Federal agencies only used a small fraction of more than $800 million in Hurricane Katrina assistance offered by foreign governments. Even neighbor, Canada!
Now, someone in the Bush Administration in 2005 had the authority to reject this generous and desperately needed aid. I call to your attention that at the time, Congress voted to extend the ceiling on the national debt to cover our exploding trade deficits, foreign IOUs, and expensive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our National Guard and Military Reserves - deployed then and now to the Middle East – are still unavailable for mobilization stateside. The US national debt is now approaching $9 trillion and soon Congress will once again have to extend our deficit spending threshold to $10 or $11 trillion.
The season is fast approaching - June 2007 - and the Bush FEMA Hurricane Emergency Plan is not ready. "A modified version of the plan in place during Katrina will be followed" instead. So, if some part of our coastal shores – mainland or territories – are hard hit in 2007 will the Bush administration again reject foreign assistance as if did in 2005?
To date the Bush administration has offered little, if any, explanation for its 2005 “national disaster foreign aid relief” policy. Was it really ‘policy’ or just another ‘good job, Brownie’ screw-up?
While we're at it, I have a few more “national disaster foreign aid relief” policy questions:
Which department within the administration formulated the policy? Is it a ‘written’ policy or ‘tacit?’ If written, has it been make public? If not, why not?
Will it continue to be the official Bush administration position this year if 2007 is as active a hurricane season as predicted, and the US gets slammed?
What exactly is the official 'rationale du jour' for rejecting the aid? Did the Bush administration reject foreign assistance for the Katrina hurricane event only? Did Florida or any other US state or territory receive or accept foreign aid prior to Katrina - specifically between 2001-2005 - for natural disaster relief? If so, why was the policy changed after Katrina?
Strangely, a small portion of the $800 million offered was actually utilized. What criteria were used for deciding which countries’ aid to accept and which to reject? Exactly what does a country have to 'do' or 'be' to give US money or assistance? Why were members of the 'Coalition of the Willing' offers rejected? UN Security Council members?
Remember, after 9-11 Bush boomed to the world... "You're either with us or agin us!!"
Well, who the hell can tell??
It could be a helluva season agin, Brownie…
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