Priorities

by: Adam L

Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 02:24:05 PM EDT

Hopefully, everyone is safe, with power back on if it was lost or all water bailed out (as I spent most of yesterday doing) or all tree branches picked up (as I still have to finish myself).

Before the storm hit, a number of Republicans in Congress felt the need to throw around some gasoline and wave a matchbook at their constituents:

House Republicans demanded earlier this year that new disaster relief be funded by cuts elsewhere, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office said Thursday the Virginia Republican continues to believe that.

Rep. Scott Garrett agreed. Garrett, R-N.J., said through a spokesman it was the "responsible thing to do."

"With $16 trillion in debt and budget deficits as far as the eye can see, the last thing we should be doing is spending money we don't have," Garrett spokesman Ben Veghte said.

Adam L :: Priorities

Two things come to mind here, which show just how callous and piggish Garrett, Cantor and their ilk are. First, when it came to extending tax cuts on the super rich or for unlimited funding to continue the follies in Iraq or Afghanistan - even when there was massive fraud and missing billions in Iraq - Garrett was all for increasing the deficit, the amount of debt and not funding any of this. Which, consequently, are the two items contributing around 80% of the very debt and deficit they rail about. But now, when it comes to disaster relief and getting people's power back on, their roads cleared (so they can go to work) or deal with flooding and trees that have or may come down, it is back to the Republican version of "the ownership society" (as in "you're on your own").

More importantly, while running up all that debt for the super rich (both in tax cuts and fraud filled government contracts in Iraq), House Republicans like Cantor and Garrett recently voted to drastically cut funding for FEMA's disaster relief earlier this year:

With the cuts, FEMA state and local programs would be reduced by 55 percent compared to levels for fiscal 2011, and by 70 percent compared to fiscal 2010.

Some may call the Republicans the "Party of No" or the "Party of Me". It also seems like they can more appropriately be called the "Party of F-You".

Tags: Hurricane Irene, Scott Garrett, FEMA, republicans, featured, Eric Cantor, Iraq, relief, (All Tags)

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Priorities | 2 comments

for more.... (0.00 / 0)

Jersey Jazzman's great roundup is right below this post as well

Scott Garrett - on the wrong side of, well, everything.

by: Adam L @ Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 18:24:59 PM UTC

Let's not forget ... (0.00 / 0)

That borrowing money right now is essentially free since the rates are so dang low. THIS is when we should be borrowing, and paying it back in the good days.

But rationality isn't that important these days.

by: huntsu @ Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 23:29:02 PM UTC