Twister Lessons

I live in the greater Springfield area, which has been slammed by a tornado last week. Yeah, that one. We've been working with folks from church and other volunteers to assist in the cleanup as much as possible. We've donated all of the stored food we've accumulated and are looking to donate some clothes as well.

Then I read this story in the Boston Globe, which looks promising until you get to the end and read this:

"In Massachusetts, Patrick filed a supplemental budget bill Monday that included $10 million for tornado relief, but that money is not designated for individual homeowners. It will be used by state agencies to cover the costs of calling up the National Guard, operating shelters, paying police overtime, and other unanticipated costs such as chopping up trees and clearing debris."

So the Governor budgeted money to pay the state for their efforts in mobilizing but no aid will go to the beleaguered homeowners that have lost all of the their material possessions. No doubt, the Governor is counting in the federal government to foot the bill for some of the $90,000,000 in damages (that number is based on insurance claims that have been filed). It remains to be seen if Westfield, West Springfield, Springfield, Monson, Wilbraham or Brimfield will meet the minimum dollar amounts of damage required for those federal funds. Make no mistake - that clean up money is going to clear out the public properties like streets, which is a necessity. I would be surprised if any of that went to help rebuild Monson's town hall or police station. Springfield has a history of voting Democrat and I would like to say this;

Look around you at the devastation and see who it is that is helping you when the chips are down and you need it most. It is your neighbors, your friends and your fellow citizens not the government. This is how life is. When we need help the most, our neighbors, friends and fellow citizens are the ones there to give us a helping hand. The government will take care of itself first and if there's any money left over, it will go to those organizations that try to assist the people and if there's any money left over after that, it will go to the insurance companies to help them deal with the financial impact these storms have had on them and if there's any money after that it will go to help the people affected. Yes, along the way services will be provided by those organizations and insurance companies but in a bureaucratic sense that won't truly impact the people who need it immediately. The Red Cross will help with immediate temporary needs because that is what they do and they do it well. The Red Cross is not going to ensure you have a place to stay over the next three months while the damage to your home is assessed, weighed and evaluated then funds allocated then construction starts. Insurance companies won't pay for the removal of the trees in your yard unless they're directly damaging your house. A friend of mine helped a neighbor cut up a tree that was blocking the door to his house. Until they did that, they were getting in and out through a window. That tree did no damage to his house, but it prevented him from leaving by either door or garage. Therefore, the insurance claim would not cover its removal.

Remember this in November of next year, when you're pulling the lever for those fine folks in office in Boston. Where were they when you needed them? Crying poor from their fine offices in Boston, that's where. I'm not saying vote Republican because they'll solve all our problems, far from it - they'll just create different ones if we're lucky. Other than photo ops, did they help you in any way? Other than gather attention, how were you helped? Did that attention help you? If you can say that they did not help you, then why do they deserve your vote? By all means, vote Democrat if that's what you prefer. All I'm asking is that you vote for a different Democrat than the ones that ignored you when they should have helped.