PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
by Chris Freind
I will be labeled uncaring, cruel and uncompassionate. Critics will claim that my feelings would be different if I experienced the same situation as those on whom I am "turning my back". They will say I am kicking my fellow Americans when they're down. And why will I incur this wrath?
Because I believe the Federal Government should not be paying for the disaster cleanup stemming from the recent Midwest floods. It's bad enough that the feds routinely pay 75% of these costs, but the Governors of four states are now asking for 90%, with state and local governments paying the paltry remainder. And that's the problem.
Americans have been handed the keys to the Treasury, and they have grabbed on with both hands. Too many citizens now expect the federal government to bail them out of whatever negative situation they find themselves.
Hurricane, tornado, or flood? No problem. The government will take care of the cleanup, and rebuild your homes and towns for you. Got yourself in too deep with your mortgage? No sweat. The feds are now in the mortgage business. And don't think this largesse is limited to low and middle income Americans. If you happen to run one of the largest banking houses in the world, such as Bear Stearns, and your speculative investments went south with the market (even though you made untold millions in profits when things were hot), we'll throw billions into that mess too. Oh, and if you happen to be a millionaire owner of a professional sports franchise, we'll build you a taxpayer funded stadium.
Where does it end? The answer, of course, is that is doesn't. But what comes around goes around, and now we find ourselves with record deficits and a national debt ballooning exponentially. America is writing checks it can't cash, and our national security is gravely threatened. China has become our nation's bank.
Instead of concentrating our resources on the things we truly need, such as unfettered access to domestic energy supplies, a border wall that keeps out illegal invaders and terrorists, and the best-equipped military in the world, our leaders have figured that doling out welfare checks to rich and poor alike makes for a much better campaign sound bite.
How ironic is it that on the very day the I-35 Mississippi River Bridge collapsed in Minneapolis last year the owners of the Minnesota Twins were scheduled to celebrate $400 million in taxpayer funding allocated to build them a new stadium? Our bridges are collapsing and our dams are bursting, but we're making self-interested millionaires even wealthier. Figure out that one.
And as far as Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans, that situation was long overdue. Year after year, that city was appropriated money to strengthen the levees and upgrade the city's resistance to such powerful storms. Yet year after year, that money was spent on "other" things, such as fountains in the French Quarter. Hey, I love a nice water-fountain as much as the next guy, but if given the choice, I'd like my city protected against hurricanes, particularly since it sits below sea level. But that mentality was sorely lacking. After all, the federal government would be there to rescue everyone if anything bad ever happened.
This isn't to say that our government shouldn't help its citizens, but it should do so only where appropriate, such as rescuing people in flooded towns, providing emergency shelter, and providing low cost loans to assist the rebuilding effort. But taxpayers should not be the default insurance company because people choose not to buy insurance. If you live in a flood plain, and don't have insurance, our hearts and prayers will be with you, but our wallets shouldn't be. Hard working citizens should not be penalized because of another's complete lack of common sense. That is the quickest path to bankruptcy, both financially and morally.
Only when Americans return to a lifestyle of self-reliance and personal responsibility will the floodwaters recede and the feeling of terra firma once again be felt beneath our feet.
