After victims of Hurricane Sandy expressed outrage at the 112th Congress failure to pass the $60.4 billion disaster aid package, the US House and Senate on Friday approved a $9.7 billion portion of the measure. The $9.7 billion aid will be used to cover the costs of flood insurance claims made by those who whose homes and businesses were damaged by Superstorm Sandy in late October. The bipartisan vote came after legislators and the American public expressed outrage over a decision made by Congress to hold off on the vote, leaving it to the 113thCongress to deal with. Leaving the urgent bill to the next Congress would have drastically delayed the time it takes for storm-afflicted states to receive the financial aid they are in such dire need for. But after Speaker of the House John Boehner announced that the outgoing Congress would not vote on the disaster aid, New York and New Jersey legislators erupted in anger, referring to the delay as a betrayal. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-NY, told the Associated Press that the speaker should hang his head in shame, while Rep. Peter King, R-NY, accused Congress of walking away from a natural disaster and walking away from responsibility. Residents of storm-afflicted areas were equally as outraged. Just days before President Barack Obama was re-elected president, he promised to assist the victims as quickly as he could. Embracing New Jersey business owner Donna Vanzant, a photo was taken of the president showing intense compassion. The image went viral on the Internet but now the woman, who owned a marina that was destroyed in the storm, says she is barely surviving and is still waiting for government assistance. The people of this country that have been devastated are looking at this as a betrayal by the Congress and by the nation, and that is just untenable and unforgivable, said Rep. Michael Grimm, R-NY. In an interview with the Philly Post, Vanzant said the presidents promise to immediately get [her] the help that she needs was not met. I have probably suffered $500,000 in losses, she said. And weve lost all of our docks and our bulkhead, and the estimate for that is $200,000, and you cant get insurance on your docks or bulkhead. For three days after Boehner announced the delay of a crucial vote, US residents have expressed intense outrage and feelings of abandonment by a government that promised them immediate assistance. What do I think? I think theyre lucky were not armed, 68-year-old Staten Island resident Rose Mazz yelled out of the window in his storm-damaged home, as reported by Yahoo! News. To alleviate the anger, the Congress voted on the $9.7 billion portion (*)of the bill, with the other $51 billion to be voted on by the new Congress by Jan. 15. The partial vote seems to have calmed some of the legislators, with King admitting that he was satisfied with the response. Reps. Grimm and Chris Smith, R-NJ, said they would support Boehners reelection. But the initial decision made by Congress to delay something as urgent as disaster aid for struggling Americans has left its mark on the victims. It is why the American people hate Congress, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said in a televised news conference. Unlike people in Congress, we have actual responsibilities. http://rt.com/usa/news/sandy-victims-congress-aid-355/ Well, for one thing, as I keep trying to say, there is no use venting fury on Obama. Of course that vid went viral, just like the one of him and his crocodile tears, over those poor children. It is not more than a facade, he is merely the poster boy, and if it were not him letting you down, it would be one no better. Basically, he has no true and real power. Gets a nice salary to take lots of stick. That's about it. For another thing, you can bet your arse that there would be not a second of pontification if the sum quoted were a cheque being written, for Israel.
The GOP's Shameful Sandy Vote... Callous Conservatives: Gulf State Republicans Sandy Shame Jan 5, 2013 - The Republican congressmen who use New York as a campaign ATM, but turn a blind eye to suffering here must be held accountable, writes John Avlon.
Perhaps if the bill concentrated on storm relief as opposed to the usual porkfest it would have passed earlier. I read there were monies in the bill for Alaskan fisheries. That must have been one hell of a of a storm.
It's also a sign that states should really reserve more funds for themselves for disasters. You can't really depend on the feds to help you out in a timely manner.
I guess this is what Federal bankruptcy looks like. In the past few years I remember fires out west, and the western states declaring that Obama was holding up disaster aid money from them for political reasons, but now that the north eastern liberal states are also hit with delays I guess there is just no more money. So much for the full faith and credit worthiness of the Federal Government. We don't show it as official bankruptcy, but we are already robbing the money away from here and there.
It's not that they don't have the money, it's that they aren't spending it in the right places. Their military costs nearly a trillion each year, much of it pure waste.
I get why everyone is trying to put money into their own districts, but not now. This is an embrassment. Our government has a job, and it's not doing it.
