnkids @ 35:
Please don’t trot out the ‘ol canard about how conservatives are hypocrites when they appeal to the federal gov for this and that. First, the fed gov exists to serve the people and the states, you can read about it in all those old papers written by those dead white guys. So, if we say “do this” , and “this” is constitutionally allowed, the feds should do it. But this does not obligate us to allow the feds to do anything else (like Obamacare); We get to pick and choose quite a bit. Second, we are a federal republic (same sources for that), which means, among other things, that when the resources of a state are incapable of dealing with a crisis, the state can and should appeal to the union of states: sometimes that takes place through interstate agreements (e.g., Texas got a lot of other state help with the fire fighting), sometimes through the federal gov.
Perry’s appeal for federal help is quite proper and consistant with the purpose of having a federal gov in the first place.
John03 commented:
demnkids commented:
“hmm, perry wants to secede from the union, complains about fed involvement but now wants a bail out. like he got for his deficit. maybe he should quit whining about not getting help from people he has villified and pick up a hose. you people are all about rugged individualism. be rugged and individual. fix the problem yourself”
Hey demnkids, FYI Texas contributes a lot more in Fed taxes than it receives in Fed funds. In other words, IT’S OUR MONEY, not obamas. By the way, are you enjoying all that Texas oil & gas? How would like for us to join OPEC and jack the price up even more?
rbosque commented:
Remember when the left-wing press jumped all over Bush for not helping New Orleans? They didn’t jump on the governor of La. nor the Senators, Nooooo…they jumped on Bush because he wasn’t there 3 milliseconds after it happened. Never mind that legally he couldn’t rush in, he had to be asked by the governor which he didn’t do. What did the governor do? Nothing. Then they blamed Bush for blowing up the levy to kill blacks.
Texas has been asking the WH for assistance, people are dying and Obama is playing politics because Texas refuses to bow down to worship him. Where’s the media? Obsessed with the B/C issue with one hand and their thumb up Obama’s ass with the other.
Political Cartoons commented:
Why would Obama send aid to a state that did not vote for him? Hasn’t Governor Perry figured out that Obama plays favorites?
Iconoclast commented:
The sad thing is, without soros’ & moslem money, without the protection of the lamestream media, this fourth rate ‘community organizer’ would still be hustling his shtick on the South Side. In fact, if he were employed at the level of his apparent ability, the odds are he’d be hanging off the back end of a municipal garbage truck somewhere.
Big L commented:
1.Floods in Kentucky last year-no govt aid, stiff arm brom Obama-losta white voters,
2.Tornado in alabama last week, lotsa govt aid, Obama visits-lotsa black voters.
3.Fires in Texas last few weeks,-lotsa white voters, red State, Gop Gov/anti open borders legislature…no govt aid,stiff arm from Obama.
4.Oil Blow out in the gulf, plenty govt interference, convoluted govt aid, entangled permits to kill the oil business and starrve out the workers, mixed up voting roles in a REd state.
GOP/Conservative Gov-stiff arm from Obama
Ruh Roh… a pattern…
Andreas K. commented:
Donald Trump was not available for comment. He was too busy behaving like a f*cktard.
Dawn commented:
Governor Christie also requested aid a few weeks back after thousands of homes were under water. Obama refused him.
Militant Conservative commented:
F Obama, socialist TRAITOR.
Texmom commented:
Disaster relief should not even be decided by the president, and used for politics? Really sick. When are we going to step up and actually force them to change all the crazy procedures we are putting up with?
Valerie commented:
George Bush declared Louisiana a disaster area BEFORE Katrina made landfall.
Miss him, yet?
Francesca commented:
YES.
Wisco commented:
So secede already — just don’t expect any foreign aid.
When he’s running for reelection, fed money is socialism. When he’s not, it’s a god-given right.
Pick a position and stick with it.
illiniguy commented:
RACISM!!!!!NO JUSTICE NO PEACE!!
jwyatt03 commented:
Hey Wisco. If we secede you can bet we’ll join OPEC and stick it to you!
Dan commented:
Where’s Kanye West now?
rory commented:
Pathetic. Perry is just begging for handouts from the federal government. One more mouth sucking at the federal tit. Man up.
kral commented:
I thought Perry wanted to suceed from the U.S. … or maybe it was that letter he “served” on the President..in any event someone should inform Ricky of the old addage “what goes around, comes around” ..if your going to kick me in the shins then don’t expect a gift in return….. dumb, dumb R.P. or should I say R.I.P …
Tlaloc commented:
“Deep down i wish Perry would of handled this better. This is going to give the Libby’s talking points that the GOP wants less government and now they want the big bad government.”
