Getty Images
Last year, congressional Republicans came up with an entirely new standard when it came to emergency disaster relief: Congress will consider helping struggling Americans and devastated communities, but only if Democrats accept comparable spending cuts.
It came as something of a shock. The same GOP lawmakers who saw no need to pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tax cuts for millionaires, or the Wall Street bailout said American communities struck by a natural disaster can get help, but only if the costs of the aid are offset elsewhere, penny for penny. It was a standard without precedent.
Any chance Republicans would be more compassionate going forward? Apparently not.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, signaling that Republicans may revive last year's battles over offsets to disaster aid relief, says he expects that any package to help Northeast states hit by the superstorm Sandy will have to including matching cuts in spending elsewhere in the federal budget.
"We always help communities during disasters," he said Wednesday after having met earlier in the day with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is pushing for quick passage of an aid package. "The difference you have got now is that it is going to have to be offset."
And why is "going to have to be offset"? Because Republicans say so.
Steve M. reminds us of the recent history: "Republicans, led by Eric Cantor, pulled this stunt in the spring of 2011, after a tornado cut through Joplin, Missouri, and then a couple of months later, after Hurricane Irene and an East Coast earthquake (which damaged Cantor's home state of Virginia). This was wildly unpopular, even with Virginia's Republican governor, but when has being unpopular ever prevented Republicans from posturing as obnoxious hard-asses?"
The White House is still crafting a disaster relief package to aid communities hard-hit by Sandy, and Congress does not yet know the expected price tag. Most estimates, however, point to an $80 billion aid package.
Leave a Comment:
It's about time the Republicans stop trying to sabatage the economy. New York is going to get rebuilt, and people are going to be employed doing it. Each time they open thier mouths, the Republicans lose moderate voters.
It's Like Charles Pierce says, with modern conservatives, nothing is ever over, and no agreement they make can be trusted. For them, "lyin' to lib'ruls" is the same thing as "lyin' for the lord" is for the Morons, er, I mean the Mormons.
Okay, what the frick?! This is simply heartless! It was a national disaster. People needed help, and they're going to hold this over the economy? The Republicans are monsters, I'm sorry. There's nothing honest or good about them. From refusal to acknowledge women as capable of making decisions, to their refusal to allow common decency to be given to LGBT persons.
How can anyone vote for these people?
Katherine, I so totally agree with you. From what I have heard from different people of this state, friends and unknowns, I just simply could not believe how very nearly evil in speech and in deed many of these republican people came. Normally kind and of good disposition for years until this election. Such language! Such venomous words toward Obama and without even a hint of respect for the presidential office! Even in church, God had to take a seat and wait his turn as (no names) red faced'angry republicans dragged politics where it absolutely did not belong. Kindness toward our fellow americans is up for barter and auction without a whisper of compassion for them while our president and his supporting party is doing their very best to help our citizens in need. I am not condemning All republicans, just the very ones who believe the human spirit can be sold and hopefully they know who they are so they can perhaps have a little Christmas spirit this season and truly think of someone else's need besides their own personal gain be it money or power. Thank GOD that Pres. Obama won!!!
I can hardly wait to hear what Governor Christie will have to say about this. Since New Jersey was hit very hard by the storm, and he doesn't seem to hold back when his ire is aroused, it should be very entertaining.
You read my mind. I will get the popcorn.
The fact that republicans continue to operate as if the election never happened, and they continue to think they actually represent the majority of Americans is mystifying. There has got to be some sort of psychological mechanism or syndrome at play here.
If republicans continue this intransigence regarding taxing and spending, they're going to become extinct as a political party (not that I'm complaining!).
If they were in a 12-step program (which they desperately need) it would be a case of "act as if..."
Close all the military bases in Georgia to pay the offset. Simple.
Hell . . . close Georgia!!
or maybe their highway funds...then there is always the next Farm Bill
How about we cut a bit more from the contracting budget of the Defense Department? Or maybe we can cut the welfare gifted to "red states"?
