Holy Shit!!!! Please read this (just mentioned by Randi)

[CatWoman]

CASHING IN ON DISASTER

FEMA worker Mary Ann Carlisle left these "sample letters'' with the Medical Examiner in Polk County, hoping to persuade him to link a death to the hurricanes. The letters suggest wording from doctors to allow FEMA to approve funeral claims.


Hurricane Frances hit South Florida Labor Day weekend, 100 miles north of Miami-Dade County, but Sun-Sentinel reporters found that the federal government approved $28 million in storm claims there for new furniture and clothes and thousands of new televisions microwaves, refrigerators and other appliances. The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid for new cars, dental bills and a funeral even though the Medical Examiner recorded no deaths from Frances. In an ongoing series of reports, the newspaper also found FEMA inspectors were given only cursory training and attributed damage to tornadoes - there were none recorded in the county - and in six instances listed “ice/snow’’ as the cause. The reports have prompted calls for investigations by federal and state officials and the beginnings of an inquiry by the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security.

FEMA gave $21 million in Miami-Dade, where storms were 'like a severe thunderstorm'
The four hurricanes that pummeled the rest of Florida hardly brushed Miami-Dade County. Only Hurricane Frances was a factor there -- packing the punch of a bad thunderstorm.

Probe sought into questionable aid to Miami-Dade 'hurricane victims'
Three Florida members of Congress on Monday called for investigations into how the federal government awards disaster aid and why at least 9,800 Miami-Dade applicants have received more than $21 million in Hurricane Frances assistance even though the storm inflicted little damage in the county.

FEMA director says agency looking into Miami-Dade claims
As Hurricane Frances moved ashore over the Treasure Coast last month, the federal government declared Miami-Dade County a disaster area eligible for individual aid even though the storm's outer bands barely had touched the county.

Miami-Dade FEMA claims high in poor areas
HOMESTEAD -- The manager of a check-cashing store in this southern Miami-Dade city says he has cashed as many as 30 disaster relief checks a day for residents since Hurricane Frances hit Florida on Labor Day weekend.

State to pay $60 million share of hurricane aid
The state will pay more than $60 million as its share of federal hurricane assistance to Floridians but has no control over how the money is spent or who gets it.

MORE: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/sfl-femacoverage,0,6697347.storygallery?coll=sfla-news-utility

Chief coroner warns of more FEMA waste on funeral overpayments

Despite assurances from federal officials that they will change the way they award disaster funeral assistance, taxpayer money will likely still be wasted, Florida's chief medical examiner predicted Thursday.

After last year's hurricanes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency paid funeral expenses for more than 200 Floridians who died of cancer, AIDS, heart disease and other causes that had nothing to do with the storms, medical examiners found. FEMA announced a new policy last week tightening up some of its procedures but continues to allow family doctors to link deaths to a disaster.

"Nothing's changed," said Dr. Stephen Nelson, head of Florida's Medical Examiners Commission. "We'll be back to many more deaths than what we're counting as hurricane-related."

Meeting on Key Biscayne on Thursday, the commission announced preliminary results of its review of 306 of the 319 deaths resulting in FEMA payments. They found more than 200 cases that were not caused by the storms.As the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Wednesday, FEMA paid cremation expenses for a Charlotte County man who died of liver cirrhosis five months after Hurricane Charley and for a Palm Beach Gardens heart patient who left an estate worth $2 million.

MORE: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/sfl-fema12aug12,0,3244371.story?coll=sfla-news-utility

Letter to doctors instructing how to get FEMA cash

http://a1022.g.akamai.net/f/1022/8165/5m/images.sun-sentinel.com/media/acrobat/2005-04/17058878.pdf

[Ninga]

1. Sounds like FEMA bought and paid to deliver Fla. for Bushie.

[davidinalameda]

2. I thought that was common knowledge

he couldn't get down there fast enough last year to start handing out checks

[FlaGranny]

10. Handing out checks to people who didn't need them! n/t

[burythehatchet]

12. it is common knowledge

but now a crime has been committed that has led to mass death. A pattern of behavior will emerge.

[stevedeshazer]

3. Looting the FEDERAL TREASURY.

Why is that not treason? :grr:

[stillcool]

4. it's all they know how to do...

I can not think of one thing this administration has attempted to do, that did not benefit the haves, and the have-mores.

[annabanana]

5. It's one of the two things that this administration can do

The other is PR

Public Relations and looting the Treasury are the only two functioning branches of the administration.

