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The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane Funds

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 08:48:46 AM EST
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Eric Boehlert at Huffpo sums it up:

Why did funds stop flowing to the Big Easy? Simple, Bush's war in Iraq was costing too much money.

Editor and Publisher has more on the failure of the Bush Administration to fund preventive measures:

[Since 1995] the Army Corps of Engineers, tasked with carrying out SELA, spent $430 million on shoring up levees and building pumping stations, with $50 million in local aid. But at least $250 million in crucial projects remained, even as hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin increased dramatically and the levees surrounding New Orleans continued to subside.

Yet after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA dropped to a trickle. The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars.

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    The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane Funds | 31 comments (31 topical)
    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 09:33:47 AM EST
    Now should not be the time, as Kevin Drum of the Washington Monthly has noted, for the politics of blame. In the wake of Katrina's devastation along the Gulf Coast, Americans should be united in providing relief, resources and support to all in need. But sadly, that massive relief effort will take place during a time of divisive and fundamental debate about the very meaning of national unity in the United States. As New Orleans struggles for survival, the President and his amen corner are waging a full scale assault on the Estate Tax, what they derisively (and effectively )term the "Death Tax." They will continue to pursue this massive transfer of the U.S. treasury to America's wealthiest, even as a mountain of evidence shows that successive Bush budget cuts devastated New Orleans' disaster preparedness and levee maintenance... For the full story, see: "New Orleans Pays the Death Tax."

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#2)
    by wishful on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 09:35:44 AM EST
    This gives new meaning to Norquist's (so far successful) campaign to reduce the ability of the federal gov't to help its citizens by drowning (the federal available budget) in a bathtub.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 10:03:23 AM EST
    In addition to the drain on the federal treasury by Halliburton's war in Iraq, most state budgets were put at risk by the massive tax cuts. Citizens are paying more to educate their children, Medicaid funds are strapped and more Americans are at the poverty level. How much more are we going to take before we wise up and get rid of these people?

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#4)
    by scarshapedstar on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 10:12:28 AM EST
    Well, you know, it would be one thing if this was the first time we complained about these funds being cut. But it isn't. This is us saying for years that our government's policies could be disastrous, and them saying "too bad, maybe if you were New York someone would care" and then sure enough we have a disaster of biblical proportions and... what do you expect, exactly? Sorry, I'm sick of having preventable disasters explained away by "nobody could have known." We told them. They told us to shove it. In my mind, every hole in that levee is directly attributable to a no-bid Halliburton contract. Every collapsed building is part of that $16 billion that simply "disappeared." This is what happens when we are the only ones making a sacrifice for this war. Who could have used that money better? We could have. Oh well. Better luck to us next time, I guess.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#5)
    by DawesFred60 on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 10:50:08 AM EST
    Here is something most people never think of about iraq, right now out px system is being attacked not by terrorists but by the people of iraq. the massive thieving going on right now with gangs of iraqis who our pilage the px system for 3 million a week is almost unknown outside iraq, the mass "plunders" are having fun setting up shop right outside the px areas and the MP's can do nothing but watch and some go over and buy!..its so bad that our great government will arrest any MP talking about how bad it is. you can by a anything you can think of, and some you can't,, a new computer that would cost you $3000.00 dollars here in never never land, for $300.00. anyone want to go to iraq? SO Keep an eye open for what will happen with the Hurricane funds and watch how many poor go to prison, sad world.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#6)
    by desertswine on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 10:56:26 AM EST
    “It appears that the money has been moved in the president’s budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that’s the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can’t be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us.” -- Walter Maestri, [still] emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; New Orleans Times-Picayune, June 8, 2004.
    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#7)
    by squeaky on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 11:18:37 AM EST
    $4 billion/day in Iraq, one month of no war would have paid for redesigning the levee system. Excellent post about the situation there from Nabil Tikriti at Juan Cole from a reader living in NO. link

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 11:21:17 AM EST
    $4 billion/week is the current figure. I did not mean to predict next years figures. Just a typo.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 12:02:25 PM EST
    Professor Al-Tikriti makes some good points. But are we supposed to send national guardsmen from only areas that might not get hit by a hurricane or natural disaster? How can this be calculated/decided?

