Gov. Perry cut firefighters budget by 75%: Republican Leadership and Foresight?

[Conservative]

More at the link:

Netroots blame wrong people for Texas wildfire problems. | RedState

As the libtards will promptly ignore the link...

Very quickly, and to get this out of the way: the Online Left is babbling about supposedly-cut Texas firefighting budgets, mostly because they lack the research skills – or possibly, the native intelligence – to tell the difference between a $109 million Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting budget in 2010/2011, and a $196 million Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting budget for 2012/2013 (the 2012 fiscal year started at the beginning of this month). Fortunately, Battleswarm Blog can both think and do research – as seen here and here – which means that I don’t have to do any of the heavy lifting this time. Bottom line: never, ever stop just because you got the answer that you wanted.

And in that special legislative session, two separate bills were passed which increased forest service/wildfire fighting and prevention funding: SB2, which added an additional $40 million to the forest service for FY 2012 specifically to fight wildfires (with any rollover, of which I’m pretty sure there will be none, to be carried into 2013), and HD4, which allocated an additional $81 million for fighting wildfires in the 2012-2013 biennium. (This is most likely where A&M got the $81 million figure for.) All those bills (and thus the funding increase) were passed and in the books months before the FY2012 budget started on September 1.

So, in summary:
Total 2010-2011 Biennium Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting Budget: $109 million.
Total 2012-2013 Biennium Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting Budget: $196.2 million.

So the Texas legislature authorized, and Governor Rick Perry signed, an 80% increase in wildfire fighting and prevention funding for the 2012-2013 biennium. Not quite double the amount I had in my original post, but pretty close.

 

[Ravi]

More at the link:

Netroots blame wrong people for Texas wildfire problems. | RedState

As the libtards will promptly ignore the link...

Very quickly, and to get this out of the way: the Online Left is babbling about supposedly-cut Texas firefighting budgets, mostly because they lack the research skills – or possibly, the native intelligence – to tell the difference between a $109 million Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting budget in 2010/2011, and a $196 million Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting budget for 2012/2013 (the 2012 fiscal year started at the beginning of this month). Fortunately, Battleswarm Blog can both think and do research – as seen here and here – which means that I don’t have to do any of the heavy lifting this time. Bottom line: never, ever stop just because you got the answer that you wanted.

An opinion posted at the non-credible Red State is a little hard to swallow.

 

[Conservative]

More at the link:

Netroots blame wrong people for Texas wildfire problems. | RedState

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to tinydancer again.

 

[Conservative]

More at the link:

Netroots blame wrong people for Texas wildfire problems. | RedState

As the libtards will promptly ignore the link...

Very quickly, and to get this out of the way: the Online Left is babbling about supposedly-cut Texas firefighting budgets, mostly because they lack the research skills – or possibly, the native intelligence – to tell the difference between a $109 million Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting budget in 2010/2011, and a $196 million Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting budget for 2012/2013 (the 2012 fiscal year started at the beginning of this month). Fortunately, Battleswarm Blog can both think and do research – as seen here and here – which means that I don’t have to do any of the heavy lifting this time. Bottom line: never, ever stop just because you got the answer that you wanted.

An opinion posted at the non-credible Red State is a little hard to swallow.

Check out the links HERE and HERE, above. They discuss the source of the numbers used.

 

[tinydancer]

OK I'm fried from being in the garden can someone crunch these numbers and tell me if these guys are correct?

That this has been all one big fat mother trucking LIE? That the budget has actually doubled?

Another Left-Wing Lie: The 50% Cut in Texas Wildfire Funding That Wasn’t

Note: My numbers below are somewhat off…but those of critical commentators are also off. See this post for the complete breakdown of Texas Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting and Prevention Funding. The bottom line is that it was increased by 80%.

You may have noticed several fires breaking out in Central Texas due to the prolonged drought and high winds. You may also have noticed liberals crowing about how the latest Texas budget cut wildfire response by 50%. That would indeed seem to be shortsighted, except for one tiny fact:

It isn’t true.

Evidently the myth arises from pieces like this one from earlier in the year, citing unnamed sources in the midst of budget negotiations saying such a cut was proposed. Not passed, mind you, but proposed. And it doesn’t say by who.

But when you look at the actual numbers for the passed budget, they tell a radically different story.

First, let’s look at funding for the 2010-2011 biennium passed by the 81st Legislature, where the Texas Forest Service was allocated $38,550,563, most of which was for wildfire fighting and prevention.

Next let’s look at the 2012-2013 biennium passed by the 82nd Legislature; sorry, I was only able to find a PDF, but the relevant information can be found near the top of page 15, where it states that the legislature allocated $81 million for the Texas Forest Service for wildfires.

So not only did the Texas state legislature and Governor Rick Perry not reduce the amount for wildfire fighting and prevention, they actually doubled the amount spent on it.

