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Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), while taking millions in federal cash to combat epic wildfires, is now accusing President Obama of being overly generous to the victims of the catastrophic tornadoes in Alabama and neighboring states.  Brad Johnson has the story.

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Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), while taking millions in federal cash to combat epic wildfires, is now accusing President Obama of being overly generous to the victims of the catastrophic tornadoes in Alabama and neighboring states. Perry, who has threatened to secede because of an “oppressive” federal government, is upset that the same government has not honored his request to declare an official state of emergency, but has done so for states like Alabama:

You have to ask, “Why are you taking care of Alabama and other states?” I know our letter didn’t get lost in the mail. There is a point in time where you say, “Hey, what’s going on here?”

Although a state of emergency has not been declared, a significant proportion of the cost of fighting the Texas wildfires is in fact being borne by the federal government Perry loves to scorn. Since February 27th, Texas has received 25 grants under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program, which provides a 75 percent federal cost share. Texas is also receiving direct firefighting support from “several federal agencies, including the National Park Service,” Reuters reports. Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Holly Huffman informed ThinkProgress that of the estimated $58.9 million in firefighting costs from November 2010 to May 1, 2011 that the service is responsible for, they expect to get reimbursed almost $18.5 million from FEMA.

Although the Texas wildfires — fueled by an historic drought that may become permanent in our warming world — are incredible in scope, with over two million acres burned in 252 of the state’s 254 counties, only 900 buildings have been destroyed and the loss of life has been limited to that of two volunteer firefighters.

The nature of the tornado disaster is very different. Over 300 people were killed in Alabama and six other states in hours by some of the strongest storms this nation has ever seen, crippling communities and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power. “Whole neighborhoods of brick homes were completely leveled,” and “bodies of the deceased were still lying in open view, with medical teams unable to reach them because of the staggering amount of debris.” The National Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Red Cross, and other service and disaster relief organizations (including for-profit disaster contractors) are engaged in the multi-billion-dollar recovery effort.

One would think that Perry would applaud the federal government for being responsible with our limited national budget, constrained by the Tea Party ideologues he supports, and using those precious resources for those Americans most in need of emergency assistance.

Tim Pawlenty is proud that, “Every one of us” running for president has flip-flopped on climate change.  Unsurprisingly, I suppose Pawlenty now defends the massive subsidies for Big Oil even in the face of their record profits.  Think Progress has the story:

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Summary of the Summary:  The world is using up its natural resources at an alarming rate, and this has caused a permanent shift in their value.  We all need to adjust our behavior to this new environment. It would help if we did it quickly.

That’s the conclusion of an important analysis by uber-hedge fund manager Jeremy Grantham, a self-described “die hard contrarian.”  He is one of the few leading financial figures who gets both peak oil and global warming

I’m going to repost his entire analysis below, which comprises the entire quarterly newsletter from the former Chairman and now Chief Investment Strategist of GMO Capital, which has more than $100 billion in assets under management.  This is a key piece of supporting analysis for the claim that the global economy is a Ponzi scheme.

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Clean-tech venture capital jumps 54% in first quarter 2011

Venture capitalists spent the first quarter of the year dousing the clean-tech industry with attention, giving more money to fewer companies and hiking investment 54%.

Green companies raised $1.1 billion in the first three months of 2011 compared to $743.3 million in the same period last year, according to Ernst & Young and data from DowJones Venture Source. The number of deals fell to 69 from 79.

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Lee Fang, in a Think Progress repost (with video).

On Friday, Politico hosted a star-studded Playbook Breakfast event with the Creative Coalition, an political advocacy organization for the entertainment industry. During the question and answer period, we asked actress Rosario Dawson about the Republican budget plan, which cuts the corporate tax rate and taxes for millionaires.

Dawson, who clarified that she is not a formal member of the Creative Coalition, curtly responded that “no,” celebrities do not need another tax cut. Dawson then followed up and noted that immigrants pay more in taxes than ExxonMobil:

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By Bill Becker.

Who should we blame for high gasoline prices?  The President? Oil companies? Price gougers? Protestors in the Arab Spring?  People who drive Hummers?

The answer to that question is one of the first serious issues of the 2011 presidential campaign.  (Sorry, Trump. Sorry, Birthers.)  It’s an issue that could – and should – become an oil war at home, politically speaking.

The issue is heating up because gas prices affect us all, whether we’re buying fuel, food or consumer goods. Rising gas prices threaten our recovery from the recession and our ability to put Americans back to work.

To anticipate how the price of oil might unfold as a campaign issue, we can look to California in 2006.

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