Progress Report: Here's the Story of a Hurricane

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Tue, 30 Aug 2005 07:55:24 -0700

Progress Report: Here's the Story of a Hurricane

" American Progress Action Fund "

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AMERICAN PROGRESS ACTION FUND

The Progress Report

by Judd Legum, Faiz Shakir, Nico Pitney, and Christy Harvey

www.progressreport.org

8/30/2005

 

For news and updates throughout the day, check out our new blog at

ThinkProgress.org.

 

WEATHER

Here's the Story of a Hurricane

 

In 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency ranked a major

hurricane strike on New Orleans as " among the three likeliest, most

catastrophic disasters facing this country, " directly behind a

terrorist strike on New York City. Yesterday, disaster struck. One of

the strongest storms in recorded history rocked the Gulf Coast,

bringing 145 mph winds and floods of up to 20 feet. One million

residents were evacuated; at least 65 are confirmed dead. Tens of

thousands of homes were completely submerged. Mississippi's governor

reported " catastrophic damage on all levels. " Downtown New Orleans

buildings were " imploding, " a fire chief said. Oil surged past $70 a

barrel. New Orleanians were grimly asking each other, " So, where did

you used to live? " (To donate to Red Cross disaster relief, click here

or call 1-800-HELP-NOW). While it happened, President Bush decided to

.... continue his vacation, stopping by the Pueblo El Mirage RV and

Golf Resort in El Mirage, California, to hawk his Medicare drug

benefit plan. On Sunday, President Bush said, " I want to thank all the

folks at the federal level and the state level and the local level who

have taken this storm seriously. " He's not one of them. Below, the

Progress Report presents " How Not to Prepare for a Massive Hurricane, "

by President Bush, congressional conservatives, and their corporate

special interest allies.

 

SLASH SPENDING ON HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS IN NEW ORLEANS: Two months

ago, President Bush took an ax to budget funds that would have helped

New Orleans prepare for such a disaster. The New Orleans branch of the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suffered a " record $71.2 million "

reduction in federal funding, a 44.2 percent reduction from its 2001

levels. Reports at the time said that thanks to the cuts, " major

hurricane and flood protection projects will not be awarded to local

engineering firms. ... Also, a study to determine ways to protect the

region from a Category 5 hurricane has been shelved for now. " (Too bad

Louisiana isn't a swing state. In the aftermath of Hurricane Frances

-- and the run-up to the 2004 election -- the Bush administration

awarded $31 million in disaster relief to Florida residents who didn't

even experience hurricane damage.)

 

DESTROY NATURAL HURRICANE PROTECTIONS: The Gulf Coast wetlands form a

" natural buffer that helps protect New Orleans from storms, " slowing

hurricanes down as they approach from sea. When he came into office,

President Bush pledged to uphold the " no net loss " wetland policy his

father initiated. He didn't keep his word. Bush rolled back tough

wetland policies set by the Clinton administration, ordering federal

agencies " to stop protecting as many as 20 million acres of wetlands

and an untold number of waterways nationwide. " Last year, four

environmental groups issued a joint report showing that administration

policies had allowed " developers to drain thousands of acres of

wetlands. " The result? New Orleans may be in even greater danger:

" Studies show that if the wetlands keep vanishing over the next few

decades, then you won't need a giant storm to devastate New Orleans --

a much weaker, more common kind of hurricane could destroy the city too. "

 

GUT THE AGENCY TASKED WITH DEVELOPING HURRICANE RESPONSES:

Forward-thinking federal plans with titles like " Issues and Options in

Flood Hazards Management, " " Floods: A National Policy Concern, " and " A

Framework for Flood Hazards Management " would be particularly valuable

in a time of increasingly intense hurricanes. Unfortunately, the

agency that used to produce them -- the Office of Technology

Assessment (OTA) -- was gutted by Gingrich conservatives several years

ago. As Chris Mooney (who presciently warned of the need to bulk up

hurricane defenses in New Orleans last May) noted yesterday, " If we

ever return to science-based policymaking based on professionalism and

expertise, rather than ideology, an office like OTA would be very

useful in studying how best to save a city like New Orleans -- and how

Congress might consider appropriating money to achieve this end. "

 

SEND OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO FIGHT A WAR OF CHOICE: National Guard and

Reserve soldiers are typically on the front lines responding to

disasters like Katrina -- that is, if they're not fighting in Iraq.