Once again, it is time to quote good old Assistant Traitor Alexander Stevens, Vice President of the Traitor States of America, in his "cornerstone speech" of April 1861, where he discusses "southernomics," which as you will see, is still around today in the form of "Republican fantasy economics":
"The question of building up class interests, or fostering one branch of industry to the prejudice of another under the exercise of the revenue power, which gave us so much trouble under the old constitution, is put at rest forever under the new. We allow the imposition of no duty with a view of giving advantage to one class of persons, in any trade or business, over those of another. All, under our system, stand upon the same broad principles of perfect equality. Honest labor and enterprise are left free and unrestricted in whatever pursuit they may be engaged....
"Again, the subject of internal improvements, under the power of Congress to regulate commerce, is put at rest under our system. The power, claimed by construction under the old constitution, was at least a doubtful one; it rested solely upon construction. We of the South, generally apart from considerations of constitutional principles, opposed its exercise upon grounds of its inexpediency and injustice. Notwithstanding this opposition, millions of money, from the common treasury had been drawn for such purposes. Our opposition sprang from no hostility to commerce, or to all necessary aids for facilitating it. With us it was simply a question upon whom the burden should fall. In Georgia, for instance, we have done as much for the cause of internal improvements as any other portion of the country, according to population and means. We have stretched out lines of railroads from the seaboard to the mountains; dug down the hills, and filled up the valleys at a cost of not less than $25,000,000. All this was done to open an outlet for our products of the interior, and those to the west of us, to reach the marts of the world. No State was in greater need of such facilities than Georgia, but we did not ask that these works should be made by appropriations out of the common treasury. The cost of the grading, the superstructure, and the equipment of our roads was borne by those who had entered into the enterprise...
"The true principle is to subject the commerce of every locality, to whatever burdens may be necessary to facilitate it. If Charleston harbor needs improvement, let the commerce of Charleston bear the burden. If the mouth of the Savannah river has to be cleared out, let the sea-going navigation which is benefited by it, bear the burden. So with the mouths of the Alabama and Mississippi river. Just as the products of the interior, our cotton, wheat, corn, and other articles, have to bear the necessary rates of freight over our railroads to reach the seas. This is again the broad principle of perfect equality and justice, and it is especially set forth and established in our new constitution...
"But not to be tedious in enumerating the numerous changes for the better, allow me to allude to one other though last, not least. The new constitution has put at rest, forever, all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institution African slavery as it exists amongst us the proper status of the negro in our form of civilization. This was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution."
That las uis for all the Southern morons who are forever prattling on that the War of Southern Treason "wasn't about slavery."
As you can see from reading old Alexander, the South never learns, and this is why it is right and proper to call the modern Republican Party the "Old Confederacy Party."
You're saying it's not the "War of Northern Agression?" Wha......?
There's a gigantic confederate flag flying near I-75 outside of Tampa; every time I see it I wish I could shoot a flaming arrow at it to properly dispose of it.
Making drowning people bargain for their lives?
Is this what we've come to?
.
It's not any different from their typical shtick. Privatization of social safety nets is what the GOP wants to do. If you don't have the money to pay for something you need (like FOOD) then that's just too bad.
Your house is burning down? Better have $100 to pay the firefighters.
@Rob, remember this is the party of the "family values" crowd. They believe in "life" as long as it's in the womb, once that "life" is born, it better have a trust fund attached to it's birth certificate!
It's just "the ways of the South". You'll notice that Cantor and Chambliss are both unreconstructed Confederate traitors.
Well, as Speaker Boner said, "There's a price for everything." (Well, except for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tax cuts for millionaires, giveaways to insurance companies, or the Wall Street bailout, etc., etc. ...)
The trouble with ignorance is that it picks up confidence as it goes along.
- Arnold H. Glasow
;-)
Time to turn the Republicans against themselves.
Lets see. States on the East Coast where disasters typically happen have ONE thing in common. They are primarily run by Republicans.
Want cuts? Make them to ALL the programs for the East Coast, Southern states.
I'm tired of the folks in Illinois having to subsidize Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia (not forgetting Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas).
