Politicians shouldn’t hold us hostage

Opinion

Discussion

May 29, 2011

By Sandie Morgan The Joplin Globe The Joplin Globe Sun May 29, 2011, 08:44 AM CDT

JOPLIN, Mo. — One of the most horrific events to happen, not just in Joplin but in our whole country, happened on May 22.

It’s almost too much to get your mind around. To date, more than 130 people have lost their lives. Over 8,000 structures have been destroyed. Businesses and jobs are lost. Adored pets cannot be found. It was almost a perfect storm bringing the worst kind of tornado to the worst of all places. We can never again be complacent about living in tornado alley.

But people are resilient and kind and generous. The Joplin Globe headlines say it all: “Generosity comes from all corners,” “Donations keep pouring in,” “Family Y to offer free child care,” “Insurance providers setting up mobile shops,” “Residents reunited with pets,” “Those left homeless by twister celebrate remaining blessings.”

We got knocked down hard, but with the support of hundreds — probably thousands — of volunteers, Joplin will get back on her feet.

Another headline: “Bad stuff tends to bring out the good stuff” should be all that needs to be said. But then you hear that Eric Cantor, Republican House majority leader, intends to have Congress only approve federal funds for disaster relief if there are offsetting spending cuts to other programs.

“If there is support for a supplemental, it would be accompanied by support for having pay-fors to that supplement,” he said. In other words, if Congress passes an emergency spending bill to help Joplin’s tornado victims, the extra money will have to be cut from somewhere else in the budget.

Using a tragedy to gain a political advantage is not only wrong, it is heartless. Cantor, Paul Ryan and those legislators who recently voted for tax cuts to the oil companies and lowering the income tax rates for the wealthy, at the expense of middle- class programs and Medicare, are proving that they are totally out of touch with the people of this country.

And now Cantor wants to hold the victims of this terrible tragedy hostage to his political agenda.

Disaster funds were allocated for Katrina. They were allocated for 9/11. They were allocated for the Gulf oil spill. Why now, when it’s for Joplin, is it necessary to play political games?

I would like to remind Cantor, Ryan and others who would deny us help of the preamble to the Constitution of the United States.

“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

This is their job.

Sandie Morgan lives in Joplin.

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Politicians shouldn’t hold us hostage

The Missouri National Guard has refused to respond to repeated open records requests concerning possible looting by a few of its members in the aftermath of the Joplin tornado. The Missouri Sunshine Law gives the guard an exemption. Do you think that law needs to be changed?

The Missouri National Guard has refused to respond to repeated open records requests concerning possible looting by a few of its members in the aftermath of the Joplin tornado. The Missouri Sunshine Law gives the guard an exemption. Do you think that law needs to be changed?

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