Irene and Heartless GOP/Tea Party’s Politically Motivated Disaster Budget Offset Demands

As the USA faces yet another natural disaster in the wake of Hurricane Irene, the nation’s leaders have been called upon to address the issue of emergency relief. On Sunday, GOP/Tea Party House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Presidential Candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) both declared on US national television that the USA should not provide aid to those affected by the hurricane unless further politically motivated budget cuts and offsets were found beforehand. This has sparked a debate over the role of government in providing aid to its citizens in times of crisis. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) budget has become a political football, as the agency has already used up its funds due to the number of disasters it has had to respond to this year. This includes the devastating tornadoes that struck Joplin, Missouri, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and other parts of the south and Midwest USA in the spring. Cantor’s remarks have been met with criticism, as he made similar statements following last week’s earthquake, which largely affected his own constituency. 

The debate over the government’s role in providing aid to its citizens in times of crisis is an important one, and it is essential that the nation’s leaders take the time to consider their response carefully.

Can you picture the Dutch Tweede Kamer telling the thousands of people who were being flooded and forced to cling to rooftops due to the breakdown of the dyke system in 1953 (and again in the 1980s): “We’ll get out there to rescue you when Parliament is done debating offset cutbacks.” Stay the course?

In addition to providing assistance, the government also constructed the most advanced system of water and tidal management dykes in the world to stop a repetition. The Army Corp of Engineers in the USA acknowledges that New Orleans’ levees would probably fall again and that they are still unable to protect the city.

Or what if the Japanese Diet adopted the same GOP/Tea Party logic and informed those who had been affected by the tsunami that they would have to wait because we needed to find budget offsets before sending out rescue teams to help them locate their loved ones who had been swept away? And as for the man who was still clinging to his roof 60 miles out at sea, we would need to discuss whether or not to use the fuel to save him. And you farmers who were exposed to radiation? No subsidies for you until we remove it from the budget of the school system; those unionised, expensive teachers are the root of all evil, right?

The devastating effects of natural disasters have been felt around the world, with China’s Szechuan 8.0 earthquake killing 70,000 people and prompting unprecedented government efforts to help survivors. In contrast, the UK government has been unable to agree on funds or taxes to build or save existing crumbling bridges and roadways. Prime Minister David Cameron has also faced criticism for his austerity measures, which have been blamed for creating the disastrous riots a few weeks ago. 

The UK and US are on a slippery slope to decades of decline unless real leadership is found to tackle the big issues. In the EU, however, people are more likely to rally together and help each other in times of need. The recent events in Newport News, Virginia, where an 11-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on his apartment, leaving his parents bereaved and homeless, and the destruction of hundreds of homes and roofs by the powerful sea, are a reminder of the importance of compassion and solidarity. 

It is clear that the current political climate is not conducive to finding solutions to these issues. The UK and US governments should be ashamed of themselves for failing to provide the necessary support to those in need.

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