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#10)
    by squeaky on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 12:07:07 PM EST
    Greg-It seems that first we need to have the National Guard home and guarding the nation, then we can answer your question.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 02:28:41 PM EST
    The Bush policies will effectively reduce the United States to a third world country, with an elite ruling class and a vast underclass. Look at the video coming out of the hurricane flood zones. This is our future.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#12)
    by DawesFred60 on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 02:30:32 PM EST
    New Orleans will cost 800 billion and we have armed gangs looting now, isn't this fun in the land of freedom.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#13)
    by squeaky on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 02:37:20 PM EST
    NYC is next. God is cleansing the world of sin. The gays are to blame, not Bush, for pissing off god. They had planned a NO Labor day festival. via atrios

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 02:43:58 PM EST
    See comments in NH rant. Bush is not to blame for the hurricane the planet that maney tree huggers fight so hard to protect is. Mother Nature sucks. Always has, always will. New Orleans was built under water. Is that Bush's fault? 1,000 of people chose to stay in their homes even though every govenor, mayor, sheriff and Bush told them to leave. I don't buy "too poor to leave" unless they don't have a radio or tv. Is it Bush's fault either way? Let's just say what needs to be said. Hurricanes suck and now let's see how everyone (inlcuding Bush) fixes it before ranting and raving about Bush not acting fast enough. What a waste of time.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#15)
    by jarober on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 02:52:20 PM EST
    So the threat of a catastrophic hurricane has only existed since January 2001 then, and this lack of funding is all Bush's fault? What about previous administrations? Shall we lay blame on Clinton, or Bush Sr., or Reagan, or Carter, or Nixon, or Johnson (et.al.) as well? It's not as if this is a new problem. Are you so desperate for a political hatchet that you have to pretend that this is a new thing that only just cropped up? Let's not forget the State (Louisiana) and City (New Orleans) either - at any point in the last 50 years, they could have paid to upgrade those levees and floodwalls as well. What this all boils down to is cost/benefits analysis. The local and federal authorities gambled that the liklihood of anything greater than a Cat 3 hitting NO was low - seemed like a good bet until last week, given that storms at Cat 4 or 5 hitting the US have been pretty rare. Anyone can go out and look for scapegoats. It's senseless to blame this (or any previous) administration for this. All involved made a losing bet on the liklihood of this kind of disaster. As well, it's not as if there aren't other well known potential problems. Shall we evacuate the entire east and gulf coast, due to the certainty that they will get hit by hurricanes (at some point)? Shall we evacuate most of the west, due to the potential damage from an eruption of the Yosemite dome? What about the Pacific Northwest, if Mount Rainier goes, or if another quake (like the 1964 Alaskan one) hits? The bottom line is, you can't anticipate everything, and you can't prepare for everything either. You can decide not to be a pathetic whiner though - something TL has failed at thus far.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#16)
    by squeaky on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 02:57:02 PM EST
    Anon-Yes, trust in Bush/Cheney with environmental issues, they know all about it, destruction is their mantra. Why bother anyway, Armageddon is coming?

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#17)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 02:57:32 PM EST
    The bottom line is, you can't anticipate everything, and you can't prepare for everything either.
    Hey at least Saddam's weapons of mass destruction are no longer a threat to New Orleans, right bub? That was worth 200 billion dollars of tax money to protect us from, hey cupcake?

