HURRICANE SANDY AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

In the aftermath of yet another natural disaster, Americans are once again being implored by the Red Cross and other Relief Organizations to contribute funds to help their fellow citizens.  All well and good.  Americans always help their own after devastating events such as this.

My question is, where is their government?  Rhetorical question number one.  Beyond platitudes, helicopter tours of the impacted cities and towns, the promise of help and the declaration of disaster area's, I see little in the way of assistance to the thousands who have lost nearly everything.  Seaside Heights, Mantiloking and Breezy Point, New Jersey being just three of the cities having been devastated by Sandy.

As with Hurricane Katrina and the 2011 Virginia earthquake, Americans will step up and donate billions of dollars.  Most of it will be pissed away and five, ten plus years from now; cities, towns and people will still be trying to rebuild and recover their lives.  FEMA, will send formaldehyde saturated trailers or tell people that despite millions of dollars in damage incurred by the quake, they don't "qualify" for funds and remain the the feckless, bloated and useless government entity that it is.

While Rome is only partially burning, it's obvious the Federal Government really doesn't care.  $50 billion dollars is one of the estimates of Sandy's devastation.  In the grand scheme of American dollars, a mere drop in the bucket.  Would it be too much to ask that the 537 political hacks who supposedly represent the 330 million, suspend that amount in foreign aid to our  "allies" in the War on Terror, War on Drugs, War on (insert name of effort here) and instead focus those funds and efforts to help our own citizens?  Rhetorical question number two.  The money would certainly be better spent and go to those who truly need it.

While I am not a fan of hand outs or the government coming to the rescue every time someone's pier gets washed away or their car destroyed by flooding waters; portions of whole towns burned, flooded tunnels and subway systems, $20 billion dollars in economic damage and $30 billion in property destruction, create an exception.

It's about time our representatives concentrate on the health, well being and recovery of their citizens.  Sadly, that is far too much to ask of men and women more concerned and focused on bitter, vitriolic partisanship sniping.  The latter, in their small minds, obviously trumping the former, in importance.