The Tattered Coat » Print » Putting Funds in the Right (ie. Red) States

Putting Funds in the Right (ie. Red) States

Posted By Matt On 22nd September 2005 @ 15:23 In Politics, Philly, Terrorism, Criminal Negligence | No Comments

Think Progress alerts us to the news that US Department of Justice denied Philadelphia crucial funds to protect the city against terrorism:

Philadelphia is trying to improve its first responder capabilities, but the government isn’t helping out. The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has decided that Pocatello, Idaho (population 51,466), needs emergency communications equipment more than Philadelphia (population 1,517,550) does.

COPS denied Philadelphia $6 million to upgrade its first responder equipment so that police officers, firefighters, and paramedics could use their radio equipment underground and in tunnels, which the current equipment will not do.

Philly Future has more on the story.

A commenter on Think Progress notes that “The state of Wyoming gets nearly as much distributed funds as Philly. Why? Look at who is VP.”

Doling out crucial homeland security funds to states unlikely to face terrorist attacks isn’t just stupid: it’s criminally negligent and corrupt behavior on the part of the Bush administration.

Or, as I like to call it, Republican business-as-usual.

If anyone in this country still wondered whether a Republican administration and a Republican-controlled Congress put America’s security first and foremost, this move should provide final evidence that it does not.

Given a choice between politics and security, the Bush-Cheney administration chooses politics every time. Whether it’s screwing first-responders and the (Democratic) cities they protect, or nominating political hacks for vital posts, this President is, as Nancy Pelosi said recently, downright dangerous to his own country.