Does FEMA Threaten National Security?

Those of us who think President Eisenhower was right about warning about the “military industrial complex” and who still care about personal liberty have at least a little admiration for Ron Paul and his son Rand. And trust me – I’m no fan of Peter King and Chris Christie. Which is why I’m saddened by this story:

“They’re precisely the same people who are unwilling to cut the spending, and their ‘Gimme, gimme, gimme — give me all my Sandy money now.’” Paul said, referring to federal funding after the hurricane last year. “Those are the people who are bankrupting the government and not letting enough money be left over for national defense.”

I get Senator Paul’s desire for a smaller government but how much we spend on FEMA is peanuts compared to the amount of pure pork in the defense budget. And alas, this silly statement gives the high ground to hacks like Peter King:

King in a phone interview late Sunday called Paul’s criticism of Sandy aid “indefensible.”“This was absolutely life or death money that was essential to New York and New Jersey,” King said.

Meanwhile Governor Christie is getting a lot of taxpayer funded political ads with that “Stronger Than the Storm” commercials. It is odd that the same President who appointed “heck of a job Brownie” to head FEMA also give Christie his first patronage break given how the New Jersey Governor is bragging he somehow got President Obama to make FEMA do what it is supposed to do.. And yet Senator Paul criticizes FEMA’s efforts after Sandy? Does he really believe the response to Katrina was more appropriate?