Karma is a female dog

[Hawkmoon]

Again.

http://www.newser.com/story/247860/hurricane-harvey-stirs-up-old-grudges-for-ny-nj-republicans.html

New York and New Jersey congresscritters point out that their colleagues from Texas voted against federal aid for the northeast after hurricane sandy, but now want federal bucks for Houston.

[makattak]

Again.

http://www.newser.com/story/247860/hurricane-harvey-stirs-up-old-grudges-for-ny-nj-republicans.html

New York and New Jersey congresscritters point out that their colleagues from Texas voted against federal aid for the northeast after hurricane sandy, but now want federal bucks for Houston.

Ah yes. Objecting to a pork laden bill is EXACTLY like requesting aid.


Of course, I don't think this should be the federal government's job, anyway, but as with everything left, it's LIE LIE LIE LIE LIE.

[Ben]

Ah yes. Objecting to a pork laden bill is EXACTLY like requesting aid.


Of course, I don't think this should be the federal government's job, anyway, but as with everything left, it's LIE LIE LIE LIE LIE.

I only hope that Trump insists the bill for Harvey is an absolutely clean bill. It disgusts me when congress (both sides of the aisle) always add pork to bills like this, that are distinctly about providing direct aid to a particular event.

[230RN]

Line item veto.  Line item veto.  Line item veto.

Although we wouldn't have Park carry with it.  Still, you takes yer chances.

[Hawkmoon]

I only hope that Trump insists the bill for Harvey is an absolutely clean bill. It disgusts me when congress (both sides of the aisle) always add pork to bills like this, that are distinctly about providing direct aid to a particular event.

That's the crux of the issue. "There ought'a be a law" that requires congressional bills to address one thing, and one thing only, so each "thing" can be voted for or against based on the merits of the thing in question -- not the relative merits and demerits of a dozen other, mostly unrelated, things that have been stuck onto the bill either in the hopes of riding coattails or as poison pills.

[DittoHead]

an absolutely clean bill.

Wouldn't that be something?

GOP leaders seeking a way out of their September logjam are talking about tying a disaster aid bill for Hurricane Harvey to a larger measure funding the government and raising the nation’s borrowing limit.

[Ben]

Wouldn't that be something?

If that, or something similar, is what pops up, I'll be really interested to see how Cruz votes on it. I had a lot of respect for his Sandy decision, but am prepared to lose that respect if he flip flops here.

I am perhaps naive. I get that they always wheel and deal on other bills with pork, etc. When it's something like targeted disaster relief though, I just do not understand the mindset of "gimme" politics. A sane (or perhaps naive) person would think that our reps would see themselves getting a lot more respect (and votes at reelection time) by all insisting on a clean bill, versus adding "shrimp on a treadmill" to a bill designed to save lives and repair damage.

[MikeB]

Yes, this was yet another time Christy showed his true colors. He never acknowledged the pork and was just gimme, gimme. He could have advocated for the removal of the pork. Living not so far from the Jersey shore; I have other issues with them continuing to get my tax dollars to rebuild. I know a number of people that have had their homes rebuilt twice or more in only 10 years or so. At some point you shouldn’t be able to have other people rebuild your house if the same disaster keeps happening over and over. If the location is that prone to disaster then don’t build there.

[MechAg94]

Yes, this was yet another time Christy showed his true colors. He never acknowledged the pork and was just gimme, gimme. He could have advocated for the removal of the pork. Living not so far from the Jersey shore; I have other issues with them continuing to get my tax dollars to rebuild. I know a number of people that have had their homes rebuilt twice or more in only 10 years or so. At some point you shouldn’t be able to have other people rebuild your house if the same disaster keeps happening over and over. If the location is that prone to disaster then don’t build there.

I can't disagree with that.  Might be a way to force raising the foundation level after the first time or moving.  Only so much high elevation real estate to choose from.   

Down here, a lot of people move outside the levies to get away from city govts and get some space.  Usually, a foundation pad of 4 or 5 feet is enough to avoid most flooding.  Not always. 

[MikeB]

I can't disagree with that.  Might be a way to force raising the foundation level after the first time or moving.  Only so much high elevation real estate to choose from.   

Down here, a lot of people move outside the levies to get away from city govts and get some space.  Usually, a foundation pad of 4 or 5 feet is enough to avoid most flooding.  Not always. 

Don’t get me wrong a natural disaster is when despite being pretty far on the libertarian scale I don’t have an issue with governments help. Some of these people have had their homes rebuilt 2 or more times in less than sometimes 10 years. These often aren’t primary residences either, but vacation properties that they also rent out. At some point you have to say that land shouldn’t be built on anymore.

[Ben]

At some point you have to say that land shouldn’t be built on anymore.

