These are a few paragraphs from the article, titled Politics of fighting wildfires: Did Rick Perry's Texas do enough on its own?
Gov. Rick Perry, currently the frontrunner among GOP presidential candidates, has been forced to press President Obama for more than $50 million in federal aid. At the same time, he defends the state's decision to slash by 74 percent the funding for the volunteer fire departments who do most of the work, and to cut the Texas Forest Service's budget by 34 percent, down to its 2008 level.
Money from the state's rainy day fund will be used to fund the current wildfire fighting efforts, Governor Perry says. State legislators will have to reconcile the costs later. The fires are costing the state about $1.5 million a day, 75 percent of which could be recouped from Washington.
Mr. Obama assured Perry in a phone call on Thursday that Washington will expedite consideration of disaster requests.
But what some have called Texas' “slash and burn” approach to balancing its state budget has left volunteer firefighters, who do about 80 percent of the work, in a lurch. Just last week, the most recent budget cuts meant 90 Texas Forest Service employees were laid off. Some volunteers pay for expenses out of pocket. And the repeated emergency calls are stressing equipment like tankers and pumpers not built for continuous use.
CLICK HERE to read the full article.
1 comment:
Governor Perry evidently has the right to say whatever he feels like saying, regardless of its truth or appropriateness.
President Obama, on the other hand, does not have the right to refuse him because he's a donkey. The president is obliged to help all Americans even if they elect jacki.
Post a Comment