Roughly 35 percent of Louisiana's National Guard is currently deployed

in Iraq, where guardsmen and women make up about four of every 10

soldiers. Additionally, " Dozens of high water vehicles, humvees,

refuelers and generators " used by the Louisiana Guard are also tied up

abroad. " The National Guard needs that equipment back home to support

the homeland security mission, " Louisiana National Guard Lt. Colonel

Pete Schneider told reporters earlier this month. " Recruitment is down

dramatically, mostly because prospective recruits are worried about

deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan or another country, " the AP reported

recently. " I used to be able to get about eight people a month, " said

National Guard 1st Sgt. Derick Young, a New Orleans recruiter. " Now,

I'm lucky if I can get one. "

 

HELP FUEL GLOBAL WARMING: Severe weather occurrences like hurricanes

and heat waves already take hundreds of lives and cause millions in

damages each year. As the Progress Report has noted, data increasingly

suggest that human-induced global warming is making these phenomena

more dangerous and extreme than ever. " The hurricane that struck

Louisiana yesterday was nicknamed Katrina by the National Weather

Service, " science author Ross Gelbspan writes. " Its real name is

global warming. " AP reported recently on a Massachusetts Institute of

Technology analysis that shows that " major storms spinning in both the

Atlantic and the Pacific ... have increased in duration and intensity

by about 50 percent " since the 1970s, trends that are " closely linked

to increases in the average temperatures of the ocean surface and also

correspond to increases in global average atmospheric temperatures

during the same period. " Yet just last week, as Katrina was gathering

steam and looming over the Gulf, the Bush administration released new

CAFE standards that actually encourage automakers to produce bigger,

less fuel efficient vehicles, while preventing states from taking

strong, progressive action to reverse global warming.

 

BUDGET

Tax Cuts Come Home to Roost

 

When Congress returns from its August break next Tuesday,

congressional committees will be charged with cutting approximately

$35 billion from mandatory spending programs through an annual process

called budget reconciliation. Vital programs important to the daily

lives of many Americans, such as Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps,

student loans, and other forms of government assistance, are likely to

suffer drastic and consequential cuts. The budget-cutting measures are

necessitated by, as President Bush noted, a need to " reduce our

deficit. " In turn, the deficit-cutting measures are needed because the

Bush tax cuts, which predominantly favor the wealthy without providing

much economic stimulus, have played such a large role in creating the

deficit, and Bush is stubbornly refused to rolling them back (instead,

Bush is calling for the tax cuts to be made permanent). Even

conservatives, such as Brian Riedl of the Heritage Foundation,

acknowledge that " [budget] reconciliation will be painful. " One Senate

veteran of budget fights said the battles this fall over budget cuts

could " become an explosive cocktail " for Congress.

 

WHAT IS BUDGET RECONCILIATION? In the course of the annual budget

process, Congress is required to pass a budget resolution, generally

by April 15th of each year. The budget resolution, which in essence

provides a framework for how Congress will spend the nation's money

each fiscal year, often contains instructions to various committees of

the House and Senate to make changes, or reconcile, the laws governing

entitlement (or mandatory) spending programs. Such reconciliation

instructions are measures that Congress imposes upon itself to enforce

fiscal discipline and to remain within its spending cap (though the

Bush administration has used the process to pass ideological tax cuts

more than impose fiscal austerity). The budget cap passed by Congress

this year allows for $2.6 trillion in spending for the next fiscal

year, an amount which requires $35 billion in cuts to entitlement

programs over the same period of time in which $70 billion in tax cuts

will be distributed. The reconciliation bills, unlike ordinary

discretionary spending measures, cannot be filibustered in the Senate,

which makes them a favored vehicle for passing sought-after legislation.

