Tea so weak it qualifies as a homeopathic remedy.
Your political ambitions may be consigned to a watery grave, Mr. Representative.
He’s still peeved the Sandy disaster bill didn’t allocate funds for the Trenton, NJ Michael Burgess Memorial Library.
He voted against Sandy aid because blah blah blah, but Harvey aid should come in stages [just like Sandy aid!]
… take several months to develop a long-term aid package
Why do I have the feeling that this strategy would mean the aid package gets delayed and delayed and delayed ad naseum?
There may well be some people out there for whom this sounds like a reasonable idea. It’s not. As a NYC resident, I can tell you that when a disaster strikes, you don’t have the luxury of time. Things need to happen reasonably quickly especially when you’re talking about rebuilding residential buildings. After Sandy, there were residents and businesses alike who waited (what seemed like) endlessly for the aid to come before they could do anything to restart their lives again.
These people will never live down their votes against American Citizens in need. Never.
Burgess wants to eat his huge slice of hypocrisy one bite at a time.
Stage 1 Relief: People Burgess knows.
Stage 2: Corporations contributing to Burgess.
Stage 3: Other corporations.
Stage 4: Texans earning more than $1 million per annum.
Stage 5: All other Texans (white).
Stage 6: All other Texans (non-white).
“Oh, we’re happy to give you some help. Just stop by my office and ask politely every time you need to install a new window or remove some moldy drywall. Now here’s a shiny nickel: go buy yourself something nice.”
@zsak Not just delayed; held hostage, too.
Let TX hold a bake sale. Why do we keep having to pay for people to live by the ocean? Oh, because they like it. But aren’t these the same people who believe in small government? Same with Florida. California has earthquakes and they’ve prepared with regulations and now they’ll probably survive. The Gulf and East coast? Not so much.
And TX…no regulation (a)lone star state - don’t tread on me or have any regulations requiring the disclosure of toxic chemicals stored next to a school, or fire regulations requiring sprinklers, or zoning regulations because flooding.
Let TX save TX. Or let’s save them like we should, and pay for their homes. And then send their governor a tax bill.
Theoretically, he’s not wrong. Aid that is staged as the need becomes known is a logical idea. But in the real world, once the lede on the evening news no longer shows flooded streets, wrecked buildings and people huddled in shelters the public will put the disaster to one side and concentrate on the present. So future aid will be cut back, delayed and possibly not come at all. And this guy is in Congress–he should know this.
This makes no sense. Isn’t it better to spend under your budget saving the dollars that weren’t spent than under-budgeting, forcing you to pass another bill? And going through that process all over again with people suffering in the meanwhile.
And again I say: Democrats should withhold their votes on Harvey aid until the Texas Reps. and Senators who voted against Sandy aid publicly admit they’re wrong and apologize.
If Republican hypocrites who voted against aiding Sandy victims can’t bring themselves to apologize, then it’s on them if they can’t get Harvey aid.
I don’t suppose we’ll hear politicians in Texas talk about seceding anytime soon now, will we?
An obviously well-fed and unusually dry Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) said today, from his office in Washington, D.C., “It’s tough. Because with Katrina we came in, did a big bill, and then another big bill and years later unfortunately found they couldn’t spend all the dollars that were sent.”
(Just as an aside: Remember those truckloads of ice? That ended up in Maine??)
Unfortunately it wasn’t a first time in the history of the American government that “the money sent couldn’t be spent.” The GOP brain trustee (Burgess) failed to see the obvious failure in the logic: The idea, say Rethuglikans, is that too much money is spent so hold back, let the clock run out; now, it’s not being spent, and that’s bad. There were no roadblocks in the way of “how” the money could be utilized. … Just kidding.
He’s paid $174,000/yr. After six years he’s fully vested in retirement at 80% of his largest grossing year ($139,200/yr; $11,600/mo).
I feel his pain. And his “personal drought.”
So what ever happened to all of governor Abbott’s (R-flaming asshole) talk of secession? That was 2016 as I recall.
Might want to compress those stages down so they all occur together. Might be a good idea, but then again, I live in Arizona.
Beat me to it!
Burgess should have a talk with Gen. Russell Honore (ret) who headed up Army response to Katrina. I expect the general would not have kind words for the representative.
Just sayin’
Stages?
Do we let flood waters drain in stages to accommodate funding? Or do we ask the mosquitoes now breeding in those flood waters to deliver their load of dengue fever in stages?