'Does Jindal have a volcano in his backyard?'; Jindal "stands by his statement"

[Bluebear]

Washington (IANS): Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has drawn criticism for his performance in delivering the Republican Party's response to President Barack Obama's speech on the flagging economy, with some even upset with his questioning spending on monitoring volcanos that he knows little about...

"Does the Governor have a volcano in his backyard?" Royce Pollard, the mayor of Vancouver, Washington, said on Wednesday. "We have one that is very active, and it still rumbles and spits and coughs very frequently."

Singling out a $140 million appropriation for the US Geological Survey (USGS), the rising Republican star questioned why "something called volcano monitoring" was included in the stimulus plan.

"Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington," Jindal said.

But Marianne Guffanti, a volcano researcher at the USGS, said: "We don't throw the money down the crater of the volcano and watch it burn up."...

Timmy Teepell, Jindal's chief of staff, said the governor stands by his statement.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200902261112.htm

[fujiyama]

1. Typical ass hole republican

He probably thinks a volcano can be exorcised.

[roguevalley]

7. I have four. Perhaps I should assemble boats and go see the sheriff ... oh wait.

we don't have sheriffs here. Never mind.

[EFerrari]

2. This is what happens when you leave Republicans alone with

the English language and a microphone.

Even worse, imo, was his criticism of funding the census. That's so many jobs at better than minimum wage and there's little if any training needed so people go right to work. What an idiot.

[47of74]

3. First W., and now Jindal.

[ZombieHorde]

4. Republicans don't like geology. nt

[acmavm]

9. Republicans apparently don't like intelligence either.

[Believing Is Art]

5. I'm having trouble even organizing my thought w.r.t. Jindal's speech

First off, how does the repub-controlled government's failure during Katrina prove that we should not trust a dem-controlled government in times of crises? From a non-partisan p.o.v., should we not give them a chance before passing judgment?

Second, if the government should not be trusted and not be given the task to handle natural disasters like Katrina, then who? Should each state have its own emergency response organization? States do not have these resources. It is inherently unequal, too. Citizens of more affluent states would have a better chance of survival and better rebuilding efforts than those in less affluent states. So the rest of the country and the government just sits on their hands and hums while part of the union lies in ruin? And even if these points were untrue and all states had the resources to put together competent teams, would that not be redundant, wasteful, and inefficient? If Jindal doesn't even think it's the responsibility of state governments but of private citizens, then he is something beyond delusional. Private citizens and corporations simply don't have the resources, and it's not their responsibility. No one had an obligation to volunteer or donate in the aftermath of Katrina. It was the right thing to do, but it was not our responsibility. It's our responsibility to pay taxes to fund FEMA and to elect competent leaders to run such organizations. We are not required to drop our lives and personally go clean up the aftermath of disasters. We can't function that way. That's one of many reasons why we have a central government.

Third, why is funding the census a bad thing? Aside from creating jobs, it tells our government where and how our money should be spent. It's a step in the direction of efficiency. I'd really think a Republican would be in favor of efficiency.

Fourth, isn't Louisiana a perfect example of why we need more funding to monitor potential environmental disasters? And considering Mt. Redoubt's recent crankiness, isn't it an inopportune time to criticize investing in volcanic monitoring?

Fifth, while I'm touched by the financial suffering his parents endured to provide him with the American dream, isn't this a great argument for universal, affordable health care?

I don't think Jindal really resides on planet Earth.

[Roadless]

6. What a complete moron.

That's all you can say.

[orleans]

8. no volcano in his backyard, but i believe he has a hole in his head

where the wind just blows through and where his intelligence has escaped from years ago.


on the other hand, he does have a bug up his ass

[PVnRT]

10. Maybe we could cut weather monitoring in the Gulf

After all, where I live, hurricanes really don't affect me that much.

[Reader Rabbit]

11. "Jindal stands by his statement."

Of course he does: Republicans never admit they are wrong. They just keep repeating the bullshit loudly, in the hope that, eventually, people will believe it.

[olegramps]

12. I would love to see him standing in front of roaring river of hot lava.

I am surprised that someone hasn't come out with a cartoon of Jindal holding up a big Cross to quiet the erupting volcano and stem the flow of lava as it rolls over him. When I was a kid I remember some priest doing this. I think it was in Hawaii, but could be mistake on location. Any way it didn't work and he had to high tail it out of the way. All the kids I hung around with thought that was hilarious. By the way we were all in Catholic school together. It has been rumored that this Jindal guy is a cult member of Opus Dei. Can't say for sure since its a secret cult.

[Generic Other]

13. Active volcanos in three states last I noticed

all near population centers.

Hell, why are we wasting taxpayer money on Hurricane Watch? Who needs NOA? Ground those hurricane watchers now. Screw rebuilding levies. Get rid of the Army Corps of Engineers. Let NOLA figure out how to patch their own leaks.

Jesus that Jindal is stupider than sarah palin. But then we already knew that any person of color who thinks the GOP looks out for their interests is a self-loathing pitiful excuse for a man. Like volunteering to be a Jewish cop in the nazi camps.