Natural Disaster Money Grab

Regarding "Boehner blasted after withdrawing aid bill" (Thursday Page A5), it was not surprising that Democrats demonized Republican congressional leaders for delaying a vote on the $60 Billion Hurricane Sandy package.  What was surprising was the over-the-top comments of East Coast Republicans.  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie "accused the congressional leadership of his own party of 'duplicity' and 'selfishness' and called them 'irresponsible.'.  Among his milder criticisms, New York Rep Peter King called the delay "a knife in the back".

 

Left unmentioned in the article or by the East Coast politicians lining up for the latest multi-billion dollar payout were the reasons as to why the vote was delayed.  Even a cursory review shows that the bill is larded with pork, including $150 million for Alaska fisheries and billions for public transportation improvements having nothing to do with storm damage.  It also included $17 Billion for Community Development Block Grants, historically notorious not only as pork, but particularly unaccountable pork. 

Also unmentioned by Messrs King and Christie was the fact that Senate Democrats had presented this pork laden monstrosity to the House of Representatives only a few days prior, and were attempting to ram it through without serious scrutiny, just as they had the "fiscal cliff" bill, which included $41 of new taxes for every dollar of spending reductions.  Bottom line, Christie and King went "all in", trying to demagogue the whole $60 Billion through Congress, instead of settling for the $9 Billion needed this year. 

 

Calm deliberation will likely show that there is genuine need to spend considerably less than $60 Billion on Sandy.  Kudos to the politicians with the courage to do so, and a big Bronx Cheer for the Big Spenders who won't.

 

Pete Smith

Cypress

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Rejected pork
Regarding "Boehner blasted after withdrawing aid bill" (Page A5, Thursday), it was not surprising that Democrats demonized Republican congressional leaders for delaying a vote on the $60 billion Hurricane Sandy package. What was surprising was the over-the-top comments of East Coast Republicans, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

 

Left unmentioned by the East Coast politicians lining up for the latest multibillion-dollar payout were the reasons as to why the vote was delayed. The bill is larded with pork, including $150 million for Alaska fisheries and billions for public transportation improvements having nothing to do with storm damage. It also included $17 billion for Community Development Block Grants, historically notorious not only as pork, but particularly unaccountable pork.

Calm deliberation will likely show that there is genuine need to spend considerably less than $60 billion on Sandy.

Pete Smith, Cypress

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/letters/article/Letters-Pork-combat-cancer-odds-4168601.php