The GOP slurps at the same troughs the Democrats do, although they sometimes get shouldered down to the far end.

See my observations on bureaucracies a few comments above:
https://www.thenewneo.com/2024/10/08/about-that-fema-money-that-isnt-available-because-it-was-given-to-illegals/#comment-2765749
AesopFan on October 8, 2024 at 7:44 pm said:

Although I deplore the excessive violence of the French Revolution and the decline of its leadership into rampaging destruction, I have begun to understand the impetus of the initial rebellion.

“assures the election of elites to continue this way of doing things forever.”

That’s what France’s nobles thought.

The ultimate goal of the Democrats is to make the common man as miserable as possible where only a small group of the ruling party is able to afford not only luxuries, but what used to be regarded as simple pleasures.

Only the elite should be allowed to travel and take vacations. Therefore, the common man must not be allowed to drive himself. First make gasoline too expensive, then simply outlaw gasoline burning cars and make electric cars too expensive for anyone but the elite (including uber drivers). Restrict air travel and make it unaffordable. The common man will then be left with unreliable electric local public transportation or bicycles which will lock his movement in place.

Only the elite should be allowed to eat meat. Significantly limit meat production and price it way out of the commoner’s range. The only options left for sustenance will be plants, yeast-based products, and protein supplementation from insects.

Only the elite should be allowed to live in comfort. Import hundreds of millions of 3rd world peasants and fund their settlement in and around where the common man lives. Make the common man live in an environment of widespread crime and constant danger, while the elite live in their gated communities and skyscrapers. (The names of the immigrants being logged onto voter rolls for ballots to be cast in their names also assures the election of elites to continue this way of doing things forever.)

Good one, John. Very good indeed. Do you mind if I use this?

I remember back in probably the 1980s there was an idea bantered about that every agency and bureau should have a ‘sunset’ provision that made it expire unless it was reauthorized with new legislation. That never got anywhere, though I suppose if it had, Congress would just pass an omnibus reauthorization that stupid Republicans would also vote for.

I suspect the Democrats’ timeline is a great deal more immediate than “in four more years.”

And, regarding appropriations and allocations, I heard a talk radio host yesterday refer to the fed dot gov’s ability to reallocate appropriated funds, in the instance cited to very different purposes, a few of which were to a different Executive branch agency; IIRC, Congress alone has the ability to reallocate appropriated funds and that ad hoc reallocation of appropriations by an Executive branch agency constitutes a violation of Congress’ Constitutional spending and financial regulatory authority.

Am I remembering that correctly?

Thanks for the info on the project time-lines; but, how much of the delay is due to the red tape bureaucrats wrap everything in, even when it reduces their own effectiveness?

As I read the reports, the alleged problem with FEMA in the current situation is that they ARE trying to take charge, and hampering actual rescue operations in the process.

On the other hand, I have to admit that FEMA was really helpful here in paying for debris removal that cost 3-4 times the county tax revenue stream at least. FEMA also seems to have paid for a good many people’s emergency hotel and food budgets in the immediate aftermath of the storm, as well as some temporary housing in the form of mobile homes–temporary as in the better part of a year, which is what it often took to get homes rebuilt.

What FEMA didn’t do, and as far as I know was never intended to do, is come in and take charge after a storm, handle the logistics of recovery (other than to impose rather onerous reimbursement guidelines requiring a LOT of red tape), or distribute much in the way of emergency aid such as food, water, medical care, or clean-up. The state government did some of that, but most was handled by church organizations and a small army of volunteers with chainsaws and skidsteers.