When I learned about the idiotic vote Rep. Jim Cooper took, I immediately sent this email because I was so angry.
Well, he sent me a response. You can read it below the fold.
Needless to say...I am NOT happy.
Dear Mr. (LUCKY):
Thank you for contacting me about Hurricane Sandy disaster relief.
I have great compassion for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. They were hammered by the hurricane, and that's a terrible tragedy. We need to help them, which is why I voted for $27 billion in disaster relief aid free and clear with no strings attached: $9 billion last week and another $18 billion this week.
It's an American responsibility to help our neighbors. But it's also an American responsibility to have a solvent nation, not a bankrupt nation. That's why I did not support the larger relief package, which would add another $33 billion to our deficit. Unlike other disaster aid bills in recent decades, Congress didn't even try to pay for a portion it, even though much of the $33 billion package will not be spent for years and included pork-barrel items that are nowhere near New York or New England. Congress had the time and the ability to be more responsible, but it chose not to. That's why I voted no.
I supported disaster relief following the devastating flooding in Middle Tennessee, and after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, and Ivan – and all those bills were at least partially paid for. We need to care for disaster victims but we also need to fund their needs responsibly. I recommend reading a recent Washington Post editorial on the Sandy relief package, which states, "Americans have all sorts of reasons to be shocked" by this bill, including that "lawmakers still haven't reformed the slapdash way Congress deals with disasters."
Most people in Congress know that Congress has failed to adopt a better way to responsibly fund disasters. The extra portion of the Sandy relief legislation was a lost opportunity for reform. There is a federally-declared disaster somewhere in America every three or four days, so Congress must learn to do better in a hurry.
Thanks again for sharing your views with me.
Sincerely,
Jim Cooper
Member of Congress
So...essentially you are saying that EVERY disaster will end up being a hostage situation? Every crisis will now be an excuse to target programs? So now to pay for flood relief, we need to cut food stamps now? Really?
This is NOT what America is about. Where is the "American Exceptionalism" they keep screaming from the roof tops?
I need to step away before I pull my hair out...and I have a thick head of hair.