[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19958]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 STATEMENT ON H.R. 3673, MAKING EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS 
                                FOR 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 8, 2005

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this ill-considered 
$51.8 billion disaster relief appropriation. Many have come to the 
floor today to discuss how we must help the victims of this terrible 
disaster and its aftermath. But why do they think that the best way to 
do so is simply to write a huge check to the very government agency 
that failed so spectacularly? This does not make sense. We have all 
seen the numerous articles detailing the seemingly inexcusable mistakes 
FEMA made--before and after the hurricane. Yet, in typical fashion, 
Congress seems to think that the best way to fix the mess is to throw 
money at the very government agency that failed.
  Mr. Speaker, considering the demonstrated ineptitude of government on 
both the Federal and State level in this disaster, the people affected 
by the hurricane and subsequent flood would no doubt be better off if 
relief money was simply sent directly to them or to community 
organizations dedicated to clean-up and reconstruction. Indeed, we have 
seen numerous examples of private organizations and individuals 
attempting to help their fellow Americans in so many ways over the last 
10 days, only to be turned back by FEMA or held up for days by 
government red tape. We have seen in previous disasters how individuals 
and non-governmental organizations were often among the first to pitch 
in and help their neighbors and fellow citizens. Now, FEMA is sending 
these good Samaritans a troubling message: stay away, let us handle it.
  In several disasters that have befallen my Gulf Coast district, my 
constituents have over and over again told me that they prefer to 
rebuild and recover without the ``help'' of Federal agencies like FEMA, 
which so often impose their own bureaucratic solutions on the owners of 
private property.
  Mr. Speaker, we see here once again the Federal Government attempting 
to impose a topdown solution to the disaster. No one is questioning 
from where this $52 billion will come. The answer, of course, is that 
the Federal Government is going to simply print the money up. There are 
no reductions in Federal spending elsewhere to free up this disaster 
aid. Rather, the money will come from a printing press. The economic 
devastation created by such a reckless approach may well be even more 
wide-reaching than the disaster this bill is meant to repair.
  I ask my colleagues to consider more constructive ways to help New 
Orleans and the other affected areas recover from this tragedy. There 
are numerous approaches, such as the creation of no-tax enterprise 
zones, that would attract private enterprise and capital to the area 
and would result in a much quicker and more responsive recovery. The 
citizens of the affected area and the rest of the country deserve a 
more sustainable and financially rational approach than simply printing 
and spending money.

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