Shortage of Cronies Getting Critical

No friends in high places: You can tell it’s a lame-duck administration when Congress threatens to withhold appropriations from the Department of Homeland Security until the agency fills a bunch of top-level posts, including director. Come on, there must be some ex-horse show execs or wives of admin flunkies out there somewhere to fill these high-level positions at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

With hurricane season only two months away, those of us who live in the subtropics are distressed to learn that FEMA is staffed at only 73 percent of its funded capacity and that, besides the fact that “Brownie” has not been permanently replaced, 40 percent of the agency’s division and regional chiefs are only “acting.”

‘Let the word go forth from this place that we want a permanent director of FEMA and we want these regional directors and division directors to stop acting and be permanent.’
— Harold Rogers

According to the Congress Daily, the House committee that oversees DHS appropriations thinks this situation deserves attention. House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Harold Rogers, R-KY, offered up a hilarious quote while threatening to withhold fiscal 2007 appropriations for the positions if they are not filled:

“I want people in these positions where we can look them square in the eye . . . and get a commitment from them,” Rogers said. “Let the word go forth from this place that we want a permanent director of FEMA and we want these regional directors and division directors to stop acting and be permanent.”

“Let the word go forth from this place” sounds rather biblical to me, and I think we’ve all had quite enough “acting” from the FEMA folks. In an attempt to top Rogers’ over-the-top quote, the “acting” director gave the kind of emphatic reply we’ve all come to expect from FEMA:

Acting FEMA Director R. David Paulison told the panel that he has directed the agency to achieve a 95 percent staffing level by June 1, the start of the next hurricane season. He said the agency probably will not meet that goal, but will come “very darn close.”

He also said FEMA will have a permanent director by June 1, but declined to say if that will be him. “I serve at the pleasure of the president and will do what he asks me to do,” Paulison said.

With that kind of attitude, Paulison likely will go far — heckuva job, Paulie!

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One thought on “Shortage of Cronies Getting Critical”

  1. Not to panic: one of the Bush Twins will get the job, so she can become a winner like her Dada! And if SHE messes up, Unka Dick ‘ll shoot her in the face wif hiz truzty lil shot gun!

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