60 percent.
By on Aug 27th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
60 percent.
Number of Americans who say that “most of the approximately $44 billion the federal government has spent on hurricane recovery in the last year has been wasted,” according to a new ABC poll.
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Do 40% of us work for Halliburton?
August 27th, 2006 at 1:50 pmBut.. but… Rockey thanked Pres Bush, and he wouldn’t be lying or shilling for the president, would he? Would he!?
August 27th, 2006 at 1:54 pmWe spent $44 billion?!
I would have believed $44. But $44 billion? No way…
August 27th, 2006 at 1:55 pmPerhaps the Bush adminstration are still trying to push the theory that government intervention is ineffective. In a few elections time we’ll have conservatives going on about the inefficiency of central government, and how the victims of katrina were better assisted by charity than by an incompetent government.
August 27th, 2006 at 1:56 pm60% – That’s all? Jeebus…
August 27th, 2006 at 2:02 pmBut.. but… Rockey thanked Pres Bush, and he wouldn’t be lying or shilling for the president, would he? Would he!?
Comment by Gregor Samsa — August 27, 2006 @ 1:54 pm
This morning on This Week they took a look at St. Bernard parish – where Rocky ran for the commission (as a republican) and lost – and it didn’t look like things were going as ’swimmingly well’ as Rocky seems to think. Well, OK, maybe ‘think’ isn’t the right word for what Rocky does.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:11 pmThat’s right Zooey. Of the remaining 40%, half think Jeebus destroyed Louisiana because Mardi-Gras beads are the devils work. The other half don’t care because they don’t live there.
40% of Americans are fools and bastards.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:13 pmPerhaps the Bush adminstration are still trying to push the theory that government intervention is ineffective. In a few elections time we’ll have conservatives going on about the inefficiency of central government, and how the victims of katrina were better assisted by charity than by an incompetent government.
Comment by Prince Myshkin — August 27, 2006 @ 1:56 pm
I have no doubt whatsoever this is true. The incompetence of the Bush administration must have the libertarian fanatics at Cato and Heritage in absolute ideological heaven. And in some cases it isn’t just incompetence, it is deliberate, for example the No Child Left Behind act, the intention of which is to destroy the public school system, enabling its replacement by a voucher-based system of private Christians schools.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:17 pmwho’s wasted? : our coke snorting, drunk decider in thief!
August 27th, 2006 at 2:24 pmI take exception to the phrase “…approximately $44 billion the federal government has spent…” Usually the connotation of “spend” is positive and implies a value received for value given. In this case several synonyms come to mind that give a clearer picture of what the Bushco did with the $44 Billion:squander, blow, lose, lavish, scatter, misspend, misuse, deplete, fritter, and– probably the most fitting of all considering the family tree of the Bushco–cast before swine!
August 27th, 2006 at 2:30 pmLooks like our country is going to hell in a handbag.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:30 pmhttp://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003226851_fragile26.html
it didn’t look like things were going as ’swimmingly well’ as Rocky seems to think.
Comment by Quadrajet — August 27, 2006 @ 2:11 pm
I don’t believe that Rockey was in DC for the photo op because of what he thinks. Or rather, Louisiana was the excuse, and he thinks he will be rewarded somehow by Pres Bush, whether with a job, or a political endorsement.
Rockey’s meeting with Pres Bush was part of the PR blitz the White House had been planning.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:32 pm#4 – Prince Myshkin
You are right on with this comment. The whole infrastructure in this nation is beginning to deteriorate. The leaky BP pipeline in Alaska and the weak levees in NO are just the start of the US trip to becoming a 3rd world country.
By the way… nice Slavic name… and welcome to TP.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:34 pmNo Child Left Behind act, the intention of which is to destroy the public school system, enabling its replacement by a voucher-based system of private Christians schools.
Comment by RealScientist — August 27, 2006 @ 2:17 pm
Last year I taugh a required Science class at a public high school under NCLB. This year, I teach an elective course in a public charter high school in a different district where NCLB has very minimal impact, and I can say that they have an outstanding job of ruining the public school system with this ridiculous policy.
