With W , I became convinced the federal govt was NOT on my side

Shortly after his sElection, there was deadly flooding in IA towns on the Mississippi. W denied federal aid.

Bill allocated federal govt relief to any natural disaster, even if it occurred outside the US. And this was an internal disaster.

I felt abandoned. At the time I was re-reading The King Years and remembering how the federal government often protected civil rights protestors against the hostility of the states.

NB: I realize there were problems with IA towns repeatedly rebuilding in danger areas despite severe warnings. And the federal govt didn't always respond quickly enough in civil rights incidents. And that the Reagan admin was not so good.

But W basically hit me over the head; he showed that his feds were NOT interested in helping people. That who is heading the federal govt makes a MAJOR difference in how the federal govt responds to people's needs.