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September 14, 2005
Down the Drain
Posted by Dave Blount at September 14, 2005 5:24 PM
Hear that whooshing sound? That's our hard-earned pay going down the drain as bureaucrats attempt to compensate for their perceived incompetence by emphasizing their undisputed generosity with other people's money.
For example, The Washington Times reports that FEMA has allocated almost $5 billion to buy 300,000 trailer homes as part of their Katrina spending — although 270,000 of them are on back order. Whether they will still be needed by the time they are built remains to be seen.
"There was definitely a factor in seeking to spend enough money fast enough that they wouldn't have to face the criticism of being too tightfisted," said Rep Steve King (R-IA). "They think that they're being measured by the amount of money they spend."
A House Democratic chief of staff accused Republicans of "being Democrats because they're trying to show how they care by shoveling money."
But a spokesman for Senator Harry "The Body" Reid (D-NV) warned, "At some point, they're going to fall back on their usual fiscally conservative ways."
Let's hope that point comes soon. Of course Katrina left us with bills to pay. But the Government is laying out a fortune with a reckless lack of resistance — a $10.5 billion bill by voice vote and a follow-up $51.8 billion bill by a 97-0 vote in the Senate and 410-11 vote in the House. It makes you wonder if our representatives know where all the money is going and how much of it is really needed.
"FEMA will act like any federal agency," said Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), who voted against the $51.8 billion, preferring to hand out the money in smaller allotments. "The question isn't how much we need, it's how much we can get."
