[From the diaries by susanhu.] The patronage cash machine has been fired up in Washington and is already spewing American taxpayer’s dollars along the Gulf Coast. It is hardly a surprise that former FEMA head Joe Allbaugh arrived in Louisiana before recently resigned FEMA head Michael Brown. Allbaugh’s career since he left FEMA is as a rainmaker for companies and individuals seeking government contracts. His most recent relevant experience was helping waste billions of American dollars in Iraq. And, as a side business, both he and his wife are registered lobbyists for KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton.
In a Newsweek article, Howard Fineman, describes George Bush’s desperate attempt to buy back his wasted political influence. Where once a few hundred million dollars would have protected New Orleans from flood, Bush now proposes to spend a hundred billion or more.
Continued BELOW:
There is no question that federal dollars need to be spent to restore the Gulf Coast and to rebuild one of North America’s great, historical cities. But, as with everything the Bush Administration does, no sacrifice is being asked of the American people, because that would be politically difficult.
The Republican Party of George Bush, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney understands that asking people to sacrifice invites them into the process. And, when people are part of the process they tend to pay more attention to the details, ask hard questions and demand results. By simply passing the entire burden of their budget busting spending on to future generations of Americans, potentially impoverishing our children, the Bush Administration deals the American people out of the process.
It’s so incredibly easy for them. Cut taxes for the rich. Ensure massive profits for a select group of corporations. Engage the nation in a war without end, which also enriches their corporate partners. And, pass all the costs and the entire burden on to the future.
It is easy to see what is going to happen in the present, though. The President has no specific plan, just a laundry list of ideas, many of them half-baked leftovers from right wing think tanks. Somewhere between $200 – $300 billion is going to be dumped into the Gulf Coast and potentially into places as far away as Alaska by a political process that is only interested in rewarding corporate contributors and buying off potential voters.
There is not going to be any meaningful oversight by the government. It is going to be free money and the line of recipients with their hands out is going to swamp any potential system of accountability.
An investigative report that kicks off today in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel makes it abundantly clear that FEMA should not be allowed anywhere near taxpayers money in the aftermath of even the most minor emergency.
A South Florida Sun-Sentinel investigation has found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency in five years poured at least $330 million into communities that were spared the devastating effects of fires, hurricanes, floods and tornadoes.”
What is 27% of $200 billion? Of course, much of that $200 billion will be paid out to big international companies like KBR. Companies operating on no-bid, cost+plus contracts with the government. Many of these companies will be the same companies that have done so well financially collecting taxpayer dollars for the reconstruction of Iraq.
Despite all the bullshit that comes out of President Bush’s mouth, the simple facts are these:
- Hundreds of billions of dollars are going to be spent under the direction of the White House’s chief political operative, Karl Rove.
- The agencies responsible for that money have a history of incompetence in the handling of far smaller sums of money.
- The corporations brought into the rebuilding effort with be those with the closest political connections to the Republican Party and the Bush Administration.
- Those corporations will include many of the same companies that have stolen unaccounted billions from the United States in Iraq.
That is Bush’s Four Point Plan for the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast.
Crossposted at Words Have Power.
your point is well taken..and well understood from the get-to, now what we have to do is supervise this money being spent. that is the real problem, it seems.
The first commission we need is a strong, independent beancounter commission that overseas the disbursement of funds, follows up on spending, sets milestones for each “grant,” and has enforcement authority to pull any monies being misappropriated. They should also have the power to fine offenders, and have a large group of inspectors and auditors to see that reconstruction, rehabitation, and urban/exurban planning is followed closely.
Independent does not mean under the auspices of the Congress, but independent like special prosecutor Fitzgerald or Starr.
Otherwise, forget the future, forget it. Otherwise, it’s nothing but concentrating unearned wealth in the hands of the few for a few thousand in campaign contributions.
We are so bankrupt. 🙁 🙁 🙁
…important to remember that the Bush Administration has worked extra hard – though it’s not the first Administration to do so – at gutting the agencies that actually offer some oversight and go after fraud, as I noted in my piece Reconstruction Redux: Looters with Lawyers. An excerpt:
Well said. And then when all of the efforts fail at actually making a difference in the lives of the people affected, we’ll get a lecture about the limits of government as a solution.
I’m very happy my local newspaper has decided to expose the criminal fraud Fema has been engaging in over the last several years. The Sun-Sentinel made a huge stink last year about the $30+million paid out in Miami-Dade county for hurricane damage though none of the hurricans hit there. Sadly their efforts never impacted the national dialoue; (the Swift boat attack dogs were getting all the national press at that time), but maybe now more people will learn about how this Bush regime commits fraud with impunity on a regular basis.
When Kobe Bryant messed up in Colorado, he bought his wife an eight-carat, four-million-dollar diamond ring. Bush’s newly found generosity is very much the same thing, except that Bryant paid for the ring himself.
The thing is you have to be a sociopath to even think up a policy like that one. The bush and the neocons have declared a class war on our children. Solely because they want to line their pockets at the expense of the next generation. Our kids will inherit a future with no options, their choices having already been made by this corrupt administration. We need to roll back the bush tax cuts.
Paying for his incompetence with our children’s money. That’s really irritating. If he is taking responsibility then he needs to take it and not pass it on to our kids. He needs to roll back his tax cuts. The economy will survive and be stronger in the end.
Ok, these are the things that really piss me off. Where are our reps? Why are they not screaming bloody murder about no bid contracts, Rove being put in charge and billions missing(AGAIN!) in Iraq?
What can we do? Who do we turn to? How do we prevent this from happening?