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#18)
    by glanton on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 03:00:44 PM EST
    Thanks for the link, Squeaky. Such a short post but it speaks volumes.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 04:20:22 PM EST
    Anonymous and JR, Nice attempt at a straw man arguement. Noone is saying that Bush is responsible for the hurricane. However, what he is responsible for and should be held accountable for is his decision to cut hurricane and flood control in New Orleans. Lets not forget that Bush inherited a huge budget surplus from Clinton. Not only do we now have a large budget deficit, but little to show for it.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 04:54:13 PM EST
    watch CNN Dead all over the place, sad. won't say anything about bush but get people inside the city and the little towns now many, many dead and many are dying. what would have happened if this had been a terrorists attack and what would happen if we get a H-bomb go off in some city right now? watch your backs this point's out that our government could not do a thing if evil comes down on millions.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#21)
    by jarober on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 04:57:13 PM EST
    Anonymous wrote: "Lets not forget that Bush inherited a huge budget surplus from Clinton. Not only do we now have a large budget deficit, but little to show for it." So by your logic, it's Clinton's fault for not spending the surplus on protection. Right? I'm not making that argument; you are.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#22)
    by john horse on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 05:22:52 PM EST
    JR (post you responded to was mine) If you read Boehlert's article, you'll find that the cuts began in 2003. I don't recall Clinton being President then. Clinton was able to run a budget surplus and adequately fund hurricane response/mitigation and flood control, neither of which Bush has managed to do.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 06:36:31 PM EST
    Let's not forget the State (Louisiana) and City (New Orleans) either - at any point in the last 50 years, they could have paid to upgrade those levees and floodwalls as well.
    It takes $$ to do that. The exact $$ they gave the feds. The exact $$ that was budgeted for them to do so. The exact $$ that bush cut out of their budget. BTW, FEMA and the ACofE have several docs on their sites dating from 1999 that a cat 2 can cause this devastation.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#24)
    by Sailor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 06:38:20 PM EST
    Sorry, the August 31, 2005 07:36 PM post was by Sailor.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#25)
    by Aaron on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 08:30:54 PM EST
    I heard the mayor of Jefferson Parish mention the fact that they didn't have any armed National Guard troops available to them, only engineers. Apparently this is the case because they're all serving in Iraq . Years ago when they started sending all the national guardsmen to Iraq instead of using the regular army, many people were complaining, mentioning the consequences if there were a major national disaster. We have a large number of troops quartered within the United States which now cannot be used to quell civil unrest because of posse comitatus. No doubt will see a call in the next few days by the neocon's and the right wing extremists to set aside posse comitatus and send in these troops. This couldn't have worked out better for them if it'd been choreographed.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#26)
    by jarober on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 09:22:42 PM EST
    John Horse: "If you read Boehlert's article, you'll find that the cuts began in 2003. I don't recall Clinton being President then. Clinton was able to run a budget surplus and adequately fund hurricane response/mitigation and flood control, neither of which Bush has managed to do." You miss my point, entirely. If we can blame this on Bush (an absurd idea), then we can also blame it on all past Presidents as well - all of whom "should have acted sooner" That's my point.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#27)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Thu Sep 01, 2005 at 02:37:22 AM EST
    JR...once again your point turns out to be bogus.
    For the first time in 37 years, federal budget cuts have all but stopped major work on the New Orleans area's east bank hurricane levees, a complex network of concrete walls, metal gates and giant earthen berms that won't be finished for at least another decade.
    Bush cut the project to pay for Iraq. Period. Work had been going on for more than three decades before that.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#28)
    by jarober on Thu Sep 01, 2005 at 04:45:13 AM EST
    Ernesto - so with work going on "for decades" before the last three years, certainly Cat 4/5 protection could have been done at some point, hmm? Or is it only the 2001-2005 window where that was possible?

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#29)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Thu Sep 01, 2005 at 06:25:27 AM EST
    From the June 2004 article:
    "I guess people look around and think there's a complete system in place, that we're just out here trying to put icing on the cake," said Mervin Morehiser, who manages the "Lake Pontchartrain and vicinity" levee project for the Army Corps of Engineers. "And we aren't saying that the sky is falling, but people should know that this is a work in progress, and there's more important work yet to do before there is a complete system in place."
    "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay," Maestri said. "Nobody locally is happy that the levees can't be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us."
    JR...you do the math: Bush spent 200 billion plus dollars on Iraq and wouldn't give 5 million dollars to this project. Bush thought Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were more of a threat than a hurricane hitting New Orleans. Doesn't take a genius to figure out he was somewhat mistaken there. Is he incompetent or criminally negligent? That's the only question we have left to ponder. I think the answer is the latter. Like I said before...if Halliburton was building levees, New Orleans would be bone dry right now.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#30)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Sep 01, 2005 at 09:02:01 AM EST
    Ernie - Thanks for making my point. 1. The problems had been known for years. 2. The work was on going and wouldn't be done for decades. So why didn't previous Presidents declsre a National Emergancy, fund the money in and get it done? Come on, Ernie. Where was Clinton? After all, he had a budget surplus fueled by the Internet Bubble. No excuse there of having to decide where to spend what you have. He had it all.... and spent it on a blue dress. You guys are so transparent. This is about nothing more than attack Bush.

    Re: The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane (none / 0) (#31)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:04 PM EST
    So why didn't previous Presidents declsre a National Emergancy, fund the money in and get it done?
    Complacency, pet projects, the usual. But Bush was the worst. That's my point. Work STOPPED on the project to pay for the Iraq disaster. So he is the most relevant weak link in the chain (levee) that finally broke.

    The Cost of the Iraq War Diminished Hurricane Funds | 31 comments (31 topical)