Willard believes it is "immoral" for the federal government to spend money for disaster relief rather than deficit reduction.
That was his view during a 2008 Republican primary debate. He won't say now where he stands on that issue in the wake of Hurricane Sandy's mangling of America's East Coast.
Willard actally prefers giving funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the states or (preferably) to the private sector.
Nevermind that Sandy created a $60-billion national disaster bringing monumental havoc and 100-plus deaths to 19 states.
FEMA has the professional expertise, equipment, supplies and communication network to respond to individual or multiple crisis areas. Individual states rely on weekend warriors for that task.
Republicans downsized FEMA prior to Hurricane Katrina, leaving Gulf Coast victims largely in the hands of local and state authorities.
Look how well that turned out. (4 NOVEMBER 2012)
