FEMA Skimps on Future Disaster Relief
FEMA, in its infinite wisdom, this week announced that it was reducing the amount of cash it was giving to disaster evacuees from $2000 to $500. The rationale for this change is apparently the degree of fraud. This amounted to around 16% of the total monies distributed after Katrina. I'm not actually convinced this was fraud; maybe it was just more convenient to use the government issued card to buy porn. Does FEMA dictate how you spend the money.
FEMA can do a better job of rooting out fraudulent claims. However, in the aftermath of a disaster some degree of fraud is inevitable. In this situation, is our objective to minimize the number of dollars given to the undeserving, or to provide sucor to the needy. The role of FEMA is the latter, but this new policy is clearly targeted at the former.
If we are concerned about overpaying for aid, reduce the total everyone gets by 16% and try to rein in the fraud. Reducing aid by 75% is going to cause massive problems next time there is a disaster; $500 is barely enough to drive out of the path of a storm these days. Problems lead to ad hoc aid programs; ad hoc programs are open to fraud because the needed checks and balances are not in place. Wait, isn't that what happened after Katrina. We must learn from history, not use history to repeat it.
Are we concerned here about the fraud or the amount of money that was given out? Shouldn't
2 Comments:
This is one of the silliest things I've ever heard of. Because you are absolutely right.
First of all, the media over on the East Coast went absolutely bonkers over the fact that a few folks who got those cards used the $2000 for nefarious purpose. They completely ignored price gouging, bidding/contractor fruad and insurance fleecing of policy owners. Yeah, those things were all covered, but nothing like the 'outrage' that some folks got the 2 grand who may not have needed it.
And we'll not even talk about the minimal coverage of FEMA trailers in Arkansas, sitting in the mud.
People don't want to face it that a bureaucracy - from getting aid to people who need it to effectively policing fraud - can only work well when the folks at the top of the pyramid make sure the folks on the lower tiers are doing their damn jobs. If the managers are asleep at the wheel, fraud happens.
My $0.02 anyway.
Fraud you say? Hmm.... I would think that no-bid contracts and federal corruption should be examined. If the American people want to see the fraud in this sorry state of affairs let them look at where the real hemhorrage of $$ is happening.
Then again I speak as one of the many I know who never saw a penny worth of assistance. Not. One. Penny.
I guess I'm just supposed to suck up the fact that I was unemployed and stranded in NYC for six weeks and call it even. Yeah. Groovy.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home