I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I wouldn’t put it past the neocons to be this ruthless to get a forced theocracy in our country.
By the way, private Christian schools’ students actually test lower than public education systems because private schools pay less and can pick their teachers off the street should they wish. There are no requirements for teacher competence as there are in the public system. I might not be certified, but I do have degrees and 14 years of practical practice in the subject I am teaching. I have had to pass tests and maintain constant standards, including an advisory board and continued education in my field. Not so in the public school system.
Partly explains why we are become more ignorant and less educated each year…
August 27th, 2006 at 2:36 pmQuadrajet – after hearing Rocky speak, I can understand why he lost the election. He sounded too dumb to think, as a matter of fact, he is dumb as rocks saying that frat boy deserves another term in office. Whew!
August 27th, 2006 at 2:36 pmNot so in the private school system.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:38 pmI think the Bangladeshees could handle a disaster better than Monkey face Bush – To the people of New Orleans you have our Commiserations for a Disaster to happen while the worst president in The worlds History is on watch ( or holiday) Hope Things get better in November
August 27th, 2006 at 2:39 pm#11 – Clyde – as always.. you have the correct take on the situation. Yeah, spent/spend sounds positive…. waste, squander, misuse etc… is certainly more like it.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:39 pmTie this to the story that Barak Obama sponsored a bill putting all government contracting on the internet so you could see who got the contract, what was spent, if the project came in under budget, was the project ever finished, etc. And a “secret” senator put the bill on hold. So not only won’t we get contracting info but we aren’t even allowed to know who the butthead is who is blocking the bill.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:40 pm#16 – It was difficult to watch wasn’t it coffins? Maybe one of the reasons they picked Rocky for the role was that inaddition to the other benefits they thought they’d reap from this obvious PR stunt, he’s one of the few folks who could make bush look like a master of english.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:40 pmThings are going to get worse. This government does not care about keeping Americans safe. They only care about keeping their banks accounts filled with money.
Cheney/Rumsfeld/Bush and their cabal want to dumb down America and the best way to do that is to undereducate the children and restrict and control the media. I understand that there is only right wing radio shows available on morning radio in the mid-west so folks there have a difficult time hearing the truth. They must be in shock and awe when they see their children returning in flag drapped coffins. This is NOT what Cheney/Rumsfeld/Bush and cabal had told them.
I must take some exception to the quality of private schools. My daughters went to Catholic grade school and when they entered the public high school, they were way ahead of their classmates in English and Math. And this was way before No Child Left Behind.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:48 pm#21 – ROTFLMAO – that was funny. Yeah, Rocky made Bush look “intelligent”.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:50 pmThe Cheney/Rumsfeld/Bush and cabal National Security Plan:
Those incidents followed reports that the National Security Agency (NSA), the intelligence world’s electronic eavesdropping arm, is consuming so much electricity at its headquarters outside Washington that it is in danger of exceeding its power supply.
“If a terrorist group were able to knock the NSA offline, or disrupt one of the nation’s busiest airports, or shut down the most important oil pipeline in the nation, the impact would be perceived as devastating,” Beckner said. “And yet we’ve essentially let these things happen — or almost happen — to ourselves.” from the Seattle Times
Damn, they must be spending a lot of energy spying on us. Bush needs to learn how to conserve energy.
August 27th, 2006 at 2:56 pmNonetheless, the Constitution also pointedly extends the process of impeachment to “all civil officials,†and over the course of history, the process has been used–primarily against federal judges.
Does this mean that Judge Thomas, Scalia, Atila the hun and Roberts can be impeached? I say, lets’ go for it. We all know that Thomas is dumb as a rock.
August 27th, 2006 at 3:10 pmI just posted the first of a three-part series on my Katrina experiences. Please give it a look at America’s Least Wanted.
August 27th, 2006 at 3:14 pm#26 Coffins
ABSOLUTELY!
