Saturday, December 22, 2012

More than a leaky roof




Sen. Gillibrand tears-up over Sandy
The $60 billion Hurricane Sandy disaster bill

$336 million for Amtrak.
$276 million would go for “enhanced protection and improved recovery capability” of New York’s Penn Station and its tunnels. But that sum also includes money to begin design and construction of Amtrak’s signature Gateway program, a $14.6 billion tunnel project intended to ease congestion between Newark, N.J., and Manhattan.  The remaining $60 million would cover Amtrak’s operating losses incurred as a result of the storm. 
(American Taxpayer Insurance Association-no premium required) 

$17 billion for Community Development Block Grant funding.($2 billion would be used to mitigate future disasters.)

$4 billion for Army Corps of Engineers water/navigation projects

$2 million for roofs at the Smithsonian. (Did I mention that the Smithsonian Fiscal Year 2013 Federal Budget Request Totals $857 Million? And…. FY2012 salaries were already appropriated at $635,512,000 and they are requesting $660,333,000 for FY2013) There’s more than a leaky roof over there....

$150 million for fisheries disasters — not just in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy, but for any area of the country where a fishery disaster has occurred. That could include Alaska, the Gulf Coast, New England and other areas not touched by the hurricane. The money will “help make communities whole.”

$300,000 to replace Secret Service vehicles and comm  equipment.
$855,000 to replace Immigrations and Customs vehicles.

$2.4 million for Customs and Border Protection to replace vehicles (including mobile X-ray scanners) and other equipment.

$20,000 for the Justice Department’s inspector general, to replace vehicles, equipment and furniture.

$230,000 to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to replace vehicles, communications equipment and furniture.

NOAA: $44.5 million to repair and upgrade its hurricane reconnaissance aircraft, and $8.5 million to improve its weather forecasting equipment and supercomputer infrastructure.
$3.5 billion for water projects “related to the consequences of natural disasters,” of which $2.9 billion is to be used to “reduce future flood risk in ways that will support the long-term sustainability of the coastal ecosystem

$821 million to help pay for dredging federal navigation channels and repair damage to corps projects nationwide that are “related to natural disasters.

Ok, I missed the money part about all the people that are suffering. I heard the tearful story from Sen. Gillibrand about the lady that lost her children during the storm and all the terrible conditions people have to deal with. The nation observes Christmas with all the trimmings whilst Sandy refuges scavenge dumpsters. I’m sorry.
One more time; I missed the money part about all the people that are suffering.

I get it. Life is not fair. Talk to God; get your hand out of my pocket.





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