Well, gol danged, Rufe... Thank you for ***finally answering*** my question but, my friend...

...what difference does it make???

Hey, if I'm hired on as a CEO of a corporation that widgets and the board of directors tells me that they also want to get into making framastats then, hey, that's life... I took the job...

Congress doesn't pour over budget requests, the executive does... And the exectutive presents a budget to Congress for approval... It is the executive branch of or goevernment who sets the priorities and in doing so gives some agenmcies greater power than others...

Bush and his folks presented the DHS budget to Congress... And within this budget was money for FEMA... Congress didn't tell Bush how much they wanted him to spend for DHS or FEMA... No, Bush told Congress what he wanted to spend and guess what, Rufe???

Give up???

Well, Bush choze to gut FEMA and sent a budget to Congress which, in essence, gutted FEMA and Congress approved it...

This was Bush's decision...

Now if you see things differently, Rufe, please let me know and we can discuss our differences but, please, please, please, no more guessing games...

Now, related to the guttin' of FEMA things just haven't been flowin' to smoothly in terms of Katrina victims getting assistance... Just yesterday a Lousinana U.S. Judge, Stanwood Duval, Jr., while ruling that FEMA hadn't broken any laws in how it provides data related to the rerquirements for attaining assistance said (overta dictum???):

"Rather than hiding behind bureautic double-talk, obscure regulations, outdated computer programs, anmd politically loaded platitudes such as 'people need to take care of themselves' as the fave of the federal government in the aftermath of Katrina, FEMA's goal should have been to foster an environment of openness and honesty with all Americans affected by the disaster. Sharing information in simple, clear, and precise terms and delineating the terms and conditions of available assistance in an up-front and forthright manner, does just that."

While back in Washington, D.C. the House Homeland Security Committee heard testimony from both Mayors Anthony Williams (D- Wahington, D.C.) and Michael Bloomberg (R-New York City) who were each critical of the Bush funding formulas for counterterrorism, including first responders, that the Bush administartion has put forward...

Just a few quotes form the various Republican House commttee members:

Didn't pass "the common-sense test"... Rep Rob Simmons (R-Conn.)

"It was indefensible, it was disgraceful, and to me it raises very, very real questions about the competency of this department in determining how its going to protect America."... Peter King (R-N.Y.)

"How could a rational process produce such a dysfunctional conclusion?"... (R-Mayor Bloombery, N.Y. City)

"Something wrong with the formula"... (R- Jim Gibbons, Nev.)

Yeah, Rufe... Seems as if you are about the only person, other that Bush and his tiny circle of advisors who don't think we're living thru one of the great scandals of complete ineptitudnees of all time... And with the hrrican season in force, we're no better off than the day Katrina hit...

Yet yer boy has never once aplogized for boasting that it was his job to protect the American people (see Representaive King's remarks above) when he hadn't asked for the funding that would have that... But forget the apology... We know Bush don't do that kinda stuff... But he continues to make decisions that don't "protect the American people"...

These are the facts my friend... You may just be the kind pwerson who likes to go down fightin' but now even the Repub are coming to see what I have been arguing' for a long time now...

Hmmmmmmmmm?

O'Bobert