 

MEDICAID MAY BE LEFT TO WITHER ON THE VINE: As stipulated by the

budget reconciliation instructions, Senate Finance Committee Chairman

Chuck Grassley will be forced to find as much as $10 billion in

savings primarily by cutting Medicaid, thus " trimming anticipated

growth [in the program] by as much as 13 percent at a time when states

such as Tennessee and Missouri are throwing tens of thousands of

people off their Medicaid rosters. " Because the Finance Committee is

not required to cut one certain program to find the $10 billion in

savings, it is possible that other entitlement programs under the

committee's jurisdiction, such as Medicare and welfare programs, may

also fall under the budget ax. States such as Michigan, which stands

to lose approximately $300 million if the Medicaid cuts are enacted,

are preparing to " turn away tens of thousands of its neediest

citizens " or raise taxes or cut other vital state services. For

Michigan, $300 million amounts to paying for 360,000 of 900,000

children who are now enrolled in the state's Medicaid program, or

40,000 of its 270,000 blind and disabled adults.

 

PROPONENTS OF ARCTIC WILDLIFE REFUGE DRILLING ATTEMPT TO USE BUDGET

GIMMICKRY: Last April, congressional leaders used a back door tactic

to allow drilling in the arctic as part of the federal budget

resolution. But the fight to protect the refuge isn't over. Drilling

proponents must include a provision to open the refuge to drilling as

part of the budget reconciliation process. Supporters claim that

opening Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil

drilling will secure $2.4 billion in royalties and other payments. But

even if drilling were allowed, it would represent less than a year's

supply of our nation's oil and would take 10 years to make it to

market – hardly an impact that is relevant to this year's federal

budget. Two dozen House Republicans signed an Aug. 4 letter to House

Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo outlining their opposition

to using the budget reconciliation process to open ANWR, giving hope

that the drilling plan will receive more thoughtful consideration.

Allen Smith writes in the Boston Globe, " Congress should refuse to

authorize Arctic Refuge development. The $2.4 billion fails to meet

any standard for inclusion in the FY 2006 Budget, which the

Congressional Research Service reports will further increase our

national deficits if passed into law. " Come to the rally to save ANWR

on Sept. 20 in Washington, DC.

 

OTHER VITAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES FACING PAINFUL CUTS: According to the

Washington Post, the Senate Agriculture Committee is considering

cutting $600 million from food stamps. Early this month, 68 minority

House members wrote a letter to House Agriculture Committee Chairman

Robert Goodlatte stating, " There is no way to reduce food stamp

spending without eliminating the eligibility for vulnerable groups of

people or lowering benefits in ways that increase the threat of hunger

for millions of struggling families, seniors, and people with

disabilities. " Also, Senate aides are " crafting legislation to cut $7

billion from the federal student loan program " just as students return

to college. Groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are weighing

in against increasing federal pension insurance premiums by billions

of dollars as part of the reconciliation package, calling that plan " a

steep tax increase on pension providers. " And another fight that may

be brewing, according to Congressional Quarterly, is whether the

reconciliation package will include cuts to welfare programs or omit

increases for child care funding. Funding for Section 8 housing is

also on the chopping block.

 

UNDER THE RADAR

 

CORRUPTION -- KENTUCKY GOV. PARDONS NINE MEMBERS OF HIS

ADMINISTRATION: In Kentucky, a grand jury found that several members

of Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration " violated the state's

personnel law that bars them from hiring or firing merit employees

solely for political reasons. " Fletcher found an easy way to solve the

problem -- pardon everyone. Yesterday, Fletcher " pardoned nine current

and former officials who have been indicted along with anyone who

'might … be charged.' " Fletcher said, " Mistakes were made but at no

time was there a cynical scheme. " Fletcher himself is scheduled to

appear before the grand jury today, but said he will refuse to answer

any questions.

