Saturday, November 19, 2005
This is a sad statement of some peoples' values.
From the NY Times comes this story of Jackson MS, where hurricane damage was mostly from power outages.
But in giving out $62 million in aid, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross overlooked a critical fact: the storm was hardly catastrophic here, 160 miles from the coast. The only damage sustained by most of the nearly 30,000 households receiving aid was spoiled food in the freezer.The administration of Our Dear Embattled Leader and his trusty puppeteer Big Dick has truly set the standards for America. Read the whole piece to see how ordinary people acted like big corporations when they got the chance.
The fact that at least some relief money has gone to those perceived as greedy, not needy, has set off recriminations in this poor, historic capital where the payments of up to $2,358 set off spending sprees on jewelry, guns and electronics.
Though a majority of the money appears to have been given out legally, the United States attorney's office is investigating at least 1,000 reports of fraud, including accusations that people lied about claims of damage or where they lived. State and local officials are criticizing FEMA and the Red Cross for doling out money without safeguards, but they also blame their fellow citizens.
"The donors all across this nation thought they were giving money to put food in the mouths of people who had nothing and clothes on the backs of people who had lost everything," said State Representative John Raymond Reeves, who represents Jackson. "But that is not what happened here. There was a feeding frenzy. Free money was being handed out."
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