Hurricane Irene, currently a Category 3 slamming the Bahamas, is heading directly for the U.S. It is expected to make landfall in North Carolina on Saturday:
Airline flights and events were canceled or postponed in advance of Hurricane Irene, a dangerous storm that is expected to bring widespread damage, power outages and flooding from North Carolina to New England.A hurricane warning was issued Thursday for coastal North Carolina from Little River Inlet north to the Virginia border, including the Pamlico, Albemarle and Currituck sounds, the National Hurricane Center said.
At a time like this, of course, it is essential that government emergency services, particularly federal, be ready to help those areas that need relief. Think of the people who will need food and shelter, the infrastructure that will need to be repaired and possibly rebuilt, the devastation that may soon come.
Think back to Katrina. We learned a lot from that catastrophe, did we not?
Well, not all of us.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor didn't -- or at least doesn't seem to care.
Just as Republicans held the country hostage over the debt ceiling ("give us what we want, or else"), Cantor is now trying to do the same over disaster relief (some of which may be needed in his home state of Virginia, which is in Irene's path). As his spokesperson explained, "Eric has consistently said that additional funds for federal disaster relief ought to be offset with spending cuts."
It's one thing to demand offsets in theory, or even at the negotiating table, quite another to do so with a major hurricane bearing down, with a natural disaster possibly at hand. It would be like if a dying man desperately needed a blood transfusion but you refused to give him any unless he gave you his house and car. (Which is actually how health care works in the U.S., but let's not go there.)
This was Cantor's response to the earthquake that caused significant damage along the east coast, including in Virginia, it's his response to Irene, and it's his response to disaster relief generally. No money unless money is cut elsewhere. In other words: Give us what we want, or else. And you can be sure he won't agree to cuts to military spending. He just wants to cut programs he's ideologically opposed to -- relatively insignificant funding for, say, public broadcasting, or more significant funding for the poor and those who otherwise are vulnerable and need government help, like Social Security and Medicare.
Consider the message he's sending to the people along the east coast, in Irene's path. We'll help you but only if we can also weaken programs that help you. You get some disaster relief, but, otherwise, screw you. That's what this comes down to. (Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, has preemptively declared a state of emergency. Cantor apparently doesn't care.)
This is cruel and unusual. As Steve Benen provides perspective:
A while back, during a different debate, John Cole noted, "If these guys were comic book villains, no one would buy it because it's just too over the top." It's a sentiment that comes to mind all the time.Tom DeLay never went this far. No one has ever gone this far. U.S. officials have always put everything else aside when families and communities are hit and need a hand, but now, thanks to the new House Republican majority, those principles have been cast aside.
*****
We can obviously hope for the best when it comes to Hurricane Irene, but at this point, Republicans are apparently intent on literally adding insult to injury.
"Adding insult" is a nice way to put it. This is ugly ideological extremism operating as insensitivity to suffering, political hostage-taking with lives and livelihoods in the balance.
In 2011, it's the Republican way.
Cross-posted from The Reaction
Follow Michael J.W. Stickings on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mjwstickings
I have a feeling that some of his constituents were fine with his talking points when it was tornadoes in Missouri or Alabama, wildfires in Texas, etc... but now that both an earthquake and a hurricane affect his own district, I have a hunch any positive feelings his constituents may have towards him will be washed away in his confessed not giving a s**t.
Or at least we can hope that 2012 won't be kind to such a "great" guy.
The paralysis this brings prevents our nation from doing many necessary things. We are not competitive on a bunch of fronts. For example, our health care system is so expensive that manufacturers find other places to build things. Reform was necessary when Obama took this on. Instead of looking at this as a competitive issue vs other countries it became a politicized mess. I am not sure how Obama's health reform program is going to work out, but we need to bring the costs of health care under control. Instead of working constructively, the current group of Republicans characterized this effort in the most extreme language and, in essence, refused to participate.
Dems aren't blameless either. For example, if liberal politicians supported real campaign reforms they would have a chance of removing some of the corruption.....but that would be against their own self interest...That's just it, no one is willing to put the country and the American people first.
Fav'd and insighted. Already a big fan.
If the North Anna nuclear plant in Cantor's district had been damaged in Tuesday's earthquake, he wouldn't be relying on the state or the power company to clean up. He'd accuse the federal government of being too slow to help. It is no big secret that the GOP loves to rail against the very spending that they later make requests to obtain.
Republicans have made it loud and clear that they care little about the less fortunate. Their continued blatant display of a lack of humanity is reprehensible and cruel! Their ugly extremism is displayed before the public more and more every day!
I also think it is so disrespectful when republican governors secretly take the stimulus funds and other federal funds, use this money to stabilize finances in their states and then turn around and criticize President Obama and say he does not care about the people and jobs!!!!! The money given to states all across America helped save the jobs of hundreds of thousands of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and city and government workers. Obama allocate millions of dollars for every state in America.
Obama needs to broadcast this loud and clear during his upcoming election campaign!! He needs to explain loudly and clearly that hypocrites such as Rick Perry, who is going around bragging about the financial stability in his state, is ONLY because of the stimulus package Perry received from Washington and NOT because of Perry's governing skills!!!!
Obama is a man of class, intellect, and dignity!!! But he is not a weak man!!! How can he be with all of the discus sting rhetoric and mean spirited behavior he has had to enure from the new 2011 republicans and their hate mongering tea party group which is nothing but the KKK without the white sheets!
Only state monies could be allowed to pay back this debt to the Federal Government that they love to hate.
I can't see a heart or soul in them.