Hurricane Relief

Hurricane Sandy relief money was approved by the House today.

Why mention it?

Because the law was passed so long after the event. No other recent hurricane disaster received such a slow response.

Because 180 Republicans voted against it. An almost unprecedented opposition to disaster relief.

Because even at the last moment extreme right wingers tried to get an amendment passed to get the relief paid for by reducing other social spending, thereby killing the bill.

Because there was an open anti-northeastern bias in the entire episode. Never have the delegations from New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey tried to stop aid going to southern states in need. But apparently the delegations from those southern states just didn’t want to help their northern fellow citizens. The most egregious example being a Congressman from Louisiana who voted against the relief fund only a year after pleading for extra federal aid for his own storm hit district.

Because this is another example of red state hypocrisy: they vote relentlessly for smaller government and yet are the largest recipients of government money. The so-called blue states are, by and large, those who send cash to Washington. The so-called red states – fiscal conservatives all – are where that cash goes.

One of these days the blue states have to stop shoveling cash into those red states. Maybe then this hypocrisy will end.

Still it’s good to see the aid money flow. Even if it is a little short and a lot late.