Yes, yes it will. Funny how abject hypocrisy tends to give the other side ammunition. There’s a pretty easy way to avoid it though…
Jamie commented:
It is this POS’s way of sticking it to Bush….indirectly, but the intent is there.
John03 commented:
Why isn’t the media floating the rumors that Obama started the fires like they did with Bush blowing up the levies in New Orleans?
workingclass artist commented:
So secede already — just don’t expect any foreign aid. – #52Wisco
Cuts both ways….Texas contributes 25% to the national GDP….Bite me!
workingclass artist commented:
C’mon….GOP will use this….the governors will use it too….It will backfire on Soetero….
workingclass artist commented:
#58 How exactly is it a gift? playing politics with federal disaster aid is wrong… Did a republican president deny federal aid to any democratic heavy state….ever….I don’t remember a democratic president doing it either till Soetero….
Perry has a responsibility to petition for it as a governor because all states have this option…If federal disaster funding is a program we get rid of than Congress does that through law…Not Soetero….This is BS! worthy of North Korea….
I’m not a big Perry fan….but this GAME that Soetero is playing is dangerous…
davidr commented:
Effective approach: “For many who lost homes in their fire, it will unfortunately be difficult to find new housing without documentation, but the Federal government doesn’t seem to care enough about your plight…”
pst314 commented:
Maybe Obama is waiting for Texans affected by the wildfires to reveal all their political donations. /spit
contessa61 commented:
Chicago politics in the White House. Time for this crap to end.
Independent voter commented:
Aren’t ya’ll the ones that don’t want the feds in your business?
Ohioan1 commented:
I thought TX governor despised Fed Govt and wanted it to downsize until it is small enough to “drown in a bathtub”. He even stated that “TX doesn’t want no Fed Government in TX no more” and that they could even secede from the Union and be just fine. Now he’s complaining he doesn’t get Fed assistance? What a F’ing hypocrite. Perry is a typical TEA (Too Eccentric A’holes) Party nut job.
Chisum commented:
Ohioan1,
Is it hypocritical to want access to funds the state of Texas is required to pay into?
Federal Tax Burdens and Expenditures: Texas is a Donor State
Texas taxpayers receive less federal funding per dollar of federal taxes paid compared to the average state. Per dollar of Federal tax collected in 2005, Texas citizens received approximately $0.94 in the way of federal spending. This ranks the state 35th nationally and represents a slight decrease from 1995, when Texas received $0.95 per dollar of federal taxes paid (ranking them 37th nationally). Neighboring states and the amount of federal spending they received per dollar of federal taxation paid were as follows: New Mexico ($2.03), Oklahoma ($1.36), Arkansas ($1.41), and Louisiana ($1.78).
http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/60.html
BigBlackRod commented:
Y’all some hateful White folks…PEACE.
aeroguy48 commented:
Dang #74, I guess us regular Americans dont see words as Yall do, oh ok its the nuance– ala race card
Everly Jobski commented:
This little diddy perfectly describes every single one of the people commenting here:
Let the clown show begin, hurry hurry, step right on in. Can’t afford to pas it by, guaranteed to make you cry. Let the clown show begin, hurry hurry, step right on in , see the sad little people who hate the black man, pity their souls, if at all you can. But let the clown show begin, hurry hurry just step right in can’t afford to pass it by, guaranteed to make you cry.
Now doesn’t that describe you people just perfectly (ROFLMAO)
Chisum commented:
Everly Jobski,
Life must be really tough for you having to tote around a chip the size of a boulder on your shoulder.
Chaos commented:
You people sound like complete paranoid pyschos. Yeah, Obama is targeting you and your tinfoil hats.
Everly Jobski commented:
Chisum,
Not at all, in fact life is wonderful for me. Chips don’t fit on my shoulders, they always fall off, I seem to be able to handle things I have no control of quite well. and what in my comments suggests to you that I have a chip on my shoulders.
You people complain about the President ignoring Gov. Perry, but wasn’t the governor himself that rejected Federal stimulus Funds because his state didn’t need the Federal Government poking it’s nose in state business and rattling the saber with secession talk? OHHHH but now he NEEDS the evil federal government and all you people can talk about is how evil Oboma is. Careful, I can see through your white sheets of hypocrisy, and it aint a pretty sight
Chisum commented:
This little diddy perfectly describes every single one of the people commenting here
I refer you to my comment #72. I posed this question:
Is it hypocritical to want access to funds the state of Texas is required to pay into?
