Eric Cantor May Block/Slow Down Disaster Relief

For his home state and possibly even home district.

Comments

[Republicans Suck]

Cantor's demented.

[Dan]

I admit that I'm not a fan of the little rat faced bastard but this seems like a really stupid statement for him to have made. Even by teabagger nitwit standards. Which is who this idiotic nonsense was clearly meant to appeal to.

It's a stupid statement on its face to anyone familiar with how federal disaster relief works and how funds for it are appropriated. But it is a politically damaging statement that didn't have to be made and serves no useful purpose.

This isn't going to help him or his pathetic political party with sane, normal, non-ideological voters. So I suppose I should be happy he is making moronic public statements like this. But does he really believe this stuff or does he truly think he needs to say these stupid things to appeal to the far right nuts who are dominating Republican politics these days? Does he fear a teabagger primary opponent?

I've always thought he was a smarmy little creep but I didn't think he was stupid. Perhaps I have given him too much credit.

It's hard to believe that a majority leader of the House of Representatives would say something like this. This is a leader? Amazing.

[Wolfwood]

Craziness! I mean, when the last storm tore the siding off my home, I just took more from my neighbors at gunpoint and printed the remainder. Did I switch to store-brand food and carpool to work? No sir! Did I cancel my island vacation plans and simply hike Old Rag instead? No sir!

Congressman Cantor, you, sir, are demented! There is not a cent, A CENT, in federal spending that can be cut without some grandmother starving to death or non-aborted child having trouble concentrating in school. Shame on you, sir!

[Sam]

Wolfwood,

I'm sorry, but you are dispicable, and it is crystal clear you have never actually set foot in a disaster area. Federal disaster funds go almost exlusively to covering damage far beyond any reasonable person's insurance, providing food because there IS NONE (no supply, zip, nadda, not just people not "lowering themselves" to store brand), re-BUILDing schools and roads (good luck concentrating and carpooling in schools and on roads that don't exist) and dealing with other calamities that affect multitudes of people through no fault of their own.

Your blindness to this is sickening, moreover, your complete ignorance to the fact that all of this MUST be done with speed, and that there is not time to dick around finding more programs to cut while people are literally starving (you know, that sensation you get when you have no food, the one your privileged little stomach has never had to feel) is just dumb.

I won't hesitate to send my tax dollars to re-build your community, it's not your fault the storm came, the roads got washed out, your employer is gone, and your food stores are empty. The fact that you don't share that basic compassion just sells the selfish ass you really are.

[Dan]

Wolfwood, the issue of disaster relief is not related to what you or Congressman Cantor or any of your teabagging buddies would like to see cut from the federal budget. His statement was nonsensical and politically motivated and while it seems to have appealed to you it didn't likely sit well with citizens who actually use the brains God gave them.

I realize that people like the nitwit Congressman seem to think the New Deal and the Great Society are passing fads and that there is widespread support for ending Social Security and Medicare. You and the Congressman are free to nurse such silly notions but that doesn't mean your fantasies have a thing to do with federal disaster relief.

If some nitwit Congressman got up and said we must immediately withdraw all troops from Afghanistan in order to pay for federal relief to the victims of the Joplin, MO tornado (that was the first time Cantor tried out this nonsense) and relief for the victims of the impending landfall of Hurricane Irene I'm sure Cantor would be appalled and would never admit that that stupidity would be identical to his own.

If you want to end Medicare as Paul Ryan does (and all but four Republican House members voted to do) or end Social Security as Gov Goodhair from Texas advocates in his book, you are welcome to try to convince a majority of the American people that's a swell idea and we should do it. Good luck with that one. If you have any grip on reality at all you'll realize it ain't gonna happen. But your (and Cantor's) political delusions are unrelated to federal disaster relief.

Although, I do welcome as many of these types of statements as possible from Cantor between now and election day 2012. This is just what the general electorate needs to hear more of.

[Steve Vaughan]

Shorter Wolfwood:

"I got mine. F*** you, Jack."

The Real Republican Creed.

[Wolfwood]

I'm incredulous that people here don't understand that money doesn't grow on trees AND think there's no way to fund disaster relief with what we have. How about every federal employee making over $100,000 takes a 10% pay cut? How about a 5% across-the-board budget cut? If disaster aid is so crucial (not to mention "shared sacrifice," as the man who uses two planes to fly his family of four to an exclusive vacation destination calls it), why are you against paying for it?