Since when did natural disasters become the responsibility of the federal government? Seems like everyone is feeling entitled and wants to hop onto the gravy train. Sorry, just because your house blew away in a tornado does not mean the government is going to buy you a new one.
I think natural disasters of such devastation as this are the perfect example of a need to "promote the general welfare". Natural disasters can happen in the majority of places, to a significant degree, having a system set up where the country has your back in the event of horrible devastation gives everyone a bit of security and peace of mind. People look out for one another, help each other, and have each other's back. People come together to help save lives where possible, and pick up the pieces afterwards. Natural disaster relief is the paramount reason, short of being invaded or attacked by an enemy, that the country as a whole need to come together. These disasters like this one cross over state lines.. Entire states can be significantly damaged over HUGE portions.. Look at Hurricane Andrew and what it did to Florida in 1991.. It was just city after city one after the next leveled. If the federal government just gave the finger to any state in their dire time of need, how is a state going to recover and survive? You'd literally just lose your states practically.. Federal assistance for disaster relief is to spread out and cussion the hard blow, so when one place takes the brunt of it, at least the country as a whole unit can get back on track, the people can rebuild, and begin paying their federal taxes again! I'm guessing you've never been a victim in a natural disaster.
The FED is empty Will Americans rise up? I don't understand why any American who has watched this is not outside the Federal Reserve having a revolution [video=youtube;1QK4bblyfsc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QK4bblyfsc[/video]
This just proves how far away the West has moved from humanity and morals and compassion and their religion. Nothing left but greed and dead hearts
No we're a broke (*)(*)(*)(*)ing country and when a country goes broke like we are its every man for himself.
you were morally broke long time ago the day you started to slaughter and infect and steal from the native Indians
Now, that can only mean that there are far more guns in the US of AIPAC than there are in the UK and also far more crazies. Anybody else got a different slant ?
Just be honest. The 'Federal' Reserve, is not owned by Federal Gov, nor by the people, jeez, it refuses to even tell Fed Gov who it lends taxpayers money to(Bernake is on record as doing this, even when called out). The Fed is a construct that is there to ensure control over the money in the US. Because when you can control, and print the currency, then lend this 'money' to the country, at massive interest, then enslave the people by way of debt and tax, you effectively have dominion over their lives. The Fed is, I am afraid to say, entirely run for and by a relative small number of Jews. It is said that, in practice, Ben Bernake has more powers than the President, since he could effectively create a trillion dollars, if he wanted to, right out of thin air. Nor can the American people ever vote him out, since they cannot vote them in. Don't forget as well, at the start of each year, the US (due to you know what), give a massive lump sum to Israel. Two things happen there. One, Israel actually make interest on the money given. And Americans pay interest on it. The Fed are absolute bedfellows with the international Jewish financial terrorists, Goldman Sachs. What you are seeing here, is not new, albeit the US is the largest scale example of it happening. All through history, and i mean all the way through, before proper banks even existed, Jews have always been the usurers, and the money lenders. Usury used to be forbidden in Christian lands (and quite right, we can see why), as it is in Islam. This created a pocket, into which the Jews were happy to step. No moral barriers for them to engage in usury, since their morality has always been differnt to the non Jew. Ah, but, of course, they were forced into being usurers, right... Yeah, that is what they actually want you to believe, that we, that is all non Jews, historically forced them into being usurers, and agitating conflicts, then lending money at interest, to both sides. Suuuuuure. Always everyone else, even when they are benefactors, they blame any negative aspects on everyone else. Christians, Germans, Europeans, Bibi waving that insulting bit of paper around, when he visited America, always everyone else who is the savages, monsters, persecutors, etc, and always, without exception, they paint themselves as the victims. People think it is a new thing. They are wrong. It is not a new thing, and the reason they are so good at it, IS due to them doing it, for so long.
FEMA doesn't "give away new houses". It may give you some money to stay at a motel and buy some crappy clothes. You might be able to get a low interest loan to repair your home in some cases. Righties really need to learn how the world works rather than believe stupid stories from Limpaugh.
Should the government have socialized fire insurance? What about flood insurance? What about all those people who did not even own homes, so will not get any government help? This whole Sandy aide might have emotional appeal, but it is really idiotic and senseless when you stop to think about it and put it into perspective what it actually is.
