Steve King: Having It Both Ways
There seems to be an odd theme in the “conservative camp” these days that is boiling to the surface in the aftermath of Katrina:
What's Good Enough For Me, Isn't Good Enough For Thee
First, David Yepsen makes a note of Steve King and his vote against the $51 billion aid effort to the Gulf Coast:
In
fairness, King probably does represent the views of many of his
constituents. Western Iowa is home to some of Iowa's most conservative
people. If so, perhaps it's time they quit trying to have it both ways.
Perhaps they should quit expecting so much federal money for farm
bills, Missouri River projects and things like turning U.S. Highway 20
into a four-lane road.
,,,
And
King is sometimes selective in the spending he opposes. This year, for
example, King issued press releases bragging about landing road
projects in that pork-filled federal highway bill, which he supported.
He also touted $3 million to mitigate flood hazards on the Missouri
River and $25 million for water and recreational projects in the
district.
King
is also a bit inconsistent. Just six days before he voted against
federal relief, he put out a statement saying “Iowans remember the
floods of 1993 when we all pulled together to overcome our natural
disaster. We received help from much of the country and other parts of
the world. Now is the time for Iowans to return the favor. The victims
of Katrina need our prayers and our donations. Now is the time to bow
our heads and open our checkbooks. Every prayer and every dollar
counts. This will be the longest and most expensive American recovery
in our lifetimes.”
It's the old axiom: one man's “pork” is another man's “job creation package”.
In addition, last week's Cityview featured an article by the neo-political pundit Steve Deace (who was at one point safely isolated to sports talk radio):
In
New Orleans, every debauchery under the sun was celebrated, and every
form of self and pleasure profited upon. Glitzy casinos and high-rise
hotels littered the landscape of the Gulf Coast. Surely these didn't
cause Katrina, but where did all the money earned from these monuments
to self-indulgence go? Certainly not into the infrastructure, since the
citizenry there is among the poorest working poor in America, and they
were surrounded by an antiquated levee system that hadn't been touched
in a generation. Those two factors have unfortunately contributed to
the mortality rate, as well as the desolation, that resulted from
Katrina.
The
problem is very simple: we (as the public) demand – and require –
the government to perform certain functions, be it trash collection,
police protection, or maintaining public works projects like levees.
Now,
when we enter an era where the rampant philosophy of low taxes, cheap
labor, and “smaller goverment” is unable to either pay for needed
services or perform successfully – the response to Katrina isn't
entirely unsurprising.
There is
rampant political discussion going on about what role the various
federal agencies did or did not meet, but there is something important
to realize:
It's not the people – it's the ideology.
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