White House Backpedals on Flood Control

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-wh/2005/sep/01/090104609.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House scrambled Thursday to defend itself against criticism that it has consistently proposed cutting the budget for Army Corps of Engineers water and flood control projects - including several that could have mitigated the disaster in New Orleans.

Just in February, President Bush proposed cutting the Corps' budget by 7 percent. The year before, Bush proposed a 13 percent cut.

Both cuts are part of an annual ritual in Washington in which the president shortchanges lawmakers' pet projects, knowing Congress will restore the money later on.

On Thursday, however, the Bush White House made available top Corps officials to assure reporters that cuts to the agency's budget did not cause the disaster. Even though the administration has chronically cut back on the Corps of Engineers' own requests for funding - including two key New Orleans-area projects - White House officials trumpeted the administration's support for the Corps.

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[achtung_circus]

1. Correction, asshole

the cuts did not cause the hurricane.

They caused or contibuted to the disaster.

Case closed.

Asshole

(not you)

[xxqqqzme]

2. yea, like I'm gonna believe

anything coming out of these lying mouths.

[HereSince1628]

3. I interpret that as Rove directed Army officials to lie

And I have the feeling that a majority of Americans feel the same way.

Personally, I think that prioritizing tax cuts and optional wars above the safety of the citizenry is DEPRAVED indifference, and THAT is a criminal, and therefore impeachable offense.

[chomskysright]

20. "MALEVOLENT NEGLECT" (u can hook that to the NPD that Bush's GOT...

Narcissistic Personality Disorder: see the DSM IV for psychiatric dx

[DBoon]

22. and the only people left in management positions

are those who know if they don't lie they will lose their jobs in disgrace.

Which is what Bush does to people who speak the truth.

[WCGreen]

4. We shall see if the MSM rolls over on this one....

[cmdrxog]

6. they'll roll

The people trapped by the situation are being portrayed as the reason for failure to deliver water, food or rescue. The spin is blaming the "looters and shooters" for what can only be a deliberate policy of letting the poor perish. Throw in the appeal to racism and not many will even remember the words flood control. Another classic sleight-of-hand
trick from the master delusionist.

[Jacobin]

9. they'll roll like bb's

[StrafingMoose]

10. Exactly...

that's what I get in Canada though. Come on, "we can't do our work, our choppers are getting shot at". Seriously, who the hell would have the balls to shoot a _military_ Chinook?!

Bush's minion? "Uh...well, we know the flood control was bad, let's 'produce' an excuse for not being able to deal with it now!"

[jpak]

5. My Favorite Lie

"Flood control has been a priority of this administration from Day One," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.

No...

I-raq and tax-cuts for billionaires and 5-week Pig Farm vacations were your fucking priorities from Day One.

[athenap]

15. He just missed a word...

"Low"

[fob]

19. Well, asskroft made sure New Orleans was HIS ttop priority upon

receiving the ill-gotten reins of the AG position. He put a sting on hookers in New Orleans ABOVE terrorism in early 2001.

[StrafingMoose]

7. And if this gets too much of a hot potato...

Bush will blame al-Qaeda! "They hate freedom, democracy, and...New Orleans!"

[VegasWolf]

8. Bush says that prayer is sufficient. Levees not needed. nt

[rodeodance]

11. I saw that top Army Corp guy twice today--doing exactly that!!

[NYC Liberal]

12. "cuts to the agency's budget did not cause the disaster"

Uh no shit? Of COURSE they didn't CAUSE the hurricane! They did however make NO less able to DEAL WITH the EFFECTS of it

[Zenlitened]

13. Compare the republican apologists' tap-dancing to this DU thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1744903&mesg_id=1744903

It's a Reuters report that links Bush's budget cuts DIRECTLY to the level of damage in New Orleans.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bush administration funding cuts forced federal engineers to delay improvements on the levees, floodgates and pumping stations that failed to protect New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters, agency documents showed on Thursday.

The former head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the agency that handles the infrastructure of the nation's waterways, said the damage in New Orleans probably would have been much less extensive had flood-control efforts been fully funded over the years.

"Levees would have been higher, levees would have been bigger, there would have been other pumps put in," said Mike Parker, a former Mississippi congressman who headed the engineering agency from 2001 to 2002.

"I'm not saying it would have been totally alleviated but it would have been less than the damage that we have got now."

Direct link to Yahoo:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050901/pl_nm/weather_katrina_funding_dc_1

[JoFerret]

14. Let them run around plugging

...the holes in their political levee. And then drown.

[KAZ]

16. Let God sort em out....

I won't type the first part of that saying.

Chimp, I spit on you and your family.

[opihimoimoi]

17. The EXCUSE ADMINISTRATION....its been all excuses, no beef, not even tuna

[rocktivity]

18. You didn't finish shoring up the levees, did you?

And you didn't because the funding for it was pulled, wasn't it?

So HOW can you say the cuts and the failed levees are not connected?

:headbang:
rocknation

[chomskysright]

21. BRING DOWN THE FURY OF THE PEOPLE