Pay As You Go

Considering there have been 36 Presidential disaster declarations in 2011, (there were 267 such declarations from 2001 to 2005, but 330 in the five years that followed) and Hurricane Irene swept through the northeast and left a trail of destruction that is still playing itself out, one would think that budget requests and Congressional appropriations for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) disaster relief and recovery efforts would be on the rise. Sadly, that is not the case.

The 2012 Homeland Security appropriations bill will include $3 billion in cuts to FEMA’s budget. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), which has already been hit with budget cuts  (about $140 million) that will diminish its ability to track storms, and FEMA, like much of the federal government, will lose about a third of its funding over the next decade if tea party Republicans have their way.

Normally during times of great need the Federal Government puts aside its partisan bickering, and spends whatever is necessary to help make whole what has been broken or destroyed, and lend aid (food, medical, loans, relocation assistance) to help families and communities rebuild. That has always been one of America’s greatest virtues – we come together as a nation and we help each other. And this humanistic philosophy has served us well since the founding of our great Republic.

Alas, certain congressional leaders have a different view on what is the proper role of government, and what form should Federal assistance take on any given occasion. Case in point—speaking on Fox News Channel, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said a natural disaster like Hurricane Irene is an “appropriate instance” for a federal role, but that the government can't go deeper into debt to pay for unexpected outlays.

“We will find the money if there is a need for additional monies,” he said. But “those monies are not unlimited. And what we've always said is, we've offset that which has already been funded. Unfortunately the government continues to borrow money and to spend money it doesn't have."

The House Majority Leader equated the situation to what an ordinary family would do in a crisis, doing without a new car to pay for the needs of a sick loved one, for instance. Cantor is the poster child for the tea party, and his position has been the consistent view of majority Republicans since taking control of the House, even with disaster relief funding running thin after yet another severe weather event.

Cantor is a genuine profile in lack of compassion and empathy for the plight of people in need and worse yet, he is a walking disaster for the economy and his constituents. In fact, Cantor, who has been on vacation for a month, has not held one open town hall meeting to talk face-to-face with his constituents about their concerns. Maybe he is afraid they might ask him about jobs, the zero number that he has created and the thousands that have been or will be lost from the disastrous cuts embedded in the debt crisis deals.

The state of Virginia, which he supposedly represents, has suffered through the epicenter of an earthquake, the effects of Hurricane Irene and a near depression. But Cantor never lets a crisis go to waste. So now he and the heartless tea partiers have taken the low road again by saying that disaster relief ought to be offset by spending cuts.

Compassion for the rich and disdain for the rest of us: class warfare in full bloom for all to see.