pandering & Reps vs Dems
Topics: Elections, Safety
03 Sep 1992
From:
Pete would have has us believe that the Republicans are somehow
more noble on the issue of pandering than the Democrats. From today's
Post, I see that Bush did the following:
1) Offered Florida 100% insted of the usual 75% federal coverage for
disaster relief.
2) Reversed Reagan and permitted sales of F-16's to Taiwan just to buy
votes in Fort Worth where the plant is.
3) Announced (while in S.D.) G$.775 in disaster aid for farmers.
4) Announced G$1.0 export subsidies for farmers.
This is better than the Democrats?
My motto for the election is: show me a Republican opposed to
social security or a Democrat opposed to RICO and I'll think about
changing my vote.
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Speaking of disaster relief, the situation reminds of my L.A. If the
cities involved survive the disaster, they might not survive government
efforts to clean up afterward. In the case of L.A., the city council
took the opportunity to pass (or start enforcing) zoning laws that
prevent many businesses from rebuilding. In the case of Florida,
FEMA is running around condemning houses and evicting people from their
homes. If there is nothing left but one wall of my house and I want
to build a lean-to against it, damn the government for telling me that
I cannot. On the matter of supplies, the state of Florida (I believe
that's the right level of jurisdiction) has a law preventing gouging.
So, there is little food available because possible suppliers are not
allowed to raise their prices to cover the additional costs of working
in the area. One fellow was arrested for selling a $3 can of Spam
for $6. Finally, of course, is the whole absurdity of disaster relief.
People that had enough foresight to build hurricane proof homes or
buy appropriate insurance are screwed. The government is paying people
to not buy insurance and to build flimsy homes. If a terrorist
for no apparent reason decideds to bomb a city, maybe some relief
is in order because there is no way to predict that or hedge against it.
However, it is quite another thing to build a house in a flood zone,
or on top of a fault, or in the path of a hurricane, and then cry to
the feds when it falls down.
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