So a real natural tragedy is being used by opportunistic liberals to slander politicians (and let’s face it, a state) that they already hated. The original Think Progress etc. pieces were merely half-baked rumor. Repeating them today, however, makes them an actual lie.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but no one is entitled to their own facts.

Edited to add: The Texas State Fiscal year starts on September 1st, so the state is operating under the 2012-2013 biennium budget now.

 

[Ravi]

As the libtards will promptly ignore the link...

An opinion posted at the non-credible Red State is a little hard to swallow.

Check out the links HERE and HERE, above. They discuss the source of the numbers used.

I did. In the second link he was already back tracking.

I'll wait for a more credible source.

 

[tinydancer]

More at the link:

Netroots blame wrong people for Texas wildfire problems. | RedState

As the libtards will promptly ignore the link...

Very quickly, and to get this out of the way: the Online Left is babbling about supposedly-cut Texas firefighting budgets, mostly because they lack the research skills – or possibly, the native intelligence – to tell the difference between a $109 million Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting budget in 2010/2011, and a $196 million Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting budget for 2012/2013 (the 2012 fiscal year started at the beginning of this month). Fortunately, Battleswarm Blog can both think and do research – as seen here and here – which means that I don’t have to do any of the heavy lifting this time. Bottom line: never, ever stop just because you got the answer that you wanted.

And in that special legislative session, two separate bills were passed which increased forest service/wildfire fighting and prevention funding: SB2, which added an additional $40 million to the forest service for FY 2012 specifically to fight wildfires (with any rollover, of which I’m pretty sure there will be none, to be carried into 2013), and HD4, which allocated an additional $81 million for fighting wildfires in the 2012-2013 biennium. (This is most likely where A&M got the $81 million figure for.) All those bills (and thus the funding increase) were passed and in the books months before the FY2012 budget started on September 1.

So, in summary:
Total 2010-2011 Biennium Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting Budget: $109 million.
Total 2012-2013 Biennium Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting Budget: $196.2 million.

So the Texas legislature authorized, and Governor Rick Perry signed, an 80% increase in wildfire fighting and prevention funding for the 2012-2013 biennium. Not quite double the amount I had in my original post, but pretty close.

This is what I get for skimming and not reading who your link was. That'll learn me.

Here I thought I found ground shaking and breaking news. My excuse is 100 degrees and Miracle Growing tomato plants whilst posting on breaks.

 

[Zona]

If they are "volunteers", doesn't that mean they don't need to be paid?

Sounds to me like they cut a department that wasn't working terribly well.

Where did the OP mention ANYTHING about pay? It says that their budgets were cut and now have to pay for their own equipment and supplies. Volunteer FDs need training too. Hard to do that without any money.

Sorry Joe, you can't spin this as a positive for your guy.


I think it's just that god hates republicans. Remember Bobby Jindahl talking about how we don't need to fund volcano monitoring...and then a volcano erupted like days later?

Or one after the fact. Ron Paul saying Fema should not exist as they are helping out Irene victims. How does that make sense?

 

[tinydancer]

An opinion posted at the non-credible Red State is a little hard to swallow.

Check out the links HERE and HERE, above. They discuss the source of the numbers used.

I did. In the second link he was already back tracking.

I'll wait for a more credible source.

I'll be thrilled when we can find out the real deal. My eyes are starting to glaze over.

I'll be pissed off at any legislature anywhere any side of the aisle whoever might drastically cut an essential service like firefighting.

But I'd sure as hell like to know what the real numbers are here.

 

[Conservative]

An opinion posted at the non-credible Red State is a little hard to swallow.

Check out the links HERE and HERE, above. They discuss the source of the numbers used.

I did. In the second link he was already back tracking.

I'll wait for a more credible source.

Come on Ravi, read that second link. It includes the actual numbers, from government links and sources. Those aren't credible enough?

And in that special legislative session, two separate bills were passed which increased forest service/wildfire fighting and prevention funding: SB2, which added an additional $40 million to the forest service for FY 2012 specifically to fight wildfires (with any rollover, of which I’m pretty sure there will be none, to be carried into 2013), and HD4, which allocated an additional $81 million for fighting wildfires in the 2012-2013 biennium. (This is most likely where A&M got the $81 million figure for.) All those bills (and thus the funding increase) were passed and in the books months before the FY2012 budget started on September 1.

So, in summary:
Total 2010-2011 Biennium Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting Budget: $109 million.
Total 2012-2013 Biennium Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting Budget: $196.2 million.

So the Texas legislature authorized, and Governor Rick Perry signed, an 80% increase in wildfire fighting and prevention funding for the 2012-2013 biennium. Not quite double the amount I had in my original post, but pretty close.

 

[tinydancer]

Check out the links HERE and HERE, above. They discuss the source of the numbers used.

I did. In the second link he was already back tracking.

I'll wait for a more credible source.

Come on Ravi, read that second link. It includes the actual numbers, from government links and sources. Those aren't credible enough?