I did go several times to help after Katrina. I saw a lot of able-bodied folks who'd been sitting in their FEMA trailers watching TV for months instead of picking up a shovel.

[Sam]

Speaking practically, Wolfwood, I don't think it's particularly wise to make disaster relief funding for our state contingent upon Senators of Congressmen from unaffected states agreeing to cut funding to discretionary programs in their own states.

Does anyone here really want to wait around for two months while Congress and the President go back and forth over spending cuts before we finally start clearing the debris out of the roads and repairing damage to public buildings? Could that possibly sound like a good idea to anyone?

[Ghost of RWR]

No he won't. This is just silly stuff, Ben.

[VAPolitico]

Shorter Wolfwood, part II:

I saw lazy people one time, so fuck all people who get hit by a hurricane.

[Tatum]

Let's just put it on your credit card Ben.

[Wolfwood]

Shorter Wolfwood:
The US has some of the most violent weather in the world, so the responsible thing to do is set aside money for disaster relief in our budget. This should be done by reallocating resources and not by borrowing ad hoc, raising taxes, or printing more money.

[Lovettsville Lady]

OMG!!! How radical! He wants to cut something from the budget to pay for something else? Like American families must do everyday of their lives? Live within a budget?!! OMG, the man is crazy!!!

[truthteller]

Selfish is as selfish does. If you guys want to pay for emergency preparedness, agree to let the Bush tax cuts expire. Don't hold disaster aid hostage or force cuts to essential programs for food, housing, shelter or jobs so that you can revel in your moral superiority and pat yourselves on the backs as you refuse to share in the sacrifice.

Charles Schwab, Warren Buffett and Mark Zuckerberg have all said that it is bunk that rich people create jobs when they have lower taxes. They'd prefer to contribute directly to provide for essential services through restoring taxes to the Clinton era rates. We had unprecedented prosperity under the Clinton tax rates while we had anemic growth and actually lost jobs after the Bush tax cuts.

Time to share sacrifice selfish ones!

[NotJohnSMosby]

You have to love Republican logic: Start aggressive war in Iraq and put it on the credit card? Sure. Pay for food and shelter for citizens hit by a hurricane or earthquake? Not unless you can come up with the money elsewhere.

The funny part is, if a tornado hit Lovettsville Looney's house - hopefully with her in it - I'm sure there would be immediate demands for the evil government to come help out.

[truthteller]

Surprised we havent heard back from the right wing trolls. Maybe Lovettsville lady was blown out of town on her flying broomstick.

[NotJohnSMosby]

Nah, I'm sure their god spares all good, righteous Teabaggers.

[truthteller]

Wonder if Cantor and his minyons still agree that all the costs of Irene must be offset now that its his district and his right-leaning constituents who got nailed by the hurricane's impact. Power outages are centered in the Henrico, Chesterfield, Goochland, hanover, Richmond part of his district.

[Old Redneck]

Can't-er is not the only jackass -- Rob Wittman is right there with him.

How about us folks here in Northumberland, Lancaster, Essex, and Richmond counties?

As of 0730 Monday morning, Northumberland County is without power and, according to the Northern Neck Electric Co-op, we won't have power for "days or weeks."

Here: http://outages.nnec.coop/

And here: http://www.nnec.coop/Articles/...

This is Rob Wittman territory and he is nowhere to be seen. I'm certain Wittman supports Cantor's approach to emergency funds.

Meanwhile, here in Northumberland County:
-- those of us with whole-house generators and generators on our wells are in good shape;
-- Red Cross shelter is still operating in the high school;
-- 911 landlines are down;
-- and the rightwingers are braying about how stupid Mayor Bloomberg of NYC is for stopping the subways and buses.

And -- the Old Redneck is a Katrina suvivor -- I moved to the Northern Neck after losing my home, my truck, and everything I owned in Katrina. It's safer here.

[Bubby Hussein, Hillbilly Sheikh]

Silly voters, Eric Cantor doesn't represent the interests of Va CD 7, he represents the interests of a narrow group of right-wing trust-funders, corporations, ideological pimps and his own over-sized aspirations. His sights are set way beyond the common concerns of the people who elected him. Rob Wittman? He's just following Cantor's lead, it looks like a safe bet.