They want to secede? Let them.
Illinois could easily pay for our tornadoes if we didn't have to keep paying for hurricanes.
Republicans - once again trying hard to prove to their voting constituency (as well as the rest of America and the world) they are the most arrogant, out of touch, heartless and ignorant political party ever known to recorded history.
This is the kind of stupidity that will easily give the House and the Senate back to the Democrats in 2014.
From your keyboard to the voters minds.
If only that were true. You really think GA is going to elect a Democratic Senator?
Georgia just might, Alabama - never! They're still nursing the Civil War loss!
No, but can you imagine them replacing Chambliss with Erick Erickson? <Shudder>
They're not "Republicans". They are "Southernists." When the Southern parasite was attached to the Democratic Party, they were content to practice their insanity in their tent revivals and down in their primitive country. The Republicans made the mistake of letting the Southernists take over, and now the parasite controls the host.
We should have done to these traitors what Rome did to Carthage, back when we had the chance.
The Republicans probably want "private enterprise" to pay for the damages. Where is Donald Trump's contribution for paying for repairs to Atlantic City? Where is Goldman Saks's contribution to repairs to New York City?
We need to pass the tax bill passed by the Senate and recommended by Obama, so that these millionaires and billionaires, many of whom live in these storm ravaged areas, would pay their fair share of the cost.
Of course the real repairs will be done by private companies. I think the power companies are private companies are they not.
Power companies are public utilities. Even if they too are squeezing US all to the best of their ability....
They are public utilities in that they are regulated by public utility commissions, usually state agencies. If they are co-ops, they are owned by their rate payers and not by private investors. If they are private companies, they are owned by stockholders. If a co-op makes money, they usually rebate the "profits" to the rate holders. If the private corporations make a profit, they pay dividends to the stock holders. I do not think any of these companies are owned by the government, i.e. the taxpayers.
Don't blame Trump - if only Obama had released his transcripts and applications he would have donated by now. /snark.
Bflynch,
Here in Sacramento, I get my electricity from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). We have a rate-payer elected board. We also have some of the lowest rates in California. Investor-owned utilities often put profits before service; that's why many people in the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) service areas adjacent to the SMUD service area would like to switch and get electricity from SMUD. I just wish we had a natural gas supplier similar to SMUD is for electricity. I get my natural gas service from PG&E (or as we have nicknamed it, Pacific Graft & Extortion). PG&E has had some serious problems with poor maintenance (e.g., the explosion in Burlingame a couple of years ago).
These people absolutely make me sick. A natural disaster occurs, and they use it as leverage in a purely political fight. I'm absolutely willing to play this game, but I don't think repubs will like the result. How about offsets to pay for Pentagon cost overruns? That new fighter jet is going to be $100 billion over budget? Ok, I want an offset....maybe by raising capital gains taxes or the inheritance tax? Maybe just raise marginal rates on the rich? That's exactly the equivalent of what repubs are doing, and you know good and well they would never go for it....it hurts the "job creators", doncha know? Well, not repairing all the damage caused by a natural disaster ALSO hurts those very same job creators. What's next, sending big bills to those whose homes and businesses roads and bridges were destroyed to reimburse the government for their generosity?
You'd think the GOP would've learned something on November 7th. Guess not. Either that, or Chambliss is trying to burnish his asshat cred prior to Erickson's primary challenge.
But if you find yourself in Atlantic City on Thursday evening, 12/6, go see see the Neil Young and Crazy Horse Sandy benefit at the Borgata. And take your earplugs!
There's a simple response - we'll take the offset dollars being demanded from the amounts that go to Red States. Since these states usually receive more from the Feds than they send in the form of taxes, they can't possibly object (unless they'd like to be more firmly identified as "takers".
Sentimental brutality describes the GOP approach to disaster relief. Compassionate conservatism is what they would have us believe. The hypocrisy and spin never ends.
"Sentimental brutality..."