And in that special legislative session, two separate bills were passed which increased forest service/wildfire fighting and prevention funding: SB2, which added an additional $40 million to the forest service for FY 2012 specifically to fight wildfires (with any rollover, of which I’m pretty sure there will be none, to be carried into 2013), and HD4, which allocated an additional $81 million for fighting wildfires in the 2012-2013 biennium. (This is most likely where A&M got the $81 million figure for.) All those bills (and thus the funding increase) were passed and in the books months before the FY2012 budget started on September 1.

So, in summary:
Total 2010-2011 Biennium Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting Budget: $109 million.
Total 2012-2013 Biennium Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting Budget: $196.2 million.

So the Texas legislature authorized, and Governor Rick Perry signed, an 80% increase in wildfire fighting and prevention funding for the 2012-2013 biennium. Not quite double the amount I had in my original post, but pretty close.

So am I reading this correctly then (I'm fried bear with me)?

What we actually have without a word of a lie an increase in the budget of over 87 million and all of this has been bullshit?

If this is true, whoever started this bullshit needs to eat a knuckle sandwich.

 

[Conservative]

I did. In the second link he was already back tracking.

I'll wait for a more credible source.

Come on Ravi, read that second link. It includes the actual numbers, from government links and sources. Those aren't credible enough?

And in that special legislative session, two separate bills were passed which increased forest service/wildfire fighting and prevention funding: SB2, which added an additional $40 million to the forest service for FY 2012 specifically to fight wildfires (with any rollover, of which I’m pretty sure there will be none, to be carried into 2013), and HD4, which allocated an additional $81 million for fighting wildfires in the 2012-2013 biennium. (This is most likely where A&M got the $81 million figure for.) All those bills (and thus the funding increase) were passed and in the books months before the FY2012 budget started on September 1.

So, in summary:
Total 2010-2011 Biennium Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting Budget: $109 million.
Total 2012-2013 Biennium Forest Service/Wildfire Fighting Budget: $196.2 million.

So the Texas legislature authorized, and Governor Rick Perry signed, an 80% increase in wildfire fighting and prevention funding for the 2012-2013 biennium. Not quite double the amount I had in my original post, but pretty close.

So am I reading this correctly then (I'm fried bear with me)?

What we actually have without a word of a lie an increase in the budget of over 87 million and all of this has been bullshit?

If this is true, whoever started this bullshit needs to eat a knuckle sandwich.

It's ok though, because Perry is evil and Obama will save us all...

 

[tinydancer]

Come on Ravi, read that second link. It includes the actual numbers, from government links and sources. Those aren't credible enough?

So am I reading this correctly then (I'm fried bear with me)?

What we actually have without a word of a lie an increase in the budget of over 87 million and all of this has been bullshit?

If this is true, whoever started this bullshit needs to eat a knuckle sandwich.

It's ok though, because Perry is evil and Obama will save us all...

So they say lol.

I was listening to Ed Schultz today (he comes on in between Rush and Levin out of this station in Fargo) and Schultz was actually praising Perry's performance saying he had more balls than Obama.

I almost fell into the tomato patch. I couldn't believe my ears. But there Schultz was praising the heck out of him for having the testicular fortitude to stick to his guns.

We do keep forgetting that off of the message boards (where there are so many Obamabots), there are real people out in the world who are really pissed off at Mr. Hope and Change.

 

[LAfrique]

Rick Perry in an effort to balance Texas financial crisis (which most republicans never admitted existed), cut-down several programs and almost all to the needy. The Social Security offices in Houston are flooded by desperate Texans seeking available benefits and the Texas WorkForce Solutions is packed with tired job seekers.

 

[auditor0007]

In Rick Perry's Texas, Firefighters Forced To Pay For Gear, Engine Fuel

WASHINGTON -- In Texas, firefighters aren't just battling the wild fires raging around Austin and Houston. The state's first responders have also had to deal with budget cuts affecting everything from fuel purchases to hoses and oxygen tanks.

In some cases, fire officials say, firefighters have had to pay out of pocket for basic necessities like proper protective gear and fuel to get them to the scene. One fire department that battled the blazes in Bastrop County had to pay for a hose, recalled Bastrop City Fire Chief Henry Perry, speaking to The Huffington Post during a break from working the wild fires.

"That fire department has been on this fire every day," he said. "Before this fire, they were having to buy stuff out of their own pocket." Perry said he knows of at least one other department whose firemen had to pay for equipment maintenance and engine fuel.

In Rick Perry's Texas, Firefighters Forced To Pay For Gear, Engine Fuel

These are the unintended consequences of making drastic cuts to government. The good thing is that the cuts remove a lot of wasteful spending.

 

[Lovebears65]

Here were we live they can not afford to hire any more firefighters so they are using non violent prisoners to fight the fires.

 

[uscitizen]

What does this stupid ass OP have to do with Governor Perry ??

Ohh about the same amount as things the congress does being blamed on Obama.