Please point out to me what I said that was racist.
I pity you and your one dimensional world. Obviously you see the world in black and white.
You people complain about the President ignoring Gov. Perry, but wasn’t the governor himself that rejected Federal stimulus Funds because his state didn’t need the Federal Government poking it’s nose in state business and rattling the saber with secession talk?
Surely you know the difference between federal emergency funds and stimulus funds? And surely you know the reason why Perry turned down the stimulus funds?
Of course you will accuse me of being racist for even daring to ask the question. Because only a stupid person wouldn’t know the difference between federal emergency funds and stimulus funds.
LostinCypress commented:
What a bunch of cry babies! Man Up! 400 people died in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. 2000 people were injured. Thousands of homes and businesses were totally destroyed. Since when did Texans start whining about dry grass burning. It’s not like a hurricane struck the Gulf Coast. Some homes burned….that’s what home insurance covers…fire damage. Texas has received numerous grants this year for wildfire suppression….what happened to the money…Rick must have paid it to one of his pals to study the matter. I thought we were in great shape financially. That’s what Rick said before the last election.
Chisum commented:
What a bunch of “RACERS”!
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/04/30/tea-partier-msnbc-media-blame-all-criticism-obama-his-skin-color-are-
LostinCypress commented:
Texas has received $128 Million in Federal Grants in the past 10 years to train and equip Firefighters to respond to and control wildfires! Guess who decides which counties get the money ….the Texas State Legislature! Guess all those counties who got money should be now helping out their fellow TEXAS COUNTIES to battle the fires! The recent outbreak of fires does not qualify the State for Federal Disaster designation under the Stafford Act. Geez.
Chisum commented:
Here’s a list of the counties in Texas currently fighting fires.
http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=12888
Chisum commented:
Here’s a list of all the counties in Texas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Texas
=============================
A simple google search of the Stafford Act yielded this:
Title I provides the intent of Congress to provide continued and orderly assistance, by means of the Federal government, to State and local governments to relieve hardship and damage which result from disasters. As defined by Title I, an emergency is any instance, determined by the President, in which State or local efforts need Federal assistance to save lives and protect the health and welfare of the people in a community. A major disaster is defined as any natural catastrophe, fire, flood, or explosion, determined by the president to warrant the additional resources of the Federal government to alleviate damages or suffering they cause.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stafford_Disaster_Relief_and_Emergency_Assistance_Act
Obviously Texas qualifies under that definition.
I didn’t fact check your numbers, lostincypress, although I probably should.
$128M divided by 10 (years) divided by 254 (counties). Wowee! Big bucks.
ajohnson commented:
Why are all you Texans whining? Didn’t govenor Perry said red state govenor did not need fed assistance but now y’all crying about how Obama isn’t helping you, because he is helping a blue states like Alabama, or Mississippi that help get him in office(lol). Now who y’all need to get mad at is your govenor for cutting funding to the fire service and mismanaging the funding FEMA has already given him to fight these fire. But I guess y’all would rather sit back and watch your governor remodel the govenor Manson.
Sleepyhnl commented:
Wow! such enthusiasm from everyone. Wish we could put all this energy to good use. The good people of Texas have a right to ask for Federal help no matter what their Governor may have said or did in the past. Just a little reminder that Texas has received Federal help in the form of firefighters and grants to help pay for the cost. Now I do believe that the Governors application will be approved. Why is it taking so long, don’t know and hope it is not politics. But please remind your Congressional Delegation about the huge amount of cuts it recently pushed for in the FEMA budget. This looks like it is going to be a bad year for all of us and hope the funds do not run out. God bless you all, take care and have a great day.
RickinTex commented:
Is this the same governor who refused $555Min federal stimulus funds or unemployment in order to embarrass the President? Rick Perry is not for Texans, he is for Rick Perry
TallTexan commented:
CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN…MY ASS. Obama is also trying to shut down drilling in the Permian Basin because of a 3″ Lizard that they want to put on the Endangered Species List. That folks is where 20% of the U.S. oil and gas comes froms. Kill the buzzards, the owls, the crows, the falcons, the eagles, the roadrunners that eat lizards and tax the lizard you idiot! Perry, secede! Let’s take the money we send to the Feds and close the borders and pay our own disaster relief. Enough is Enough!!!!!