Katrina Relief at Half the Price?
By Mark Kilmer Posted in Elections — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Bill Frist's chief budget aid, Bill Hoagland, has warned Congress to chill from throwing money at Katrina relief. He says Katrina may end up costing the Federal government half the $200-billion figure that has been thrown hither and yon for weeks.
"The number could at the end of the day be closer to $100 billion as opposed to $200 billion," Hoagland told the conference organized by Equity International, a business development firm, and held in a Senate office building.
The rate of government spending so far was slower than anticipated, Hoagland said. So far, just $16 billion of the emergency government aid actually had been allocated, he said.
"The rate of expenditure today is not what was reported early on -- $2 billion a day -- but something like $700 million a day. So I'm not sure how fast this will go, but it does suggest that there are some restrictions on the way the money is flowing out to those who are in need," he said.
(more below the fold)
Well, it is the natural impulse of a Congress with lots of money not their own to summon the demons of prolificated expenditure. "Throwing money at it," the common practice is something called. And $200-billion sounds more proactive from government than does a mere $100-billion.
Hey, they might even be able to pull close to $100-billion out of the budget by attacking the pork-laden transportation bill, delaying the Medicare prescription drug benefit, and other such fiscally sane undertakings. But Hoagland doesn't think they'll do that.
No matter. Have you heard that Cindy was arrested? Ooooooooooooh, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
If the $100-billion figure turns out to be more accurate, Congress could take that as an indication that rash decisions involving huge chunks of taxpayer change are foolish. And look that way.
Then again, Landrieu might just demand that full $200-billion anyway.
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Katrina Relief at Half the Price? 2 Comments (0 topical, 2 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
I have a problem with the Federal Government playing philanthropist. I cannot find among the enumerated powers, that the Constitution permits Congress to take money from one set of citizens and hand it out to others. I have found numerous quotes stating that it doesn't have the power to do such. Madison, Jefferson, Crockett, Cleveland.
Here is two:
"We have rights, as individuals, to give as much of our own money as we please to charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of public money." -- David Crockett, U.S. Congressman (1827-1835)
"I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution; and I do not believe that the power and duty of the General Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering which is in no manner properly related to the public service or benefit. A prevalent tendency to disregard the limited mission of this power and duty should, I think, be steadily resisted, to the end that the lesson should be constantly enforced that, though the people support the Government, the Government should not support the people." Grover Cleveland; Congressional Record, 49 Cong., 2d Sess., vol. XVIII, Pt. II, 1887, p. 1875.
I believe that the relief should be derived from voluntary contributions by the people.
Now is the time for Jindal and Vitter to step up and say, "only pay us what we need."
You know Landrieu and Blanco will say they need a quarter trillion... Is there a single good republican in Louisiana who will tell the truth? Will Bush listen? Will the media.
Ugh... I have so little faith in a good answer to any of my questions...