Sandy relief aid bloated earmarks

[cvfd1399 0]

This is some of the bullshit spending I was warning you about that would be included in the 60 BILLION relief aid they want. I don't have a problem helping the state rebuild the infrastructure, and some that REALLY need the help, but it's this kind of crap that makes me hate politicians. Who knows what else is in there other than his that won't help a single street get fixed, or help some old lady, but will help some rich business, industry, or politician.

The Senate bill included a $4 million repair job at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 
It also included $150 million for fishery disasters in a range of states -- including Alaska and Mississippi. Along those lines, the bill included $821 million for dredging projects nationwide in natural disaster areas, but not necessarily those affected by Sandy. 
Some of this spending, it can be argued, is related to Sandy, but not the kind of direct emergency aid that some lawmakers make it out to be. For instance, nearly $45 million was included for work on NOAA's hurricane reconnaissance aircraft.

[airdvr 205]

I don't have a problem with those earmarks. They sound like mostly infrastructure. What I have a problem with is the feds paying to rebuild a home on the coast that was insured by private insurance. You want to live on the coast? There's a chance a hurricane will destroy your home. Deal with it.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[Andy9o8 2]

Quote

What I have a problem with is the feds paying to rebuild a home on the coast that was insured by private insurance.

And for the most part, that's more sound-byte myth than reality. The private insurance industry really doesn't offer affordable flood insurance. So, flood insurance in the US is federally administered. Generally, the policies have already been paid-for by premiums paid by policy-holders. But the insurance administrators often don't maintain sufficient cash reserves on hand to pay massive quantities of claims in one throw. So, that has to be funded. But the product - the federal flood insurance policy - has already been paid for by the customer.

[billvon 2,877]

>Some of this spending, it can be argued, is related to Sandy, but not the kind of
>direct emergency aid that some lawmakers make it out to be. For instance, nearly $45
>million was included for work on NOAA's hurricane reconnaissance aircraft.

Maintenance on aircraft used for storm spotting seems pretty directly related to weather-based relief funding

>Who knows what else is in there other than his that won't help a single street get fixed,
>or help some old lady, but will help some rich business, industry, or politician.

?? I thought helping that little old lady rebuild her second house is what had you up in arms?

And just about every cent of that IS going to help industy. Repairs to the subways are going to enrich manufacturers of conduit, transformers, fans, ticket machines etc etc. Storm spotting aircraft maintenance is going to enrich Boeing, Garmin, Bendix-King etc. Even repairs to that little old lady's second house will help some local construction business.

(There is a lot of waste in that bill, but the things you listed don't seem very wasteful.)