I don't necessarily agree with Randel, but I do love how so many chickenhawks panic at what he advocates.

My problem with FEMA is the same problem I have many Federal Programs. The best people suited to deal with any disasters are the local governments.  They have the people in place who understand the problem best.  These people also have the proper motivation in place because they and their families are directly affected by what ever disaster they are facing.  

During his last year in office Reagan never got higher polls than 57%. Kinda low. Better than Bush but not better than Clinton in his final year. You can't really judge his last year by one poll in January of 1989.

Reagan's Ratings
`Great Communicator's' Appeal Is Greater in Retrospect

Analysis
By Gary Langer
June 7, 2004-- Ronald Reagan is misremembered as one of the most popular presidents, an assessment based more on his skills as a communicator and effectiveness as a campaigner than on public views of his accomplishments while in office.  
His job approval ratings, in fact, were mid-tier. Across his tenure an average of 57 percent of Americans approved of Reagan's work as president, tied with Bill Clinton and within a point of Lyndon Johnson. Among postwar presidents, John F. Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush all ran better averages, and George W. Bush has averaged better to date, despite his current slump.

Reagan has done far better in retrospect, as can happen as ex-presidents recede from the fray of day-to-day politics. Asked to think back to when he served, 66 percent in an ABC News/Washington Post poll in 2001 approved of his work, as did still more, 73 percent, in a 2002 Gallup poll. (Jimmy Carter's retrospective rating did the same thing, rising 20 points in the two decades after he left office.)

Reagan's personal ratings also have improved with time. During his presidency an average of 61 percent of Americans reported an overall favorable impression of him, about the same as the career favorable rating for his successor, the first President Bush (63 percent). By 2001, though, more -- 69 percent -- viewed Reagan favorably.

Events
Reagan's ratings while in office rose and fell sharply with events. Approval peaked at 73 percent after he was wounded in a March 1981 assassination attempt, but tumbled to 42 percent in the early '80s recessions (unemployment hit a 40-year high in 1982). It recovered to 70 percent in early 1986 as the economy improved, but then dived by 26 points in nine months during the Iran-Contra scandal.

While Reagan presided over what was characterized as a go-go economy in the second half of the 1980s, consumer confidence from that period pales compared to its level in the late 1990s -- one reason he was not insulated from Iran-Contra the way Clinton was protected (in terms of public opinion) from the Lewinsky scandal. Positive ratings of the economy never exceeded 50 percent (reached once) from December 1985 until the end of Reagan's term. In contrast, 71 percent rated the economy favorably, on average, during the Lewinsky days.

Like many presidents, Reagan inspired substantial polarization. The gender gap became evident in his presidency; he did seven or eight points better among men than among women in the 1980 and 1984 elections alike. And his ratings were sharply divided along political lines: At times ABC News polls found a 50-point gap between Republicans and Democrats in their ratings of Reagan's job performance, compared with a 30- or 35-point gap for his successor.

In an example of that polarization, in a poll in the late '90s, Reagan tied for first as "the best president in your lifetime," cited by 23 percent. But he also tied for second, behind Richard Nixon, as the worst president, chosen by 17 percent.

Best President In Your Lifetime: 9/15/98     Best             Worst  
Reagan       23  Nixon  23  
Clinton      22  Reagan  17
Kennedy      14  Clinton  16

Reagan's reputation for popularity probably rests in part on his landslide victories, boosted by the "Reagan Democrats" who rallied to his side -- in ABC News exit polls, he won a quarter of Democratic voters in 1980 and 1984 alike. In addition to his legendary campaigning skills, it helped that the two least-popular periods of his presidency -- the recession and the Iran-Contra scandal -- didn't coincide with either election. (Running during the hangover from the 1990-91 recession didn't work for the first President Bush, despite his comparatively high average approval rating.)

He also left office on a fairly high economic note, with 42 percent of Americans saying they were better off than when he began. But there were sharp differences in views of which groups benefited: Seventy-two percent said he'd made wealthy Americans better off, but just 26 percent said he'd benefited the middle class financially, and a majority of Americans said the poor had gotten worse off.

His valedictory approval rating was a high 64 percent, a point shy of Clinton's. And 63 percent said they expected history to remember Reagan as an "above average" or "outstanding" president. But such assessments seem to have been informed more by his personal charisma rather than by specific accomplishments. While optimism rose during his presidency as the economy improved, across his two terms an average of just 44 percent of Americans described themselves as satisfied with the country's direction -- no more than the long-term average (45 percent) in Gallup polls from 1979 to present.

In a poll by The Associated Press in November 1988, majorities rated Reagan positively for handling just three of 11 issues tested -- relations with the Soviet Union, defense and other foreign affairs. There was an even split on the economy, plurality disapproval on his appointment of judges, and majority disapproval of his work on civil rights, education, ethics, housing, welfare, and the deficit (peaking at 82 percent disapproval on the latter).

More personally, in a 1987 survey half of Americans saw Reagan as "out of touch with what is going on in the government." And in the end-of-career AP poll his strongest ratings were for charisma (77 percent positive), his ability to communicate (74 percent) and leadership (60 percent). Only 45 percent rated Reagan positively for his "judgment as president."

Presidents: Average Job Approval  
           Approve  Disapprove
Kennedy     70 percent 17 percent
Eisenhower  65 percent 21 percent
G.W. Bush   65 percent 32 percent (to date)
G.H.W. Bush 63 percent 33 percent
Reagan      57 percent 39 percent
Clinton     57 percent 39 percent  
Johnson     56 percent 31 percent  
Nixon       49 percent 38 percent  
Ford        49 percent 38 percent  
Truman      47 percent 39 percent  
Carter      46 percent 39 percent  

(Pre-Reagan polls by Gallup)

But fundamentally, public assessments of Reagan seem to have been informed more by his personal charisma than by specific accomplishments. Optimism rose during his presidency as the economy improved. Still, across his two terms an average of 44 percent of Americans described themselves as satisfied with the country's direction -- no more than the long-term average (45 percent) in Gallup polls from 1979 to present.

In a 1987 survey, half of Americans saw Reagan as "out of touch with what is going on in the government." And in an end-of-career poll by The Associated Press, his strongest ratings were for charisma (77 percent positive), his ability to communicate (74 percent) and leadership (60 percent). Only 45 percent rated Reagan positively for his "judgment as president."

Reagan: Annual Job Approval  
 Average High Low  
1981  62  73 52  
1982  49  52 46
1983  53  63 42
1984  57  59 54
1985  63  68 54
1986  63  70 49
1987  51  58 44
1988  55  57 50

But I do agree with the rest of your comment, mostly.