Dubya Sure Knows About “Spirits,” Doesn’t He?

So President George W. Milhous Bush visited Lafayette, Tennessee as noted here to “raise the spirits” of area residents hardest hit from tornadoes that swept across that state, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama on Tuesday (as noted here).

And when it comes to trying to correct past mistakes…

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said the government has learned many lessons since Katrina, and is much better now at not only answering locals' needs in times of emergency, but anticipating them. FEMA assets were in the tornado-struck region as early as Tuesday night, he said.

“States and localities have also given a lot of thought to the issue over the years and have improved their response as well,” he said.

Well, that’s positive, but allow me to live up to my name again and dash all of this happy talk with the following bit of bad news, courtesy of Dubya’s utterly awful (and fortunately, last) proposed budget…

The Proposed Elimination and Reduction of Key Programs in the President’s Budget Compromises the Nation’s Capacity for Response, Resilience, and Recovery in the Wake of a National Catastrophe:

The budget includes a colossal $750 million (79%) cut to the State Homeland Security Grant Program.

The President’s budget cuts funding for the Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE) Grant program by nearly 50% and proposes eliminating the SAFER firefighter staffing program.

The President seeks to eliminate funding for the Metropolitan Medical Response System in FY 2009.

Congressional Democrats rebuffed efforts to eliminate this critical program last year, and funded MMRS at $41 million for FY 2008.

346 days and counting, people…