Eastern Coastal Storms, Hurricane Sandy and the Aftermath Destructions: What will Mitt Romney Do?

Keywords or Terms: Hurricane Sandy; Deaths, Floods, Train Tracks Collapse; FEMA; Privatization; Profits; Heartlessness; and, the Republican Party Flag Bearer

Is the battle for the hearts and souls of the American voters bringing the worst in the Republican Party Flag bearer? Is Mitt Romney’s obsession for making money clouding his sense of compassion and reasoning when he re-affirmed that he wanted FEMA privatized? Can anyone explain to me, since I went to late night school, how a politician would like to make money from severe super storms, likened to an explosion of a 500 thousand tons bomb coming off at the same time, by eminent climatologists? Is there really anything that people wouldn’t try to make money off? I learn some people are making money off disposal of you know what, could that happen to disaster from the fury of nature and emergency management? Can some people make money from the miseries and misfortunes that have consumed lives, properties and displaced thousands, if not millions? How shocked will anyone going through the misery of Hurricane Sandy, hearing that someone out there is attempting to make profits from their misfortune caused by ravages of the huge storm?

Talking with Mr. John King of Cable News Network sometimes ago, Mitt Romney offered to privatize FEMA. The only final public safety net in time of horrendous and disastrous storms and hurricanes; human sufferings and misery; the Federal Emergency and Management Administration (FEMA), is to be turned over to the private money-makers, if Mitt Romney had his way! Geez! Or, in the alternative, the hypocritical Republican flag bearer will send the functions of FEMA to the state or local governments, to manage. Imagine asking the State of New York alone, to manage the aftermath of 85 miles per hour winds and 14 feet of flood waters from high and historical tides from Hurricane Sandy? Imagine also, how overwhelming Hurricane Katrina was for the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana to manage? Can you ever imagine that anyone, let alone a prominent politician who will like to be President, will recommend privatization of FEMA? What private profit-driven enterprise can mobilize enough resources and power to stabilize the confusions during disasters like this? Does the Republican flag bearer understand the implication of privatizing first responders and the selfless work they do?

Hurricane Sandy, the largest and most expansive hurricanes this year, one that is breaking old century weather records for floods, storms and rains; one that is giving virtually all climatologists and meteorologists concern, or nightmare; is being contemplated as a source of green back generation! While some progressives are miffed at our politicians still dilly-dallying over the question of the veracity of climate change, someone out there is contemplating making a buck from people’s misery and misfortune! Despicable, In-compassionate and Unthinkable? Imagine living in Staten or Long Island tonight or other exclusive Islands in New York and New Jerseys, where water front homes are collapsing like a pack of cards into water, where nature is informing all residents who is king, can you fathom that someone can be contemplating privatizing an all too important institution of public safety? Can you imagine family members living in the paths of hurricane sandy?

The horrible storm has knocked down tree branches unto roads and probably isolated thousands in various communities, on its path. Parts of New York and New Jersey have been inundated with knee deep floods; the storm has forced airlines to cancel flights and passengers, travel plans. The New York Mercantile Stock Exchange has been closed because of the storms. Many homes have caught fire, with winds blowing at unimaginable pace, electrically ignited fires continue to move from homes to homes in some areas, and worse more, no one can adequately predict the magnitude and costs of this disaster and storm?  Scary stuff, eh? Without urgent evacuation of millions of residents, the disaster may even be worse than can be imagined at this stage. With tides and extensive flooding scaring the daylights out of residents, can you imagine one politician re-affirming his belief that the last point of defense, the first responders, FEMA, fire fighters, police, teachers and more, should be privatized? No one is tallying the cost yet, but tentative estimates are putting the cost of hurricane Sandy and storms at about ten billion or more dollars. This is not counting the loss on Wall Street for shutting down transactions for two days in a row?

Interestingly, in the world of the Republicans, storms and disasters are appropriate opportunities to make money. Hurricane Sandy is about to be made a huge money maker for the Republicans, if Mitt Romney wins the November 6^th elections! No more FEMA working with worried State and local governments; rather, the public will be left at the mercy of a pretty young secretary of a small-sized company held up in a tiny hole, making decisions regarding whether to warn people to quickly move to safer grounds uphill; or the soon to come, private emergency warehouse or way-house, after every disastrous weather nightmares? Can a private enterprise be able to pay or manage the size of infrastructure damage in the States of New Jersey and New York, tonight?

Executives, likely without emergency preparedness training, will be making decisions regarding the falling power lines and where private emergency vehicles are supposed to be heading and what impacted residents are to receive evacuation or support first, during any emergency like this? Someone without standard hydrological training or weather forecasts experience will be projecting what is the best line of action to help residents of many cities in the path of the storms or disaster? Small Cities and towns in remote places that are getting the attention of FEMA today, will probably be jettisoned for lesser impacted areas or peoples? Families suffering from the ravages of the storms, high dusty winds and power outages will have to depend on splintered information coming from multiple sources of private emergency companies that may or not, understand the history of the area with storms. The ruins of the disaster and tough weather; and, the aftermath mess and clean-up, will be provided by multiple private emergency companies, interested in making fortune from the disasters? For example, between two to three million New Yorkers, who have lost electricity tonight, will have to deal with multiple private companies juggling to talk the talk and walk the walk of the mantra: “private investors and money makers do it best!”

