Everyone likes to bash Congress these days, and I think with good reason. They can’t seem to pull their heads out of their respective asses for even a brief moment to do something right.
As we all know, Hurricane Irene made a pretty big mess of the Northeast last week. Now, I am no particular fan of the Northeast, so don’t think I’m one of those born and raised Yorkies that think the sun rises and sets on New York City (though I supposed it does, just like everywhere else).
What is important is that this storm caused historic problems. In Vermont, the emergency preparedness folks had to evacuate their emergency center mid-storm because of flooding.
FEMA, of course, is down to only about only $800 million because Congress won’t give them any more money because Representative Cantor and his cronies want something to be cut first.
First, let’s look at the facts here. FEMA isn’t a picnic. It is like any other government bureaucracy. People like to still blame them for Katrina and the whole New Orleans mess. The fact of the matter is, Louisiana screwed up and FEMA had to step in and become the primary responder. They’re not really set up for that. They are there to support state efforts, not lead them.
How do I know this? I live in what is arguably the most prepared state in the country. Every couple years a nasty hurricane likes to roll through Florida, sometimes several in a single year. The state’s emergency plan isn’t just a plan; it’s been put through its paces. I still remember the time I went to Epcot two days before one storm and there were several hundred power trucks from five other states parked there as one of the staging areas, waiting for it to hit so they can fix the power.
FEMA plays a supporting role here. Just like they’re supposed to. It’s what they are trying to do in the Northeast while still trying to help the folks of Joplin, Missouri and other Midwest areas hit by tornadoes, rebuild.
And there is Eric Cantor and his minions, punishing average Americans who were hit by a natural disaster. Now, excuse me for thinking this, but isn’t this really the sort of thing our government should be doing? If your homes or businesses are severely damaged or wiped out, who gets hurt by this? Oh yeah, the economy. Since Representative Cantor hasn’t had to have a real job in something like ever, perhaps I should explain how this works.
You see Eric, old buddy, if my business loses power, I lose money. If I lose the roof, I lose all my inventory, computer systems and equipment. If that happens, I can’t have people come in to use them. So they become unemployed. The longer it takes for me to get some freakin’ disaster relief and a bridge loan, the longer it takes to put people back to work so they can pay their damned taxes. Yes, Eric, that’s how the economy works… idiot!!!
So, let’s review. The tea partiers, led by Representative Cantor (never trust a guy with “Can’t” in his name by the way), aren’t going to approve any money to help Americans ravaged by a natural disaster they had no control over until further cuts are made to the budget, because hey, while we’re suffering here, let’s engage in even more political shenanigans.
While I could ask Representative Can’tor to give up his paycheck to help others, I know he and his little power hungry, high-fiving white guys won’t do such a crazy thing.
So, let’s look at our budget. Did you know that the F-35 Raptor program is costing us $382 billion for a plane that isn’t even in service yet? The expected cost per aircraft has soared from $67 million each to $156 million each. It is the most expensive program in our defense department’s history.
What do we get for it? 2,443 planes (because they can never seem to order an even number) that won’t even enter service until 2016, by which time they will be a 10 year old design and totally obsolete.
Why do we need them? We don’t. The government cancelled the cheaper F-18 because of shiny new toy syndrome. We will end up with 1,000 more latest technology fighters than any other country in the world. It’s estimated that we will have 20 more times the fighters of China and 15 more times that of Russia. Now, do we really need all these fighters? Really? Is Dick “There’s a Commie in Every Corner” Cheney still running things there?
Before I get bashed here, let me say that I am a big defense hawk and have been since I was a child. I believe in defending our country, but I don’t believe in wasting money on boondoggles like the one-size-fits-all F-35. It is a cash cow for defense contractors and costs will continue to spiral out of control on it.
So, here’s my solution. Let’s cancel this piece of crap right now and save some money today. Let’s start up the F-18s again, we’ve already tested them out in the Middle East. They seem to work fine when beating up a bunch of guys riding camels. Even if we have to restart production we should save at least $100 billion.
Let’s give some of that to FEMA, say $25 billion for a really nice rainy day fund disaster-wise, and pocket the rest so we can pay down our debt ever so slightly. Or we could really get whacky and put some of this money (even though I know we don’t have it in the real sense) towards retraining Americans to do 21st century jobs instead of their long gone and never returning 20th century jobs.
That will fix two disasters in one. A natural one in the Northeast and a national one that has taken away our dignity and self-respect.
Oh, and why we’re at it let’s solve another disaster next year by kicking everyone in Congress out of office for playing these games. I don’t fear hurricanes. But I do fear political windbags, especially those who refuse to come to our aid in our hour of need.
And Representative Can’tor speaking of big blowhards… Hurricane Andrew doesn’t hold a candle to you, jackass.
Out on the Treasure Coast, knowing that Congress isn’t going to do anything to help me, my family and business in a disaster, whatever its origins,
– Robb