Part of the monstrosity called a budget that the Texas Legislature passed earlier this year included massive cuts to the Texas Forest Service. That agency, among its duties, is supposed to reimburse volunteer fire departments around the state for equipment purchases and other needs.
Well, despite wildfires like the massive 200,000 acre Rock House Fire, which started BEFORE the end of the legislative session, GOP wingnuts cut away, anyway.
And, so, now we're at the bottom line. Team Obama has to bail out firefighters in Bastrop. Rather, the feds have to bail out Tricky Ricky Perry and his wingnut minions. As for the more wingnut comments there, hey, TFS could have put out a request for volunteers, but, knows it doesn't have the money to really do that.
It is sad that volunteers got turned away, but blame Tricky Ricky, not the feds.
Of course, there will be no federal price tag attached to this, either today or tomorrow. Obama won't charge Perry's miraculous Texas government a dime for this, nor demand that Perry fess up as to the reality of his "miracle," stop his hypocritical bashing of the federal government, stop his antiscientific global warming denialism or anything else.
No, politics should not be played with disasters themselves.
But, if wingnuts are going to play politics with issues leading up to disasters, then politics should be played with post-disaster redress, too. Unfortunately, Preznit Kumbaya doesn't get it.
Sometimes, pun not intended, but pun accepted, you have to fight fire with fire, so to speak.
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