How to Fund My National Disaster Review Board

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Numerous times since Hurricane Sandy I've recommended the United States create a National Disaster Review Board (see here, here and here for just a few of the examples).

As a Reagan Conservative, it has pained me to recommend any expansion of the federal government. I've finally gotten it figured out. 

Let's fire all of the people associated with the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) and use the savings to create the National Disaster Review Board.

The whole EBS is predicated on making sure the broadcast media will get the President on the air in an emergency, local officials in an emergency and important weather information on the air. All of that is fine but, 
  • The networks didn't seem to have a problem with covering September 11 and getting the president on the air in that emergency -- for which EBS was not activated. 
  • We know presidents have misused their power for political reasons (bombing an aspirin factory when impeachment loomed). Do we really want stations automatically having to put the President on the air anytime the President wants?
  • There is plenty of weather coverage when the weather is genuinely dangerous. 
This whole thing is another inside-the-Beltway boondoggle who believe we can't take care of ourselves without their supervision.

Get rid of these bureaucrats so we can do something genuinely useful with those resources. And, when it comes to the National Disaster Review Board, the enabling legislation should have six-year sunset provision in case it is not producing the results we believe it will. 

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