Monday, Jan. 21, 2013 | 2:01 a.m.
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What a difference seven years make. It was a little over seven years ago that Hurricane Katrina hit landfall. The “Tea Party” was not around. Helping people regardless of the cost was the overriding sentiment.
Congress approved $60 billion for Katrina 10 days after the storm hit landfall. The bill passed the House 410-11 and the Senate 97-0.
Tuesday, 78 days after Sandy tore through the Northeast, the Sandy Relief Bill cleared the House by a vote of 241-180; 179 GOP House members voted “no” on the bill. Many said they voted no because the money should be offset by spending cuts. Was that a consideration when Katrina hit? I don’t think so. Helping the people of the region hit was the overriding concern. People came before political ideology.
What has happened to Congress? Why does doing the right thing take a distant second to bowing to the pressure of extreme members of Congress? Why does even the obvious right thing to do take a back seat to being concerned about re-election?
One of our greatest strengths, as a country, is that we always came together when we were faced with a crisis. Where has that attitude gone?
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