Posted on 08/31/2005 9:03:25 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005 11:32 p.m. EDT Dems Blame Bush Tax Cuts for Flooding
Democrats searching for a way to blame President Bush for Hurricane Katrina are circulating a report that claims the Bush tax cuts and the Iraq war drained funding from New Orleans flood-control projects.
A report Wednesday on Editor & Publisher's web site charged that the Army Corps of Engineers was unable to complete several projects to reinforce the levees around New Orleans because federal funding was cut back.
"The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain," E & P claimed, as the Big Easy sunk further beneath Katrina's floodwaters. A top advisor to 2008 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wasted no time seizing on the report.
"The Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war," claimed Mrs. Clinton's former White House media strategist, Sidney Blumenthal.
Writing in Der Speigel, Blumenthal complained:
"A year ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed to study how New Orleans could be protected from a catastrophic hurricane, but the Bush administration ordered that the research not be undertaken."
Before Wednesday was over, other Democrats had begun echoing the same theme.
"As these facts get out, and the American people learn that decisions were made not to fund improvements of the levees because of Iraq, they will not be happy," Washington-based Democratic consultant Chris Kofinis told the Associated Press.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg complained to the AP that the White House should have had troops and supplies on the ground in New Orleans on Monday. "President Bush's wake-up call came awfully late," he groused.
Time to change Frank Lautenberg's diaper!
Dimwit low lifes.
The DemRats always try to exploit a tragedy for political gain.
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But of course -- it was predicted even before the hurricane hit, that the Dems would POLITICIZE THE ENTIRE DISASTER. These bottom-feeding maggots are totally predictable.
IT WILL BITE DEMOCRATS IN THE @SS.
SEEMS THEY ARE SCREAMING THIS BECAUSE IT APPEARS MOST OF THE VICTIMS ARE BLACK AND HILLARY AND HER DEMOCRATS MUST THINK THEY ARE ALL STUPID AND IS APPEALING FOR THEM TO CAST BLAME.
I wish I could say what I'd like to do to the leftists in this Nation, but I'd get banned.
The usual suspects.
RFK jr, Blumenthal, Lautenberg, Hugo Chavez.....
I've been gearing this all day, and it's disgusting. For those who would blame George W. Bush, I have the following questions:
1. It's been known for decades that the New Orleans levees could only survive a catagory 3 hurricane. What did previous Democrat administrations (and and the democrat- controlled Congress) do about it in those decades?
2. Weather experts have been saying since 1996/1997 (during the Clinton Administration) that the North Atlantic/Caribbean has entered a much more active phase (which occurs naturally in cycles, and is expected to last decades)and much more violent hurricanes were predicted throughout the region. Why wasn't it done then. And don't try to tell me that Clinton was proccupied with attacks from the vast right wing conspiricy. GWB has been dealing with attacks from the much-more-evident vast left wing conspiricy since BEFORE DAY ONE.
3. Knowing all this, why did the state and city not do anything? (maybe, in fairness, because it is the perview of the Army Corps of Engineers?).
I'm SICK AND TIRED of GWB and his administration being blamed for negligence and failures of the Clinton/Carter Administrations.
I've tried to research these questions, but trying to get anyting on New Orleans these past couple of days is impossible. I would appreciate and welcome any comments or evidence of negligence prior to GWB taking office.
Having said that, if there is nothing (which I doubt), then the Bush Administration derserves the criticism it gets on this issue.
Oh, indeed. But somehow the vaunted racial proletariat liberals love to moralise about are in the process of turning New Orleans into a Sudanese rape camp.
No matter. Better to mewl about evil George Boosh while the place goes swirling down the drain, aye? Better to point the finger of blame at the evil George Boosh.
Someone already pointed out here somewhere on the site that Clinton denied money to the Army Corp when they requested money to make the N.O. levies able to withstand a cat 5 hurricane.
Oh, the irony!
"A year ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed to study how New Orleans could be protected from a catastrophic hurricane, but the Bush administration ordered that the research not be undertaken."
So, Sidney is saying that the FIRST time anybody ever looked into whether New Orleans could be protected for a hurricane was in 2004?
Sen. Frank Lautenberg complained to the AP that the White House should have had troops and supplies on the ground in New Orleans on Monday. "President Bush's wake-up call came awfully late," he groused.
A demonstrable lie:
Bush Declares Emergency in Louisiana
The Associated Press
Saturday, August 27, 2005; 8:08 PM
CRAWFORD, Texas -- President Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana on Saturday because of the approach of Hurricane Katrina and his spokesman urged residents along the coast to heed authorities' advice to evacuate.
Bush, vacationing at his ranch, was being regularly updated about the storm, which is expected to hit land early Monday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency continue to coordinate with state authorities in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, and have prepositioned supplies in areas expected to be affected, he said.
The president's emergency declaration authorizes the FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts and to provide appropriate assistance in a number of Louisiana parishes, or counties.
Authorities told residents of low-lying coastal communities to head for higher ground. The storm was expected to strengthen as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico and could become a Category 4 hurricane with wind of at least 131 mph.
"We urge residents in the areas that could be impacted to follow the recommendations of local authorities," McClellan said.
Well ok, the dems want to play the blame game. So where were they? Why didn't they act? Why didn't the dems figure the funding for this in with all the other great big giant pork packages they stuffed the last couple of years budgets full off?
They want to blame it on President Bush's tax cuts? Then why stuff the last couple of budget's soooo full of pork that they were the all time biggest amount of pork projects ever?
Gee, maybe if they hadn't had all those pork projects other things wouldn't have had to be cut. Hmmmmm
Stinking demoRAT city and state government in Louisiana didn't want to spend any of THEIR precious tax dollars to deal with the problem. They knew that when all hell broke loose they could stick out their grimy hands and have the feds (us) pay for everything.
Same thing in Atlanta with their crumbling sewer system. One RAT mayor to the next will pass it on until a 30 story building falls over into a gigantic sink hole and then they'll stick that classic demoRAT hand out. "Gimme dat. Gimme dat."
demoRAT New York did it with the subway system back in the seventies. Classic strategy.
What a crock! These people continue to ignore WHO is in charge of the city and state....TWO democrats! There has been NO effort on the part of NO or Louisiana to change the levee system for decades!
What thread was that on? I read that today......and I'm trying to remember the title of it.
Because on that thread I read where the money was offered if NO would pay their share, but they wanted 100 percent from the government, or nothing.
BINGO! Oh yeah and the press and media have no liberal bias.
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