Just sent to my political address book:

[flamin lib]

Lessons in false economy.

I have spent the last 48 hours watching CNN and MSNBC with tears in my eyes. The scope of the disaster along the gulf coast is beyond comprehension. Deaths will be in the hundreds if not thousands before it is all over including those who will die of disease and infection.

Mississippi is "borrowing" National Guard troops from neighboring states. Seems like too many Mississippi guardsmen are in Iraq to meet the needs of disaster relief at home. Louisiana is doing the same, only they have to borrow vehicles as well. Seems all the high water vehicles they have are in Iraq. Hmmm, high water vehicles in a desert . . .

From elsewhere in the "How stupid are you?" file: CNN's Miles O'Brian asked a disaster relief official "What are people to do? How do they let you know they need help?" She gave out their toll free phone number to file a claim. "But you understand, these people have no phones, they're on their roofs...how do they get help now?" The woman's response was, seriously now -- "We've also set up a web site where they can file a claim . . ." In all honesty, I don't think the woman was really that stupid or uncaring but she is faced with a disaster that she is powerless to do anything about. What else could she say, "Sorry, they're just SOL,"?

Speaking of stupid, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is under a hiring freeze. The first one in ten years. Money is so short that they canceled the annual picnic this year. Seems that since 2001 the Republican controlled Congress has cut key federal disaster mitigation programs developed over many years. FEMA's Project Impact, a model mitigation program created by the Clinton administration, has been canceled outright. Federal funding of post-disaster mitigation efforts designed to protect people and property from the next disaster has been cut in half and now communities across the country must compete for pre-disaster mitigation dollars. So now Louisiana and Florida have to compete with Montana for disaster funds. Gotta' get that pork to the home states, ya' know.

It isn't over yet. In fiscal year 2006, New Orleans is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal funding. It will be the largest single-year funding loss ever for the New Orleans district. The cuts mean major hurricane and flood protection projects will not be awarded to local engineering firms. Also, a study to determine ways to protect the region from a Category 5 hurricane was shelved earlier this year. Go figure.

So how big is the budget for the Corps of Engineers in New Orleans? Now it's $272 million down from $343 million. Don Young (R Alaska) spent that much on a bridge to nowhere named Don Young's Way and that much more to connect a village with 50 inhabitants to the mainland.

So why are these programs being cut? Well, we had to make sure that Exxon/Mobile/Texaco et al got a $2.7 Billion tax cut in a year that Exxon made $7.2 Billion in profits on ONE QUARTER. Tom DeLay (R Texas) had to send $1.5 Billion to a single firm in his home district in Houston. And of course we must make sure that Paris Hilton will inherit her parent's wealth tax free. Seventy percent of the budget deficit is directly related to tax cuts, not 9/11 or the War in Iraq (the war is "off budget" so it doesn't even show up in the deficit).

The real embarrassment is that the disaster money is going to be spent anyway, and many times over not to mention the loss of life, health and emotional distress. It's just like the failed health care system we have--we're paying for universal health care but not getting it. Costs of prevention and maintenance are a fraction of emergency room care, but we refuse to treat the indigent until they arrive at the emergency room. We don't spend $ Millions to reinforce levies in New Orleans or build breakwaters in Mississippi so we get to spend $ Billions repairing the damage. And they still don't have the levies and breakwaters for the next hurricane!

God save me from Republicans and their @%#$ tax cuts.

[Horse with no Name]

1. Nominated.

Very good.:thumbsup:

[Orion The Hunter]

2. Nominated!

Brilliant post!

[Nikki Stone 1]

3. kick

:kick:

[shaniqua6392]

4. Nominated!

Brilliant writing that everyone should see. Thank you.

[tech3149]

5. Great one

Mind if I steal it?

[flamin lib]

7. Absolutely! Use it as you like.

My goal in life is to have one of my own emails forwarded to me by a stranger!

[Ravenseye]

6. See my post on High Water Vehicles

This is the post that set me off. Generally a great post, but you almost lost me when you said "Seems all the high water vehicles they have are in Iraq. Hmmm, high water vehicles in a desert . . ."

Iraq isn't only desert. There are plenty of marshes and almost massive seasonal flooding from the melting snow up north. The vehicles shouldn't have been there, but not because Iraq is just a desert...because it's not.

[flamin lib]

8. I'm aware of the rivers and marshes in Iraq. However there isn't a

lot of military activity going on there. The last of the LA high water vehicles I saw blown up by an IED was on a dusty road outside of Baghdad.

Point is that local guard posts are "customized" to local needs. LA now has a LOT of local needs and the resources, including helicopters for rooftop rescues as well as high water vehicles, are elsewhere.

And yeah, I read your post.

edited spelling

[Ravenseye]

10. Then that's different than what you said

Your post implied that it was absurd that high water vehicles would be needed in Iraq because it's a desert, which it clearly isn't solely. I have no argument with them not being used correctly over there. I have no argument with saying they shouldn't be there at all.

One point is that when you say things like you did you'll turn people off the whole message. They'll read that and say 'This guy is ignorant' and just turn off everything else you say no matter how right it is. If you say one thing that is obviously ignorant many people won't read the remainder of the message.

[novak goes postal]

9. ABSOLUTELY GREAT

post about the disaster....

[Usrename]

11. Right on n/t