Fighting Wild Fires In Texas

[Jerrald Hayes]

Let me get this straight…Texas is experiencing an “unprecedented drought” and a “never-before-seen wildfire situation” and the Texas legislators propose cutting funds for firefighters, slashing the Texas Forest Service budget by “almost $34 million in budget cuts over the next two years, roughly a third of the agency’s total budget” and instead Governor Rick Perry deals with the problem by proposing three “days of prayer for rain”.

Thanks to Joe Romm for pointing this bit of incredible naive stupidity out to me: Prayer as an adaptation strategy: Texas plans to cut budget of agency battling record wildfires.

Somebody, please please please tell me its not really true.

[MarkMc]

On the bright side they are looking to pass a tax cut for water conservation.

[Johnson]

Somebody, please please please tell me its not really true.

How about you, please please please be honest. Stop pretending you don't want it to be true.

[Slaughter Construction Co]

Yeah, Well you really have to live here to understand. Even then it can be difficult at times.

The power of prayer may not get you rain in Texas, but it might get you elected President. In today's paper, the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, was an article headlined Religious Right Would Jump On Perry Bandwagon.

[Allan Edwards]

Perry is a lightweight. We haven't had a good governor since Ma Ferguson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam_A._Ferguson

[Bill Robinson]

And this says it all:

Miriam Ferguson, along with a few other people, have been credited with the quote: “If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it ought to be good enough for the children of Texas.”[7] There are variations of this phrase going back to 1881 that were often used to ridicule the backwardness of various unnamed Christians, which strengthens the argument that the attribution to Ferguson was incorrect.[8]

[m beezo]

Texas needs to find a way to get some of the water out of the Mississippi that is causing massive flooding. Maybe haul it by the truck load or railroad car, just get it out of there somehow.

[jimAKAblue]

Let me get this straight…Texas is experiencing an “unprecedented drought” and a “never-before-seen wildfire situation” and the Texas legislators propose cutting funds for firefighters, slashing the Texas Forest Service budget by “almost $34 million in budget cuts over the next two years, roughly a third of the agency’s total budget” and instead Governor Rick Perry deals with the problem by proposing three “days of prayer for rain”.

Thanks to Joe Romm for pointing this bit of incredible naive stupidity out to me: Prayer as an adaptation strategy: Texas plans to cut budget of agency battling record wildfires.

Somebody, please please please tell me its not really true.

I'm no fan of Rick Perry but I love that he is willing to cut the Texas Forest Service budget by 34 million.

The alternative is to raise taxes. That shouldn't be on the table. Lets face it; budget cutting is hard and everyone has to give something up. Without someone like Perry making the hard choices, the budget would spiral out of control ala Obama, Reid, Pelosi.

As far as the prayer thing. I guess you should face up to the fact that Texas has a lot of religious folk and I suppose he was talking to them, not you. Again, I'm not religious in any way but I know for a fact that religious people see value in prayer, if only to make themselves feel better.

Perhaps a better thread to express outrage would be to focus on the Feds denying Texas their FEMA money. Its nothing more than a political payback. Oh well, we are big boys down here in TX and we'll manage, even if we are getting the shaft by having to pay into DC's bottomless pit.

When the states start breaking up, I don't think TX will be too timid to cut the apron strings. I know...good riddance. That's the same way I feel about the East and West coasts.

[davenorthup]

Perhaps a better thread to express outrage would be to focus on the Feds denying Texas their FEMA money. Its nothing more than a political payback.

I would be interested in reading more about this - what / where is the story?

The FEDS should certainly not politicize FEMA policy - I would be interested in learning how they have done that...

THX

[Johnson]

I'm no fan of Rick Perry but I love that he is willing to cut the Texas Forest Service budget by 34 million.

The alternative is to raise taxes. That shouldn't be on the table. Lets face it; budget cutting is hard and everyone has to give something up. Without someone like Perry making the hard choices, the budget would spiral out of control ala Obama, Reid, Pelosi.

As far as the prayer thing. I guess you should face up to the fact that Texas has a lot of religious folk and I suppose he was talking to them, not you. Again, I'm not religious in any way but I know for a fact that religious people see value in prayer, if only to make themselves feel better.

Perhaps a better thread to express outrage would be to focus on the Feds denying Texas their FEMA money. Its nothing more than a political payback. Oh well, we are big boys down here in TX and we'll manage, even if we are getting the shaft by having to pay into DC's bottomless pit.

When the states start breaking up, I don't think TX will be too timid to cut the apron strings. I know...good riddance. That's the same way I feel about the East and West coasts.

What I find interesting is that people that say there is no God tend to be afraid of prayer. I have a brother that is a radical liberal and any mention of God gives him the heebie jeebies. Hmmm, why would that be if God doesn't exist????

[David Meiland]

Because he thinks you're an ignorant moron?

[m beezo]

Because he thinks you're an ignorant moron?

David, I think the question Johnson is one that I have asked myself a time or two. If you don't believe in God then why does it bother folks when someone says it is time to have a prayer about the issue? I would think you would just be sitting there listening to someone talk and figuring it does no good. I don't see the problem really.

I also find it interesting that so many who talk about the seperation of church and state will then say lets have prayer about something when they are in office. Even the mention of such a phrase as "our thoughts and prayers go to the families of .....the latest disaster"

For some it is about as meaningful as saying "I never give out free bids" and then doing it anyway. To talk about prayer is pretty much of a lot of folks lives and for some more meaningful than others I am sure.

But then the issue is how to put the fires out isn't it?

[jimAKAblue]

What I find interesting is that people that say there is no God tend to be afraid of prayer. I have a brother that is a radical liberal and any mention of God gives him the heebie jeebies. Hmmm, why would that be if God doesn't exist????

Not a true statement. I'm atheist and I don't mind my Mom praying for me. That's her belief. I have my own. I have no fear of anyone praying to God. I figure that with all the quad
zillions of people all over the universe praying, it's probably all jumbled up into a constant roar and he can't hear any of it. Besides that, it probably gives him a massive migraine.

[jimAKAblue]

I would be interested in reading more about this - what / where is the story?

The FEDS should certainly not politicize FEMA policy - I would be interested in learning how they have done that...

THX

http://www.kwes.com/story/14583399/f...ect-west-texas

just type in "Fema Denies Texas" into a google search and you'll find more than you need to know. It's nothing more than petty payback by Obama and his staff.

This clearly demonstrates why the founding fathers attempted to limit the power of a central government. The state of Texas shouldn't be begging the feds for federal dollars. There shouldn't be ANY federal dollars for stuff like this. That's why they make insurance.

[davenorthup]

If you don't believe in God then why does it bother folks when someone says it is time to have a prayer about the issue? I would think you would just be sitting there listening to someone talk and figuring it does no good. I don't see the problem really.

I also find it interesting that so many who talk about the seperation of church and state will then say lets have prayer about something when they are in office. Even the mention of such a phrase as "our thoughts and prayers go to the families of .....the latest disaster"

Mark - I do not know any people that get bothered by religion by itself. I know many get bothered when religion is trust onto them in schools, politics and so forth....