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Originally Posted by Cyfr
When you say 'Bush' .. why would he give them money? Wouldn't that be the state... I thought each state delt with their own tax system..
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FEMA, the federal agency created to assist in post-disaster areas, ladles out the dough to assist with clean-up and rebuilding. This never used to be the case. Individual states and localities took responsibility for themselves. There was no federal aid in 1906 when San Francisco was wiped out by an earthquake and subsequent fire. Nor was there any for Galveston, Texas at the turn of the last century when it was hit by a tidal wave. Massive devastation and loss of life. There are other examples, but I shall not list more here. Both of these cities immediately formulated a plan and went to work to rebuild and restore. In the case of Galveston, it took them 60 years to complete the job.
Americans are amazing when it comes to helping others in distress. In a disaster situation, we will raise all kinds of money and volunteers will pour into the affected area with expertise, muscle power and just plain old- fashioned kindness, without being asked. Things seem to work out better that way and always end up costing a lot less money.