The United States saw the largest wildfire in New Mexico's history – but it didn't start out as an accident. These fires were actually set by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) supposedly to "reduce wildfire risk," but had the opposite effect.
Due to a combination of incompetence, neglect and ignorance, the "controlled" burn morphed into a catastrophic blaze that engulfed over 530 square miles of mostly privately-owned forests and meadows while destroying 432 homes as well.
After burning down the homes and land, the state is demanding that the victims pay for the damage themselves despite previously telling them that they would be given full support. When he visited the state in June, President Joe Biden said the federal government will be covering 100 percent of the cost, but this is no longer the case.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has so far granted $4.2 million to the 1,164 fire survivors, making the average payout to be $3,600. To those who lost their homes, this does not amount to anything.
A recent report from Reuters said that cost-sharing statutes on federal relief programs are preventing the victims from receiving the help they need. Instead of the promised 100 percent of the costs, the victims, some of whom see the government's actions as arson, were told that they are on the hook for 25 percent of the total cost, as per the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) guidelines.
The victims can't simply shell out thousands or millions of dollars that it will take to repair the damages caused by the government-initiated fires. Many can't afford to share at least 25 percent of costs on the USDA's Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP), which should offer relief, such as stabilization of burn areas prone to flash flooding, said New Mexico State Forester Laura McCarthy.
Residents may own large areas of land that had been passed down to them from 1800s Spanish-Mexican land grants while still working blue-collar jobs.
They were putting their hopes on a congressional bill that will fix the cost-sharing nonsense. However, given the extremely slow turning wheels, this could be months or years out.
It happened before and it will happen again
A victim, Leger Fernandez, told Reuters that he is going straight to the USDA to negotiate a waiver with the NRCS to drop the cost-sharing provision.
"The federal government burns your house down so they are responsible in my mind to pay 100 percent of the cost of rebuilding," Fernandez said.
Support cannot get to the 45-mile-long disaster area fast enough, as the blaze burned around acres of forests. (Related: Massive fracking fire breaks out in New Mexico oilfield, forcing families to evacuate homes.)
Hundreds of families are currently living in tents and campers next to the ashes of their homes, hoping that something changes. However, if history is any indicator, they would likely be waiting a long time.
There had been similar scenarios in the past years within the police state when SWAT teams destroyed homes of innocent people, then told them they were on the hook for the bill.
In 2020, Vicki Baker, a 75-year-old woman, was told she had to cover the $50,000 in damages to her home after the police blew it up when they were looking for a suspect. It took her two years to get her money back.
Harry Edson Browne, a libertarian writer, public speaker and the Libertarian Party's nominee for president in 1996 and 2000, made a statement that perfectly summed up the situation before he died.
"The government is good at one thing: It knows how to break your legs and then hand you a crutch and say, 'See, if it weren't for the government, you wouldn't be able to walk.'"
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Watch the video below for more information on the largest wildfire in New Mexico.
This video is from The Resistance 1776 channel on Brighteon.com.
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