[txaslftist]

6. Fema is the front for Puke bribes to Florida...

Noice.

[riverwalker]

7. FEMA: Florida Election Manipulation Association

"FEMA gave $21 million in Miami-Dade, where storms were 'like a severe thunderstorm' "

In other words, your tax dollars earmarked for disaster relief, like oh I dunno, like WATER FOR DYING CHILDREN, was spent on paying for resurfacing swimming pools for the friends of bush.

[donkeyotay]

13. Vote buying. How republican. It's time for impeachment.

Here's a letter to my representative:

I have finally found words to express some of the sorrow and anger at what was done - and left undone - for the people of New Orleans. While the hurricane was a natural disaster, subsequent events were not. Many died in New Orleans not from Katrina but from incompetence and negligence.

Clearly, FEMA is not the agency it was in past emergencies. I suspect an investigation will show that its takeover by Homeland Security slowed its response, and leaves us to wonder how well Homeland Security could deal with a terrorist attack. Despite the lack of competent response by the federal government, Mr. Bush is nonplussed. If he remains true to form, he will even promote Mr. Brown, as he has promoted so many in his administration who should have been reprimanded or fired.

Loyalty is no longer a virtue in the Republican Party; it has become a vice. While the Rovian spin emanating from the White House never slows – the latest slogan being “the blame game” – the lack of accountability in this administration is threatening the security of our nation. It is time for Republicans to stop blindly following this deeply flawed president and take steps to root out the decay under his leadership.

The disaster of New Orleans is not merely a talking point to be won; it is real suffering. But the White House responds with shameless propaganda, hoping the public will blame the weather and the mayor of New Orleans, not the commander in chief and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, now under the wing of Homeland Security. At the moment, neither agency appears to be living up to the promise of their names.

Investigation will show that President Bush has made political appointments to these agencies, even though the appointees have not always had prerequisite experience. They may have also brought a philosophy of wanting to shrink government and an unwillingness to see the good it can provide. If Grover Norquist wanted to shrink government until he could drown it in the bathtub, he may have gotten a bathtub big enough to fulfill his wish: a bathtub the size of New Orleans.

When Bush came to office he claimed his would be the CEO presidency. But this CEO has brought cronyism and corruption and should be fired. We are this CEO’s shareholders, and it is past time to hold the CEO/commander in chief accountable for the series of disasters that have befallen the citizens of this country under his management, while his corporate contributors grow fat at our expense. If we need to invade another country it should be the Cayman Islands; at least then we might discover what happened to our missing tax dollars.

We will never know the true cost of his inaction, but this catastrophe on top of the lack of accountability for Sept. 11th and the lack of accountability for misleading the nation into an unwinnable and immoral war leaves the nation calling out to its congress to now hold this administration accountable for yet another loss of American lives. We need real investigation – not another whitewash – and real accountability. It is time to remove this failed leader from office. President Bush should be impeached.

[WiseButAngrySara]

16. This letter is excellent...Thanks. Mine in the making........n/t

[donkeyotay]

19. Mine was inspired by this excellent letter

from me b zola - here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4670912

[donco6]

18. Great letter. Can I borrow some of the thoughts?

I wouldn't use it verbatim, but it expresses my feelings as well.

[donkeyotay]

22. Feel free to use it anyway you see fit

That's what I love about DU -it's citizen synergy.

[oasis]

8. Kick and recommended. Very important.

[CatWoman]

9. and these sorry fucks are worried about the NO poor

getting $2K!!

[proud patriot]

11. Why That's Fraud

:grr:

[Rainscents]

14. This is fucking sick! They're all criminals and should be charged!!!

:grr:

[tsuki]

15. If you get a chance watch Rep Ryan, Schultz & Meek on CSpan (if

they rerun it.) Lots of stuff like this. Schultz said 123 official deaths in FL from Hurricane, FEMA paid for 123. Overpayments like crazy. And they made the connection between Election Year and the bulging money sacks that FEMA carried around.

[WiseButAngrySara]

17. Kick and nominated!..........n/t

[cyberpj]

20. Nominated! On my way to work but PLEASE SEND THIS TO MEDIA!

Thanks for posting it.
I promise to send it out and about myself tomorrow!

[Done]

21. If your gonna get hit by a hurricane, make sure it's an election year

[oasis]

23. kick

[I_Make_Mistakes]

24. Wasn't there something on DU a few months ago that FEMA was

taking money back. I know it was here that I read that, whether it was truthful or not, I can not attest to.