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(5,025 posts) Mon Mar 5, 2012, 01:27 PM Mar 2012

Ron Paul Says Tornado Victims Should Fend For Themselves

Earlier this weekend, tornadoes tore through the midwest and south, wiping out whole towns and killing dozens of people across ten states, leaving many grief-stricken people without homes. One thing these poor people need is help, but Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul thinks they should have to fend for themselves. During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” on Sunday, Paul said that the victims of these tornadoes should not receive any sort of government aid.

Candy Crowley: “Let me turn you to a domestic issue. I’m sure you know that tornadoes have hit a wide swath of states, particularly in the Midwest, about 10 states. The damage is enormous.

You have frequently been critical of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the federal money that is given to some of these home owners and those that are also — other victims of storms like this. Is there a role for federal money in helping all of these citizens get their lives back together?”

Ron Paul: “Not really, because it’s not authorized and there is no such thing as federal money. Federal money is just what they steal from the states and steal from you and me. So there is no federal money unless you say, well, they can print it and cause internal problems.

But to say you don’t support federal money doesn’t mean you don’t care about people, because FEMA is inefficient. I’ve lived on the Gulf Coast and I got re-elected constantly by criticizing FEMA because of people who had to put up with FEMA after the hurricanes, had nothing but frustration and anger with them.

And to point out, well, they might give you a home, yes, they bought a lot of trailers for Katrina, you know, and it’s just so wasteful, inefficient. But, you know, the Guard units and other things within the states certainly is there. The people who live in Tornado Alley just as I live in a hurricane alley, they should have insurance for doing this.

But under major emergency, natural disasters, if there is a need, you know, for some help such as the military to come in, that is not a tragic violation, but to say that any accident that happens in the country, send in FEMA, send in the money, the government has all this money, it’s totally out of control and it’s not efficient.”