100% agree. We had an area of coastal California where the houses were wiped out twice from landslides after El Nino rains. University geologists, along with many other experts advised against rebuilding. Gov Arnold was in charge the second time and famously said, "We will rebuild!"

They did, but now enough people are aware of the problem that the homeowners there can't sell their houses on a bet.

[Firethorn]

That reminds me.  I heard on the radio that Trump is supposed to be getting rid of the federal programs that do things like produce flood maps and otherwise encourage people to NOT build in flood zones.

Then again, I'm seeing that he's working to cut how easy it is to get aid after you've been flooded out multiple times...

[MechAg94]

Don’t get me wrong a natural disaster is when despite being pretty far on the libertarian scale I don’t have an issue with governments help. Some of these people have had their homes rebuilt 2 or more times in less than sometimes 10 years. These often aren’t primary residences either, but vacation properties that they also rent out. At some point you have to say that land shouldn’t be built on anymore.

A lot of flood insurance is public, not private.  I would think 2nd homes and vacation homes should be required to get private insurance or nothing.  That said, water front homes keep getting built.  Even if no one lives there, the rental value and sales value is still high. 

Back on the OP, I don't think anyone is asking (yet?) for a separate funding bill just for Texas to get billions of dollars which is what happened after Sandy.  I think the standard FEMA disaster relief aid should be available.   

[Firethorn]

A lot of flood insurance is public, not private.  I would think 2nd homes and vacation homes should be required to get private insurance or nothing.  That said, water front homes keep getting built.  Even if no one lives there, the rental value and sales value is still high. 

Then they build with the expectation that it will be flooded every so often.  The fed.gov doesn't chip in a cent.  It's all private insurance and picking a strategy:
Build disposable.  When it is flooded you just replace it
Build mobile.  When storms threaten, you move it elsewhere.
Build resistant.  Something like the casino barges - which can be battened down and I'm sure at least some of them can actually float higher if necessary.  Or don't use things like drywall on the first floor or two.  Then you just absorb the cleanup costs when it does inevitably flood, but you have those figured out.

I'd personally prefer that floods be covered in regular insurance as long as you're outside the 100/500 year flood plains.  When I got an estimate for flood insurance for my house, the insurance was greater than the rest of my insurance, and would cost me the price of my place over the course of 20 years.  When they expect a flood to hit less than once every hundred years, and that was before they put in more flood controls.

[Scout26]

Flood Insurance is .gov program.  No private insurers will issue it any more.  Only people who buy it live in floodplains/places that flood.  People that don't buy it, live in places that don't flood.  Selection bias- so it's a HUGE money loser.^%

Then we have a definition of what constitutes a flood. It has to be water coming from overland that affects the first floor. NOTHING in a basement or below grade is covered.   

Around here, lots of houses have basements.  Even if the water comes in through the front door and fills the basement, none of the mechanicals (furnace, water heater, washer, dryer, etc.)  Are covered.  Neither is any "stuff" down there. 

And regular homeowners insurance specifically excludes floods.   I do have a "Water Backup" rider on my policy.  So should my water heater spring a leak, a hose to my washer break, my sump pumps fail, and water enters my home from below grade, I'm covered.  One of my basement walls springs a leak, I'm covered.    I've been here since 1991 and [touches wood] the worst it's ever been here on Lake Main St. is water 1/2 up my front yard, and some seepage in my basement.

House across the street has flooded, meaning water entered overland, 3 times* since I've lived here.  The prior owner walked away from it, letting the bank foreclose, after the last flood.  Why, Three Strikes and Your Out.  The NFIP refused to renew her policy.  They knew it would flood again. so a flipper bought it for 1/8 the price, spent a metric buttload to fix it up, and then had to declare all the previous flooding issues on the disclosure form.  (Plus the prior owner had been on the wait-list for the County to purchase it with FEMA money because it had flooded before.  All of which turn up in basic title searches and other due diligence.)




^%FEMA's Flood Insurance Program.  Yes, you "buy it" through a regular Insurance Agent, but no private insurance company offers it.
 
https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program


*- The basement turned into a swimming pool first, but that's neither here nor there, as anyone could easily see that the Ground floor of the house was under 1-3ft of water.

[wmenorr67]

Too bad there wasn't a law that stated all bills before Congress must be no more than 2 pages long and written at an 8th grade level.  That way even the Congress-critters will be able to understand what they are voting on.

[RoadKingLarry]

Too bad there wasn't a law that stated all bills before Congress must be no more than 2 pages long and written at an 8th grade level.  That way even the Congress-critters will be able to understand what they are voting on.

That's probably racist, culturally insensitive and intellectualist. How dare you demand people be able to read. Literacy is a cis-white man oppression invented by evil European crusaders to keep the black man down.

[Scout26]

An 8th grade level in 1783 would be at least a masters degree (in something useful) now.