Ron Paul protests FEMA during disaster seasons of 2011 Special

Paul says the United States can save a lot of money by shutting down the FEMA agency, the national govenment office that deals with disasters and emergencies. He told Wolf Blitzer on CNN, " Well, if you want to live in a free society, if you want to pay attention to the constitution, why not? I think it’s bad economics. I think it’s bad morality. And it’s bad constitutional law. Why should people like myself, who had, not too long ago, a house on the Gulf Coast and it’s – it’s expensive there and it’s risky and it’s dangerous. Why should somebody from the central part of the United States rebuild my house? Why shouldn’t I have to buy my own insurance and protect about the potential dangers? I mean it’s – it’s a moral hazard to say that government is always going to take care of us when we do dumb things. I’m trying to get people to not to dumb things. Besides, it’s not authorized in the constitution." While the liberal press and blogs are examining the Ron Paul notions, the environmental groups are as well. That's because so much of the country is under alert from disasters. With fires in Texas, flooding in much of the central United States and along the Gulf Coast states and with potential earthquakes in many parts of the country, many Americans are at risk. Climate progress declares, "Paul’s suggestion that Americans are “dumb” for being victims of natural disasters is not only heartless, it seriously calls into question his credibility to preside over the country’s welfare. A recent travel through the Southwestern and Southern portions of the United States found motel and hotel accommodations managing people who had fled their homes in advance of fires and floods, while at the same time FEMA has had to respond to emergencies in much of the country during 2011. In fact many of the governors in the states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and others have asked for emergency assistance from FEMA. Throughout central regions of Texas and parts of New Mexico evidence of fires stand as stark reminders of how people face environmental challenges in 2011. The terrain of the Southwest is dry and getting drier, residents report and Digital Journal's observations support, as a region ripe for more problems ahead, specifically fires in the areas between Amarillo and Abilene and even near Dallas - Fort Worth where the smoke in mid May made visibility a problem in some areas and the odor of smoke in the brush along the roadside pervasive.

Carol Forsloff

Fires in Texas are the kind that often require FEMA information or assistance.

In Tumcumcari, New Mexico, just outside the town, the patches of black near Kmart, just blocks from where the trail winds to the beautiful mountains nearby were evidence of the fires that nearly reached the town. It is these disasters, FEMA maintains, it responds to when people are in need. The FEMA website lists resources for disasters and emergencies across the United States, together with maps and recommendations for self-help. Specific to present flood disasters the agency provides a flood map, a list of helping agencies, and information on how to apply for assistance.