 

ECONOMY -- PARIS HILTON WANTS A TAX BREAK: The push to eliminate

inheritance taxes for the ultra-rich is kicking into high gear. USA

Today reports that " [c]onservative and business groups bent on

permanently repealing the federal tax on multimillion dollar estates

are mounting an intensive advertising and lobbying campaign this week

that's designed to influence a Senate vote early next month. " The tax

is " paid by only the wealthiest 1% of Americans — those who inherit

estates worth at least $1.5 million. " Killing it " has been the focus

of a decade-long struggle by some of the nation's largest businesses

started by families, including Wal-Mart stores, Mars candies and

Campbell's Soup. " Although very few people pay it, " repealing the tax

after 2010 could cost more than $70 billion a year in today's dollars,

resulting in spending cuts or a larger federal budget deficit. "

 

RIGHT WING -- HANNITY IN TIGHTS: A new comic book " features radio

pundits Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy, and Oliver North as

biomechanically tricked-out members of a conservative underground

resistance " combating liberalism. The comic, called " Liberty for All, "

is a response to a paper written by Michael Medved and Michael Lackner

which claimed ''Marvel Comics and other publishers are disseminating

comic books that actively promote a destructive cynicism and distrust

of the United States government. " Check out a sample.

 

PUBLIC HEALTH -- BLOWING SMOKE: As the rest of the world deals with

cigarette smoking as a public health crisis, the United States sits on

the sidelines. Yesterday, China -- the largest grower and the biggest

consumer of tobacco in the world -- ratified the international tobacco

control treaty, leaving the United States as the only major

tobacco-producing country not to ratify it. The treaty commits nations

to " require large, graphic health warnings on cigarette packs;

implement measures to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke;

increase the price of tobacco products; and regulate the content of

tobacco products. " William V. Corr, the executive director of the

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said ratification would " send a strong

message to the rest of the world that we will not support these

efforts and instead put protection of public health ahead of tobacco

industry interests. "

 

EDUCATION -- BUSH LOSES FOCUS: According to a Wall Street Journal

poll, " a 57% majority of Americans said the president had been placing

too little emphasis on education. " The results aren't surprising

considering the administration has focused its attention " on the war

in Iraq and, domestically, its struggle to overhaul Social Security. "

Meanwhile, the president's proposal to expand the No Child Left Behind

program is garnering little support, even among Bush's allies in

Congress. Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE), who chairs the Education

Subcommittee, said Bush's proposal was " dead for this year. " For a

fresh perspective, check out this education report from American

Progress and the Campaign for America's Future.

 

GOOD NEWS

 

The Arizona Star has dumped Ann Coulter. " Many readers find her

shrill, bombastic and mean-spirited, " the paper explained. " And those

are the words used by readers who identified themselves as conservatives. "

 

DON'T MISS

 

KATRINA: The Superdome Society

 

CORRUPTION: Kentucky Gov. Fletcher ® announces pardons for anyone in

his administration -- including himself -- charged with breaking state

merit system laws.

 

SUPREME COURT: Why is no one talking about Roberts' long career as a

corporate lawyer?

 

DAILY GRILL

 

" But if you're someone, for example, who's having to struggle between

food and medicine, those days are over with. This Medicare bill

relieves you of that burden and that anxiety. "

-- President Bush, 8/29/05

 

VERSUS

 

" For the most seriously ill, we'll be really hurt by this program, "

said Billy Olson, who has multiple sclerosis and requires up to $1,500

in therapy and pills a month. " The way it sounds to me is that I'm

better off to stay with the charity. And my situation isn't unique. "

-- The Bakersfield Californian, 8/12/05

 

DAILY OUTRAGE

 

The Bush administration has hamstrung Africa's fight against AIDS with

its ideologically driven focus on abstinence-only programs, the U.N.

secretary-general's special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa said yesterday.