Katrina and the Economy

<blockquote>Americans eventually could be faced with higher interest rates, more expensive imports and either higher taxes or fewer government services to make up for Katrina's impact on the U.S. Treasury.</blockquote><br />n<br />nYes, Katrina will have a large affect on the <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/09/11/build/business/45-fed-deficit.inc">federal deficit</a> and we will all pay for it in the long run but out of control spending and tax cuts also play into this to cause the problem. Since Republicans are in charge most of the blame can be placed on their doorstep. Between tax cuts and spending increases, particularly for the war in Iraq, the deficit is going higher and higher and threatens to sink us all whether we label ourselves Democrats, Republicans or some other political stripe.<br />n<br />nJust stop though and think about <a href="http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/09/11/opinion/opinion1.txt">this</a>.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>This year's federal highway spending bill included more than 6,000 special appropriations – earmarked funding for politicians' pet projects – projects with such low priority that they can't be expected to qualify for money through normal funding mechanisms. The threats to New Orleans from a severe hurricane were well-documented and known in Congress, but representatives and senators opted to tack roughly $24 billion in extraneous spending onto that bill – money for Alaska's infamous bridge to nowhere ($230 million), dust control for Arkansas roads ($3 million) and bike paths around Milltown Dam ($5 million), among thousands of similar projects.</blockquote><br />n<br />nDemocrats are just as much at fault as Republicans for the financial mess the country is in and all need to step forward and do something about it.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>Those of us who rail about pork-barrel spending are considered quirky curmudgeons, especially by members of our congressional delegation and the hoggish Governmental-Industrial Complex that gorges from the public trough: "What's the big deal? Everybody's doing it, and we want to get our share!"<br />n<br />nWell, pork matters. Priorities matter. Money spent on one thing can't be spent on another. The rest of us got our bike paths and fish hatcheries and ethanol plants, and New Orleans got what was so long predicted. The city of New Orleans is no more. What remains is a shameful monument to misplaced priorities and the triumph of political parochialism over statesmanship in the halls of government.</blockquote><br />n<br />nThis fits right in with what I was saying yesterday about Gov. Schweitzer having his hand begging for money from the Feds, it hurts us all to have this knee-jerk reaction to want money from the Feds for every little thing. People always argue that it helps out locally but it costs us in the long run even more. It doesn't matter if everybody else does it, we need to stand on our own two feet and be proud.<br />n<br />n<b>Help thyself, and God will help thee. Jacula Prudentum.<br />n<br />nGod helps them that help themselves. Benjamin Franklin<br />n<br />nGod helps those who help themselves. Algernon Sidney</b><br />n<br />