« TX "Polluters & Predators Protection Act" | Main | Employer Health Coverage Plummets »

September 18, 2003

"States Rights" Threaten Security

Our cities are threatened with bombs and other terrorist attacks. So what does the GOP do?

They give them no money to enhance security.

Instead, they give counterterrorism money to often rural and suburban dominated statehouses who choose not to spend any of it on enhancing city security.

A new study shows that 90 percent of cities did not receive ANY of the $1.5 billion federal fund approved this year to help local emergency workers prepare for a terrorist strike and other disasters

Here's the kicker-- after all the hoohah, New York City, site of a terrorist attack that did an estimated $100 billion in damage to the city's infrastructure and economy has received a grand total of...

...just $35 million in extra antiterrorism money.

There is a bigger lesson here. All this talk of block grants to states-- it's not about "local control." It's about diverting federal funds from urban communites to rural and suburban Republican districts via statehouses who can quietly rip off urban communities, even at the expense of endangering their lives.

NO MORE BLOCK GRANTS! DEMAND DIRECT AID FOR CITIES!

As additional post here on how block grants are part of the conservative strategy to use deficits to cut social spending.

And thanks to the new DNC Blog- Kicking Ass for linking here.

Posted by Nathan at September 18, 2003 07:13 AM