Lockhart here, folks.
In a case-in-point that is sure to offend some people, I am going to demonstrate what I consider to be an example of the Republican party's callous disregard for lower and middle class Americans, many of whom comprise a large portion of their constituency. Let us, for a moment, zoom in upon Gulfport, Mississippi.
Haley Barbour--governor of Mississippi, one-time lobbyist, chairman of the Republican National Committee, and Reagan White House political director--has redirected $600 million in federal Housing and Urban Development grant money, originally earmarked to provide housing for the tens of thousands of Katrina victims in the state, to an expansion project for the port of Gulfport that would include casino and resort facilities. Barbour and his Republican-controlled state bureaucracy defend this move by claiming that revitalization and expansion of the port will bring tourism and high-paying jobs to the impoverished state.
I would like to ask Governor Barbour where he intends all of these tourists and well-payed workers to live.
It would appear to me that the state has its priorities out of order. More than 35,000 Mississippians are still living in FEMA-provided housing (read: trailers). While it is certainly necessary to rebuild the port to make it viable again (especially with the prospect of increased sea-traffic brough on by Panama's widening of the Panama Canal), a sane and responsible government would realize that it is far more important for its citizenry to have proper homes to live in.
Or perhaps these right and good Republicans do have their priorities in order. The party as a whole has long been accused of catering almost exclusively to obscenely wealthy business interests, exactly the sort of people who would benefit from a port expansion project at this phase in the Mississippi Gulf coast's recovery. When viewed from that angle, these redirection of funds appears not just irresponsible, but criminal.
A fuller explanation of the callousness of the Republican party toward the lower and middle class Americans and why these people continue to support the party would require far more time than I have here and likely cause my editor much worry, so I will have to leave you to your own conclusions. However, as one final thought, one would think that the city of Gulfport would take a lesson from the City of New Orleans.
(Not to whitewash the New Orleans recovery effort or to compare private sector recovery efforts with federal grants, but at least they have their priorities straight.)
Cheers,
Lockhart
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1 comment:
Hi, I'm glad to see you writing about this. I'm writing about this stuff, too. And, since the possibility of a Congressional hearing on this was mentioned in the AP report today, I am encouraging people to keep writing about it to try and bring attention to it before the SOTU speech buries it next week. I certainly believe that houses are more important. :)
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