Gov. Chris Christie: Atlantic City is on its own until at least 7AM tomorrow

[happyslug]

49. Does the Mayor have that Authority? In most Cities he does NOT.

Closing of the Schools is up to the School Board, or when it is not in session, the School Superintendent. Even if that would happen, it is still NOT enough buses to get the people without cars out of the City.

The Governor could have ordered the buses to get the people out, he could have ordered out the National Guard (Who has buses AND trucks) and sent them in to get as many people out as possible. The Governor did neither.

Yes, the National Guard have buses, to haul troops around to training sites when that is faster then having them go in riding in the back of Trucks. The National Guard also can pay the private contractors it hires to move troops around to go into Atlantic City to haul people out (Private buses are used to transport troops to training cites, a very common way to move Tank and Mechanized Infantry troops from their local armory to where the Tanks and Mechanized Infantry Fighting Vehicles are kept).

Yes I was in the National Guard and we often went by Private bus to where the tanks were kept, not only for our yearly two week drill, but for weekend drills when I was with an Mechanized Infantry unit. When I was a Towed Artillery unit attached to a conventional "leg" infantry division, we transported ourselves by truck and occasionally used National Guard owed buses (One of the members of the unit drove the bus). Thus these type of buses exist as while as trucks. The problem is the MAYOR can ask the GOVERNOR for assistance, but it is the GOVERNOR who can call out the National Guard.

I suspect the same problem that happened in Katrina, the Governor did NOT want to spend STATE revenue to call out the Guard, instead waited for the President to call them out for FEDERAL SERVICE. Remember if the Governor calls out the Guard, it is the STATE that has to pay them, if the Federal Government calls out the Guard, it is the Federal Government that pays the bills. The buses and trucks are probably standing in parking lots waiting around for someone to drive them. The Governor does NOT want to pay for the drivers and instead waiting for the Federal Government to do so.