One of the more brilliant acts of political resistance in my home state of Nebraska
The flood waters in my home state of Nebraska are receding, at long last. Federal aid has been coming in, and I hope the rebuilding process starts soon. While I am glad to see this, I also feel like this should be an opportunity to remind the politicians of my home state to not be so stingy when other people are getting drowned. One time when I struck up a random conversation with someone in my hometown soon after Sandy that person had the gall to tell my wife and I that hurricane relief for New Jersey was a waste of money. This was not an isolated opinion. So without further ado, let's review the facts, and let's hope the people involved are called out for their hypocrisy.
Ben Sasse (current Senator)
The Senate's biggest prat of course voted against hurricane relief for Puerto Rico. He also voted against Hurricane Harvey relief. In both cases he demanded cuts for government spending before apportioning the money. This man who will stand on principle to deny help to hurricane victims also just recently voted against the resolution condemning Trump's abuse of emergency powers to fund the border wall. At the same time, he tries to position himself as a principled critic of Trump. This pretty much tells you all you need to know about Ben Sasse.
Deb Fischer (current Senator)
Fischer, who has a lower profile but is just as awful, also voted against Harvey relief funding. Back in 2013 she voted against Hurricane Sandy relief as well.
Mike Johanns (former Senator and Governor)
Johanns was in the Senate with Fischer in 2013, and he too voted against Sandy relief.
Jeff Fortenberry (Representative for the first district)
Fortenberry is known outside of the Cornhusker state as the dolt who tried to get a University of Nebraska professor fired. Why? That professor "liked" a picture on Facebook of a Fortenberry billboard that had been hilariously vandalized to give him big googly eyes. Surprise, surprise, this asshole voted against relief funding for Hurricane Sandy.
Lee Terry (former Representative for the second district)
When Terry first ran for office in the district that encompasses Omaha, he ran TV ads bragging that he had helped pass a local ordinance to ban young people from cruising in their cars. Somehow that unappealing, priggish message got him sent to Washington. Later on he ran an ad linking his milquetoast moderate Democrat opponent to terrorist beheadings. Terry too voted against Sandy funding.
Adrian Smith (Representative for the third district)
Adrian Smith is the representative from the district I grew up in. As a former student of Liberty University and a disciple of the Club For Growth, he votes like you would expect him to. He also voted against Sandy relief.
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I lived through Hurricane Sandy in Newark. A man in my neighborhood died, as we were right on the Passaic River and the storm surge washed him and his car away. Those were some difficult days, and we had it pretty easy compared to a lot of other places in the state. But I have to say it hurt me a great to know that representatives in my home state would not vote to help us, and that total randos would feel like they could tell me that was the right thing to do. I am a bigger person than that, so I am not going to call for aid to be revoked from Nebraska. Instead, I'd like the people responsible for this bullshit to stop denying aid in the future from people who need it. And oh, by the way, they still haven't passed wildfire relief funding for California!
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