What the Constitution does not provide for, unfortunately, is a citizen driven impeachment initiated by a vote of the people. As long as the Impeachment proceedings must originate in the House there is no way for the citizenry to force the impeachment (of any civil officer) except through the general election. Every candidate for the House should be required to take a stand (A signed and witnessed oath that he/she would/would not vote for impeachment–without the equivocation of “if they are proven guilty.” Their guilt is a given) on Impeachment, with automatic resignation from office if the oath is broken. Every candidate for the Senate should be held to the same commitment about removing the impeached parties from office. The voters have a constitutional right to know where their elected and appointed officials stand before the election. Contrary to what Queen George the Dumb says about that “…God Damned piece of paper.”
August 27th, 2006 at 3:26 pmAmerican deaths in Iraq, Afghan wars approach 9/11 toll LIES LIES LIES America Civillian contractors in this Statement dont count otherwise a lot more killed than 9/11
2,973 victims killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
2622 American troops killed in Iraq
333 American troops killed in Afghanistan
237 America civilian contractors killed in Iraq
= 3192 Total Americans Killed
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
230 Coalition troops killed in Iraq
112 Coalition troops killed in Afghanistan
211 Coalition civilian contractors killed in Iraq
= 553 Total Coalition Killed
August 27th, 2006 at 3:42 pmYou know Clyde, I agree and we should add that the President must automatically step down when he trashes the Constitution, you know, the one the President swears to uphold. In Bush’s case, he thinks that holding up a paper copy of the Constitution in the air is the same as upholding the Constitution.
August 27th, 2006 at 3:43 pmTobey – how do folks in the UK feel about Blair? Do you think that he may be forced to resign? Would like to get a perspective from across the pond on this.
August 27th, 2006 at 3:59 pm#26 – Coffins draped with flags,
August 27th, 2006 at 4:03 pmShame on you for insulting rocks, Judge Thomas thanks you for the compliment.
My deepest apologies to rocks. Come to think of it, rocks actually have vibrations and there are no thought vibrations inside Judge Thomas’ head. Bad analogy on my part.
August 27th, 2006 at 4:06 pmWaltTheMan – you can just call me Coffins. Everyone else does. Saves on typing.
August 27th, 2006 at 4:06 pm#34 – Coffins,
August 27th, 2006 at 4:23 pmI just cut and paste from the tag line. Eliminates typing entirely.
36#29/ My point was a headline I found that will soon be all over your papers
American deaths in Iraq, Afghan wars approach 9/11 toll
This Headline is untrue because I does NOT already count American Civillian contractors which is 237 dead in Iraq
I find it pathetic that these are not included into the final figures of American deaths therefore the headline is UNTRUE
And Coffin# 31 ….. Most people in the UK now absolutaly HATE blair …whats worse is David Cameron ( The Tory bastard) looks like winning next time round and hes worse thatn Blair who is a mass murdering Thief as far as Im Concerned
what the goverments BIG GAME IS
18 years Tory then 18 years Labour then another 18 years Tory
August 27th, 2006 at 5:11 pmMeanwhile My life has gone past nothing got better and now my children have to suffer the same fate —- ITS ALL SHIT
what the goverments BIG GAME IS
18 years Tory then 18 years Labour then another 18 years Tory
Meanwhile My life has gone past nothing got better and now my children have to suffer the same fate —- ITS ALL SHIT
Comment by Tobey Tall — August 27, 2006 @ 5:11 pm
No, its the fallacy of democracy. I have never seen people running a country.
August 27th, 2006 at 5:20 pmTobey – OMG – that is horrible news. Guess Blair ruined it for the Labor Party. ITS ALL SHIT… just like here.
August 27th, 2006 at 5:20 pmNO may KO the GOoP
August 27th, 2006 at 5:33 pmTobey Tall,
At least Blair was able to offer something different. Although it wasn’t a very good different, it was better than the preceding tory darkness. Cameron even described himself as ‘Blair’s heir’- all he offers is more of the depressing same. We can change the government, but we can hardly change the ideology of cheap populism that rules all three parties.
