LTE: Disappointment in Katrina Aid

A recent LTE in the Advance;

I would like all the do-gooders who have voiced their opinion that the government didn't do enough for the people who were affected by Hurricane Katrina, to take a look at the Advance article of Dec. 4 regarding the $500 million in fraud that was stolen from the American people. You can hardly blame these people for taking the money that was literally thrown at them by the government.

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We were conned and the government was a knowing accomplice to this huge ripoff. Human nature, I guess, caused these people to take and steal in the wake of a tragic incident. It does not bode well for the reputations that they left behind. Unbelievable!

On top of loses in funding we have people like Rep. Fossella who despite mismanagement of funding and despite the lingering massive need for more help, voting against anything that would help those still struggling in a post
Katrina life. Human nature may explain why people took the money, but it can not begin to explain the lack of compassion Rep. Vito Fossella has shown the victims.

Two years ago today, Hurricane Katrina

On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in one of the most devastating natural disasters to ever impact our country and taking the lives of at least 1,836 people.

In February, 2007, just six months ago, as houses and communities were still ravaged if not destroyed, and as the gulf coast was still trying to rebuild schools, infrastructure, and even basic housing, Rep. Vito Fossella from the floor of Congress, in the world's most powerful nation, bravely voted against extending additional federal aid to help provide housing assistance to low income families still trying to cope with what happened two years ago.

To be fiscally conservative Vito Fossella decided to let the homeless remain homeless.

In order to provide tax breaks for the rich Vito Fossella decided to not provide the poor any government help.

Compassion towards fellow humans it seems is not profitable or beneficial to Vito Fossella's career

Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007

The House passed H.R. 1227, to assist in the provision of affordable housing to low-income families affected by Hurricane Katrina. The final vote was 302-125. Rep. Vito Fossella voted against this, and was the only Republican from NY state to do so. What kind of ethical and moral problems must one have to conscientiously vote against something like this? Mind you in 2003, 10.1% of Staten Island lived in poverty according to the US Census data, meaning those are the people who would need this housing should something as horrific as Katrina happened here in our own region. Heaven forbid it did, but I would certainly hope the rest of the country to run to our aide and not turn a blind eye because they are poor as Fossella did with his vote.