But how do they hope to pay for it?

But how do they hope to pay for it?

by digby

Republicans decide that government services are good after all — when they need them, of course.

“It brings into focus why this group came to Washington,” says Rep. Jeff Landry, a Louisiana freshman who, as a sheriff’s deputy in St. Martins Parish during the 1990s, helped sandbag and drain a community flooded by the Mississippi. “I don’t think the freshman class is opposed to spending. I think the freshman class is saying we need to prioritize spending.”

Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks was holding a mobile office event in his district when the tornado sirens went off late last month. He hopped on the highway to get home to his family. An F4 tornado crossed the highway about 30 minutes later.

Brooks said he thought he was fulfilling one of the government’s primary roles. “It’s a proper function of the national government to assist people in times of national disaster. Don’t get me wrong — individuals have responsibilities,” he said, adding that he urges his constituents to keep first aid and food supplies that they can use for up to 72 hours, but “the federal government has a proper role. Some states would not have the capability to deal with the storms on their own.”

I’m all for federal aid in these situations too. If we’re a country, we’re a country and our government should be there step in in emergencies.

But who’s supposed to pay for this? It does cost money. And while this is a major disaster, there are all kinds of unforeseen disasters that happen on a national scale — like a housing crash caused by crooks and a very high unemployment rate that lasts for years or becoming disabled and not being able to work or getting old and needing health care that you cannot possibly save enough money in your lifetime to pay for. Life happens to everyone in one way or another and you never know if you’re going to be hit with a major disaster in your own life. Are you less worthy than these victims of the tornadoes and floods?

It’s very easy to say that your particular disaster is worthy of spending tax payers money. But why you and not them? How do you “prioritize” that?

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