City residents on the path of the storms and hurricanes, or other disasters, can forget government shelters, supplemental help, warm food and beds as reprieves in time of these storms; some of these storms that have been known to lead to both financial and psychological stress, over extended period, is now to be managed be emergency companies without insurance to cover billion dollar losses? How will or can, a small private company, in the middle of hell, appreciate or crystallize the associated human sufferings and difficulties that also accompany these periods? Could you imagine a private emergency company in Manhattan attempting to get food and water to thousands in Staten Island right now without lights and electricity? Some of these disasters repeat themselves over several cycles of years and make residents psychologically defeated. Can you imagine an attempt to have a private for profit enterprise, managed by a few “Chiefs”, with only 50 workers, attempting to manage the emergencies associated with the type of work FEMA is currently providing? Imagine the caption on tomorrows headlines after a horrible disaster like today's, the private for profit, Storms, Hurricanes and Flood Managing Company Incorporated, had just declared Upper Manhattan unreachable after the storms, so they wouldn’t be helping those stranded residents in the Upstate and lower New York?

These are just a few of the potential consequences of privatizing FEMA, the way the Republican flag bearers had suggested and continues to re-assert. Americans must be free to make money off other peoples in their dire straight times. Yea, that’s great wisdom in privatization; that’s how to help small businesses thrive on other Americans’ misfortunes, that’s how to help Americans overcome the vagaries of weather that has been blamed for multiple loss of lives, fires that rescuers cannot get to, raging fires in several communities, unfounded stories of discomfort and hospital patients’ relocation from hospital beds, because electricity went out in their current hospital and care centers. To say the least, this is unconscionable; and, Mr. Romney must be made to retract his suggestions and apologize to the millions that are suffering in several Northeastern Coast states.

While many Americans in the US North East, especially New York, Connecticut, Maryland New Jersey and more, are so grateful and thankful for having an agency as FEMA helping out during these challenging times, without charging or attempting to make profit off their back, the Republican Flag bearer has promised. Governor Romney reaffirmed his conviction that federal disaster reliefs for natural disaster as the one in US North-East are waste of government resources. In the estimation and spirit of Governor Romney’s position; and for those who are likely to vote for him, here is my sarcastic face book post response: “No, No, our "President" Romney is going to privatize the first responders jobs! Why bother about the first responders or saving lives? Yes, we can make money off people's misery, and disaster. Strong winds, train collapse, evacuation of unfortunate stranded people going through gusty winds all over North East are good for profits! Let's go make it...! Let's go make profit at the expense of the 47% and more. That's the Republican way! BRAVO!!!”

 

It seems, after going through rebirth by members of the Tea Party, the now extreme hard right Mitt Romney is poised to change things as we know them. If elected, America is going to have a President endeared to the private sector; and, emboldened by extremities of the Tea party guys to over turn commonsense policies in environmental management. FEMA, the country’s last point of call for the ordinary man and woman, will likely go to the highest bidder. One could recall that when we had Joplin Tornado last year, Romney was quoted as saying that federal disaster relief for tornado and flood victims is immoral and makes no sense at all. However, privatization of FEMA is all well and dandy! Americans in the North East tonight, will have to rely on small enterprises, who hardly understand what it entails to keep people safe amidst the chaos, making life and deaths decisions. This is the challenge ahead, if Mr. Romney becomes President. 

Under Mitt Romney stewardship of the White House: "First, is the tax cut from hell; followed by privatization of Medicaid and Medicare; then Social Security. Second, is the privatization of FEMA, so that private enterprises can make money off the misfortune(s) and heartaches of Americans, just the way Mitt Romney did at Bains Capital. Third, is the privatization of Federal Reserve Bank. Fourth, is the eradication of US Department of Education. Fifth, is the demolish of Obamacare and the turning away of millions from health insurance. Sixth, is the nomination of hard right and extreme conservatives to Federal Bench and the Supreme Court. You can imagine what other stuffs this clown is going to bring into our lives! Can you imagine, if residents of New York had to negotiate how much it will cost them to be safe or pulled out of the path of the storm? 

Can you further imagine dealing with thousands of private enterprises in an emergency situation, without a centralized 911 call? The new private emergency enterprises that will spring up will likely have a representative on K-street, Washington DC, lobbying not to pay or take care of the aftermath of the deaths and miseries of Americans in storms like this one in the US North East. These companies will be lobbying for millions of corporate welfare from congress. While victims of the storms and ravages will be left to fend for themselves, these companies will be denying reality about the storms. That is essentially, what type of America we will all be experiencing under Mitt Romney’s Administration. In case anyone is still in doubt about Romney's conviction, or statement to John King of CNN last time, a reporter re-confirmed this today: Romney has not changed his ambition to privatize FEMA! Any voter, who is offended by this line of reasoning, please exercise your right to vote your interest in the coming elections.