The Ghosts of Sessions Past

Sometimes the ghosts of sessions past come back to haunt you.

In 2011, Oklahoma Senators Tom Coburn and James Inhofe voted against a $7 billion dollar bill to help finance the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund.

In 2012 they both voted against a bill to pay for relief efforts after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the east coast. Coburn wanted what is called, "offsets." In other words if we spend $18 billion to repair the damage done by Sandy, then we have to cut $18 billion from someplace else in the budget. Knowing Coburn the cuts would probably be in the area of medicare, medicaid, or school lunches for low income children. Inhofe, displaying the statesmanship that has earned him the reputation he so richly deserves, just dismissed the Sandy relief package as nothing more than a slush fund.

Coburn still stands by his insistence of "offsets" in the event any new relief funding will be required for the victims of the May 20th tornado that ripped the guts out of Moore, Oklahoma. Inhofe, never the one for details, simply says any aid bill designed for Oklahoma would be different than the one that went toward the victims of Sandy.

Well sure it would be, Jim. This money would go to people in your home state rather than a bunch of liberals who helped re-elect Barak Obama.

Luckily for Oklahoma FEMA currently has about $11.6 billion set back for relief aid despite the best efforts of the two Oklahoma senators. Initial estimates of the damage in Moore hover around the $2 billion mark. This lets Inhofe and Coburn off a rather large and embarrassing hook. Odds are there won't be a need for a vote on additional relief funding. Therefore they won't have to either oppose additional aid to their home state on principle, or vote for it in a blatant and quite public moment of hypocrisy. It is a word, New York republican congressman Peter King is all ready using to describe Inhofe's actions.

Actually Coburn is claiming the drain on federal monies shouldn't be that much since, according to him, "most of the property damage was insured." He didn't hazard a guess as to how long it will take for the carriers to dump their coverage of Moore homeowners once they've paid this latest tab.  He also assured reporters there was no need for the government to take steps to mandate tornado shelters in the area because, "If you're living in that area of Moore, OK the likelihood of being hit by another tornado is zero in terms of odds."

Moore city officials aren't buying into that bullshit for even a moment. They've watched three different tornadoes--two of them EF5's--take deadly tours of their town in the last 14 years. There is all ready a city ordinance being composed that will require any new home constructed within the city limits to have an underground shelter.

Much could be said, I suppose, about how we are all one nation. About when disaster strikes, no matter where the locale, or what the local politics elected officials should join together in an effort to bring aid and comfort to those who have lost practically everything.

With Inhofe and Coburn though that sort of idealism just doesn't work. Coburn is like a rogue ambulance driver who wants to collect a large cash deposit before he will transport you to an emergency room no matter how severe your wounds. Inhofe, on the other hand, appears to enjoy inflicting pain and suffering just because he can.

Pick your poison. In Oklahoma we certainly have. Given these two ghouls I'm surprised any of us are still around.

sic vita est



5-23-13