August 27th, 2006 at 5:38 pmThat’s all delightful and everything, and I am sure that plenty of Bushtards got to stick their hand into the big till, but at some point the money needs to be spent on something other than hookers and travel to the Caymans!
When will that happen? And who will be in charge of that?
Bueller?
Bueller?
Anyone?
ANYONE AT ALL!?!?
August 27th, 2006 at 6:26 pmnice of these polling companies to only ask liberal assholes what they think. anybody that believes these polls is a leftard just looking for more lies to attack Bush with. I wish you commie leftards would get real.
August 27th, 2006 at 6:55 pm#43
You made one glaring grammatical error with your oxymoron. There are no liberal assholes. All assholes, by definition, are Neocons and/or trolls. Bye, Asshole.
August 27th, 2006 at 7:40 pmThe man should be our president….maybe he will be if we deserve him by doing the work of drafting him to run. Gore knows what the constitution means, what the media can do and how it can be abused, is up on technologies necessary to produce energy in the context of global warming, has the real kind of humility needed for true dialogue, is brilliant, and has “been there.” Experience. Oh he’s also honest…how quaint
August 27th, 2006 at 8:31 pmhttp://draftgore2008.org/
The very thing I find most disconcerning about the ABC article is the absence of any mention of where the money was spend on. “Hurricane recovery” by itself is far too vague. That may sound harsh in regards of the poll’s further contents, but I am of the opinion, based on the current administration’s economic record, that a more specific breakdown (
August 27th, 2006 at 8:51 pmOf course, most people belive the money has been wasted. Government is not and never has been and never will be an efficient or effective redistributor of income or responsible financial manager….This is what conservatives have been saying for decades. I am glad to see so many liberals are now seeing things our way. Hopefully, both sides can now join hands and work together to cut back of wasteful domestic spending and reduce the role of government in our everyday lives.
August 27th, 2006 at 8:54 pmThe disappearance of billions in supposed aid is no accident. Bush doesn’t want New Orleans rebuilt, not the way it was before anyway. He doesn’t want the people who were forced to flee to come back. His cronies want to grab all the real estate and turn the place into Orlando, Florida, one big jambalaya, dixieland Disneyland.
August 27th, 2006 at 9:13 pmGovernment is not and never has been and never will be an efficient or effective redistributor of income or responsible financial manager….This is what conservatives have been saying for decades.
Comment by Exley — August 27, 2006 @ 8:54 pm
And in this case it would qualify as a self-fulfilling prophecy, wouldn’t it?
You have to admit it is an amazing coincidence that at a time when conservatives (those who were supposedly for a small government, so small it could be drowned in a bathtub) are in charge of all branches of government, the deficit has ballooned to record levels, and the government has not grown smaller but bigger.
It’s almost as if conservatives didn’t really want a small government after all, otherwise they would’ve already put in place those fiscal policies they’ve been crowing about “for decades”, instead of using it as a gravy train and/or personal bank for pork barrel spending. We can also think of it a testament to their inability to implement their own policies, good or bad.
August 27th, 2006 at 11:46 pmGregor, I could not agree with you more. This Republican Congress and administration have been an absolute disgrace in it continued funding of wasteful welfare and domestic entitlement programs and pork barrel projects. When it comes to domestic spending, the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress have betrayed the Reagan and Gingrich Revolutions. It seems we are all on the same page here when we say that the size of government must be reduced and wasteful entitlement programs slashed and useless government agencies eliminated.
August 27th, 2006 at 11:55 pmIt seems we are all on the same page here when we say that the size of government must be reduced and wasteful entitlement programs slashed and useless government agencies eliminated.
Comment by Exley — August 27, 2006 @ 11:55 pm
Exley, what I was trying to say is that you have been duped. Bamboozled. Hoodwinked. Punk’d. This administration never believed a word they said, whether on small government, “compassionate” conservatism, WMDs. Iraq, deficit, slashing spending, etc., etc.
