Franklin Delano Bush

NY Sun ^ | 9/22/05 | ANDREW P. NAPOLITANO

[billbears]

What is the proper constitutional role for the federal government in the post-Katrina reconstruction of the Gulf Coast? Should not this subject be debated seriously before Congress mortgages generations of Americans yet unborn with the obligation to repay $200 billion in loans? Don't expect it.

The Republican leadership in the House of Representatives already signaled its intention to stifle such debate when it refused to allow members of the House to consider an amendment to a bill that allocated the initial $62 billion in funds to Katrina victims. The amendment would have directed federal departments and agencies to look for ways to offset waste, so as to recapture at best a portion of the funds. In a now infamous statement, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Republican from Texas, stated that Republican budget surgeons had already cut out all the waste in the federal government, so if nothing else can be cut, why bother with debate?

[billbears]

Linked from the posting in the New York Sun. Although the entire article can also be found here

Don't expect to hear this from any but a few freedom-loving members of the House, whose opinions no doubt will be relegated to the written record rather than articulated in real-time floor debate, but: The federal government has no role to play under the Constitution in the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast.

Just wish those in Washington, no matter what party they belong to, would understand this.

[billbears]

bump

[the Deejay]

The federal government has no role to play under the Constitution in the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast.

Or any other place hit by a natural disaster.

[billbears]

Exactly. Unfortunately no one is listening to the conservatives on this issue. They're too busy being compassionate with our tax dollars

v, seems a Constitutional scholar and former judge doesn't agree with you either....

[Peach]

The amendment would have directed federal departments and agencies to look for ways to offset waste, so as to recapture at best a portion of the funds.

That's our money. And Congress is refusing to cut waste. I think we should all contact our legislators and voice our displeasure about this.

[billbears]

Yes, cut waste. But don't turn around and spend it unconstitutionally no matter how 'compassionate' it may seem. As for contacting your legislators, unfortunately for every one person that wants a cut in government, there are 6 that expect something from the politicians in Washington

[the Deejay]

I agree. I'm sick & tired of the
government digging into my pocket
every time there's a squall. And
w/hurricane seasons coming 'round
evey year, it's really getting on
my nerves.

[willyd]

Why should anyone have to pay for this? It is rediculous...how many times do we have to rebuild cities that are below sea level and houses that are too close to the coast? At least if you are going to hand out $2000 credit cards to people, make sure the money can only be spent on essentials like rent and food and clothing...these people were running around Houston renting Escalades, going to nude bars and buying Gucci purses...I am not making this up...this is absolutely foul...they interviewed a guy on tv here in Houston that was out of money in four days. That is $500 a day without any rent, car payment, insurance. How is that possible? Now I know where $9 billion went missing in Iraq. We should demand that the federal government gets audited every year by one of the accounting firms and any one spending loose on the company account gets fired and/ or prosecuted just like the rest of us would. Give people a hand when they need it, but at least have some conditions that have to be met.

[skip_intro]

Lyndon Delano Bush would be a more appropriate title.

[Pessimist]

Sadly, I'm afraid you got that ratio just about right.

You scratch a "conservative" these days and you usually find a liberal jsut under the surface - at least fiscally.

[billbears]

Give people a hand when they need it, but at least have some conditions that have to be met.

Sorry but no.

"I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."--James Madison

[CBart95]

A whole lot a wishin' and a hopin' goin' on here these days.
What with all the Hatin' being expressed by the empty-handed (and headed) Dems, all those hopeful yearnings sure seem unrealistic.
With no other agenda,save for hatred, what are the poor Democrats expected to do but jawbone?

[Pessimist]

"At least if you are going to hand out $2000 credit cards to people, make sure the money can only be spent on essentials like rent and food and clothing..."

As a practical matter, I agree w/ you. But it does raise the issue of gvt telling someone what to do w/ "their" money.

And since they view gvt help as an entitlement anymore, they do view it as their money.

At any rate, from the pragmatic standpoint, most of these people have never demonstrated good financial judgment in the past, so I don't expect them to start now. Sadly, they've become basically wards of the state.

[Reagan Man]

For the most part, the Judge is right, of course.

If the President had cut spending early on, the way he cut taxes (8.1%), fiscal conservatives would be jumping for joy. Most would have accepted an across the board freeze. While tax cuts are part of a sound fiscal policy, if you don't cut spending some future Democratic president could use that as an impetus to raise taxes. In fact, this is exactly what occured during Bill Clinton's first term. Reagan held down social welfare and entitlement spending and handed things off to GHWBush. After his first year in office Bush41 became fiscally irresponsible. Not only did social welfare and entitlement spending go up, so did taxes. Probably more then half of the Bush43 tax cuts were neeeded to offset the Clinton tax increases.

[KC-10A BOOMER]

Just skimmed through my copy of U.S. Constitution and I didn't see anything about Congress being required to pass appropriations to pay for Natural Disaster recovery.

[Reagan Man]

"Our tenet ever was... that Congress had not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but were restrained to those specifically enumerated, and that, as it was never meant that they should provide for that welfare but by the exercise of the enumerated powers, so it could not have been meant they should raise money for purposes which the enumeration did not place under their action; consequently, that the specification of powers is a limitation of the purposes for which they may raise money."
-- Thomas Jefferson to Albert Gallatin, 1817.

[willyd]

Then the Government should be handing out shirts and rent checks instead of party time credit cards. it isn't their money either...it is yours and mine and every one else's. Pay checks can be spent any way a citizen sees fit...it is just like if you spent the check your parents gave you for books on beer (mine never did, but just go with it). they wouldn't have given it to you in the first place if they knew you were going to do that...

[willyd]

3. A species of compulsory contribution or tax, which has sometimes been illegally exacted by arbitrary kings of England, and falsely represented as a gratuity.

He is saying that Congress has no right to exact taxes which are falsely disguised as donations. This does not mean that you cannot put conditions on money that the state hands out...every bit of money that the government hands out has specific conditions that have to be met...think FHA loans or the GI Bill

[ClaireSolt]

I don't agree. When they gave out the debit cards there were 25,000 people in the shelter in Houston. I thought it was a stroke of brilliance to give them enough money to take their situations in their own hands and buy airplane tickets or rent apartments. they did get out of their quickly, so I think I am right. If one or two bought things that you consider inappropriate, I am sorry. However, it would have taken forever to get safeguards in place to requisaition and approve every litle request. To some extent yours is the thinking that keeps social programs from working like a safety net people can bounce back out of.

[devane617]

I think the title says it all. Wish I had thought of it ...