-  Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:20 am
					 #18479
						        
										
										
					
					
							Isn't it great that Congress voted for $50 billion in relief for the Hurricane Sandy victims; three months after the disaster happened.  BTW...Russia sent two military cargo planes to JFK airport, about a week after Sandy hit, loaded with 40 tons of blankets and other urgently needed items.  
I wonder just what is in the Sandy Bill? As Paul Harvey used to say, "Now for the rest of the story."
1. Congressional Budget Office has estimated that at least half the funds will be disbursed after 2015—not exactly time-sensitive, emergency spending.
2. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R–NH) summed it up well: “f a main goal of the Sandy relief legislation that passed the Senate was to quickly get resources into the hands of those who need it most, the final product fell short.”
3. The act includes billions for “future” disaster mitigation projects and for repair or replacement of federal “assets” in such agencies as the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and Justice; the Social Security Administration; and the Smithsonian. (And here I thought the Smithsonian was in Washington not New York.)
4. It also includes money to improve weather forecasting and research at a host of agencies.
5. Not only does this act add to the deficit, but it is also reflects another symptom of government growth: over-federalization of natural disasters. In less than two years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued a stunning 353 disaster declarations—despite the absence of major hurricanes or earthquakes (except Hurricanes Irene and Sandy). This high operational tempo keeps FEMA in a perpetual response mode, leaving little time and few resources to prepare to handle a real catastrophic disaster, such as Hurricane Sandy.
6. $17 billion for wasteful Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), a program that has become notorious for its use as a backdoor earmark program.
7. After protests from Congress members from the Northeast, including some Republicans, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) split the bill into one that provided $9.7 billion for flood insurance reimbursement and $50.5 billion for other needs. The first bill was passed into law earlier this month.
8. $58.8 million for forest restoration on private land.
9, $10.78 billion for public transportation, most of which is allocated to future construction and improvements, not disaster relief.
					
										
					  															  					                I wonder just what is in the Sandy Bill? As Paul Harvey used to say, "Now for the rest of the story."
1. Congressional Budget Office has estimated that at least half the funds will be disbursed after 2015—not exactly time-sensitive, emergency spending.
2. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R–NH) summed it up well: “f a main goal of the Sandy relief legislation that passed the Senate was to quickly get resources into the hands of those who need it most, the final product fell short.”
3. The act includes billions for “future” disaster mitigation projects and for repair or replacement of federal “assets” in such agencies as the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and Justice; the Social Security Administration; and the Smithsonian. (And here I thought the Smithsonian was in Washington not New York.)
4. It also includes money to improve weather forecasting and research at a host of agencies.
5. Not only does this act add to the deficit, but it is also reflects another symptom of government growth: over-federalization of natural disasters. In less than two years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued a stunning 353 disaster declarations—despite the absence of major hurricanes or earthquakes (except Hurricanes Irene and Sandy). This high operational tempo keeps FEMA in a perpetual response mode, leaving little time and few resources to prepare to handle a real catastrophic disaster, such as Hurricane Sandy.
6. $17 billion for wasteful Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), a program that has become notorious for its use as a backdoor earmark program.
7. After protests from Congress members from the Northeast, including some Republicans, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) split the bill into one that provided $9.7 billion for flood insurance reimbursement and $50.5 billion for other needs. The first bill was passed into law earlier this month.
8. $58.8 million for forest restoration on private land.
9, $10.78 billion for public transportation, most of which is allocated to future construction and improvements, not disaster relief.