Of course the Bush administration proved government is not a good, efficient manager of resources. Conservative pundits repeated that mantra to avoid being held responsible when the stuff hit the fan. In fact, government can be a good financial manager -if the people in charge are responsible to begin with, or held accountable if they fail.
As for reducing the size of goverment, it is not so much the agencies that I object to, as it is the extent to which the federal government interferes with the states’ rights (another conservative mantra), the “inherent powers” legal justifications to extend the president’s reach (making the federal government, in fact, very big) and all the new programs the Bush administration came up with to combat the ever ill-defined “terrorism”, and assorted evil-doers.
Regarding “entitlement programs”, that’s a code word for social programs, welfare being the most talked about. Conservatives never mention the corporate entitlement programs that feed big defence contractors to the tune of billions of dollars a year -in what amounts to corporate welfare. Big pharma, oil, and agro-business all get huge subsidies that you and I have to contribute to through our taxes. Next to those, social program spending is very small.
We are all againt government overspending, we happen to disagree where to spend the money. I’d rather create opportunities to help Americans move up the social ladder, than make bombs that will be dropped in Iraq. Or Lebanon. Or Iran. Just like in ancient Rome, militarism cannot be good for the health of the republic.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:47 am#54
Actually, your statement is quite incorrect. Domestic entitlement spending has far exceeded national defense spending over the period you referenced.
“Notably, over the past 40 years, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have collectively become the largest component of the federal budget (see Figure 1 and Table 1).
By 2000, spending for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid equaled 7.6 percent of GDP, triple the 1962 level for Social Security alone. The three programs combined accounted for the largest share of the government’s total outlays. Defense spending had fallen to 3 percent of GDP, and all other noninterest spending stood at 5.4 percent”
http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=3521&sequence=0
August 28th, 2006 at 12:58 amRay “School Bus” Nagin was Meet the Press yesterday, and he stated that federal money HAS reached the state government of Louisiana, but has been passed from the state government to the local government, or the people.
During the Katrina crisis, it was the governor of Louisiana who refused for days to federalize the national guard, so that a coordinated effort by the federal government could come in and help the refugees.
There has been bad blood between Nagin and the Dem governor, ever since Nagin endorsed a challenger to the governor in a race a few years back.
If you are sincere in your desire to help the refugees, then lean on the state government of Louisiana, and not Bush and the federal government. I suspect you aren’t sincere, and just want another club to beat on Bush, and are happy to see the refugees hung out to dry by your own Democratic Party for that purpose.
August 28th, 2006 at 8:17 amre: #57 Hendler attempts to send Mayor Nagin to the back of the bus
August 28th, 2006 at 9:01 amand are happy to see the REFUGEES hung out to dry by your own Democratic Party for that purpose.
Comment by Jason M. Hendler
Nice, Jason, nice. So you still are using “refugees”, huh? Great compassion there, Jason.
August 28th, 2006 at 10:03 amHere’s an idea.
After you’ve done your tour of duty in Iraq, you can volunteer to help those EVACUEES rebuild their lives
Broken Promises
By: John Amato on Sunday, August 27th, 2006 at 9:41 PM – PDT
Paul Krugman: (reg req)
Apologists for the administration will doubtless claim that blame for the lack of progress rests not with Mr. Bush, but with the inherent inefficiency of government bureaucracies. That’s the great thing about being an antigovernment conservative: even when you fail at the task of governing, you can claim vindication for your ideology…
these criminals in charge hate the government and work hard to prove that they are right… confounding that the same energy won’t be put into making it work correctly…
August 28th, 2006 at 11:17 amimagine that…
Post three week vacational test…
August 28th, 2006 at 2:56 pmAlas, I fear Jason M. Hendley may have a point…
The incompetence over Katrina stretches from the bottom to the top of the chain, from the beginning of the disaster to the present. Let’s not let everyone else off the hook in the pursuit of Bush.
August 28th, 2006 at 3:02 pm