Sunday, November 06, 2005
Where Are Our Priorities?
Often, Republicans like to pat themselves on the back for being the "America First" crowd. They accuse Democrats of being far too concerned about the needs of people elsewhere in the world, often to the neglect of issues in the United States.
Action on Capitol Hill this past week (Thursday, to be precise) proves that the Republican Hypocrisy Train was right on time to make its last stop there.
As reported by the Associated Press:
On a 358-39 vote, the House signed off on the spending package that provides $20.9 billion for foreign policy programs and provides financial aid to poor nations for health, education, counter-narcotics and military initiatives. The Senate is expected to approve the bill next week, sending the measure to the president for his signature.
Meanwhile, and also as reported by the Associated Press:
Louisiana is expecting a $3.7 billion bill from the federal government for the state's share of the hurricane recovery, far exceeding anything the governor had anticipated.
Action on Capitol Hill this past week (Thursday, to be precise) proves that the Republican Hypocrisy Train was right on time to make its last stop there.
As reported by the Associated Press:
On a 358-39 vote, the House signed off on the spending package that provides $20.9 billion for foreign policy programs and provides financial aid to poor nations for health, education, counter-narcotics and military initiatives. The Senate is expected to approve the bill next week, sending the measure to the president for his signature.
Meanwhile, and also as reported by the Associated Press:
Louisiana is expecting a $3.7 billion bill from the federal government for the state's share of the hurricane recovery, far exceeding anything the governor had anticipated.
The state is already dealing with its own crippling budget problems, including dramatic jumps in unemployment, business shutdowns and a state budget deficit of nearly $1 billion in tax revenue alone, and the estimate from the Federal Emergency Management Agency was a shock.
In other words, we're spending five times overseas what we need to spend here at home to recover from a major disaster. The measure will almost certainly receive the President's signature. He hasn't met a spending bill yet that he didn't like (unless, of course, it makes torture illegal; then he hates it).