That sounds too nice, really! Bruisers, bullies, spouse abusers, spiritually & morally bereft, G-dless heathens, traitors to US, prostitutes of the 2%, greedy, selfish, arrogant....
There, I feel better now....
This is easy, just find offsets in every Republican district. I am sure their voters would love to see their pet projects and services cut.
Elections have consequences.
Who in the hell is surprised by this? Seriously?
- Republicans demanded offsetting cuts for providing 9/11 first-responders medical care.
- Joplin tornadoes
- Virginia earthquake
- etc.
This is what the GOP is. God-loving, human-hating dickweeds. And besides, the Atlantic coast states didn't vote for Mitt Romney.
I wonder what this neo confederate would be saying if Savannah got a direct hit from a hurricane?
Rhetorical of course. Well, given that republicans have a knack at being the victims of extreme irony, I'd venture to say Savannah is due to get hit next year.
Maybe at the time of such irony, we all start believing in the Mitt Romney FEMA plan and also a healthy dose of "states rights" to take care of their own problems.
I like the idea of hitting the Republican congressmen/women where it hurts -- in their home districts.
Surely we could find enough government spending in the districts of those who speak the loudest for offsets. Surely we can . . .
I know it sounds like punishment, but think about it . . . oh, it is punishment. Okay --
Hmmmm....On second thought, let's not rebuild NJ, lower Manhattan, etc....
Step 1: Turn it all into conserved land, and repopulate it with the natural wildlife.
Step 2: Relocate all those blue state voters to red states.
Step 3: Wait for 2014.
Aiding constituents after a natural disaster is one of the fundamental reasons for government to exist. It figures that since the GOP doesn't believe in government by the people, for the people (i.e., our own government), that they would be against this. Their core beliefs have more to do with rule by corporations, in which the number of votes one has (i.e., stock), depends on how much money you've got.
Republicans are losing control of themselves. They look stupid, they talk stupid and they do stupid. How soon can they start doing what is right for this country rather than fight everything suggested. Get it together.
Tell them to pass the middleclass tax cuts now without negotiation and without delay. Don't hold the middleclass hostage to give the richest 2% anymore taxcuts that they don't need. Also, call your representatives.
Tell Boehner and McConnell what you want them to do and what you think of the job they have been doing, copy the links and post them everywhere.
http://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm
http://www.speaker.gov/Contact/
Don't you get it yet? The people of this country have to learn to pay their way even when disaster hits. The rich of this country have to be paid for letting the people learn this lesson.
You want jobs? Pay the rich "corporations are people, too" the welfare they don't need. You want more jobs? Give the rich "corporations are people, too" big tax cuts they don't need. You want entitlements you've paid into all your life? Let the people that pull the strings for the rich "corporations are people, too" decide whether or not to "let" you have your money.
And don't forget, they can start as many wars as they want to make their rich buddies running the "corporations are people, too" charge the government as much as they want without any offset and for services they never provided. And during that time also give their rich buddies running the "corporations are people, too" all kinds of tax cuts while removing all those silly restricting laws and regulations that are meant to keep them a little honest.
Then when the economy tanks again, they will allow the taxpayers to foot the bill so the CEOs of these same "corporations are people, too" get their bonuses and keep their jobs besides.
How about offsetting, penny for penny, what we pay into the defense budget? What, that would be nuts? We need to invest in the protection of the American people?
How about investing in the protection of the American people?
Americans can fend for themselves, because we need to protect them.
Temporarily transfer the military from the red states to help rebuild the storm damage. Just the loss of the revenue from these service personnel spending their paychecks near their bases would be a wake up call to these states. The military has a ton of material that could also be used to rebuild where it is needed. That money is already allocated.
These idiots keep opening their mouth and inserting their own stinking feet. Yeah... great plan.
Here is an idea... How about if we offset the cost by ending their job? Or, stick them in the middle of a super storm and float out to sea?
I know that is sheer fantasy. This congress has the worst record of getting anything done in modern history. Most Republicans have lost touch with reality.
My family is a strong mix of both Democrat and Republican. And, those Republican members of my family have switched sides in the last election.