Tsunami Relief And Preparedness Cut In GOP Budget Proposal: National Weather Service

[kpete]

Source: Huffington Post

Tsunami Relief And Preparedness Cut In GOP Budget Proposal: National Weather Service

WASHINGTON -- Thursday night's massive earthquake in Japan and the resulting tsunami warnings that have alarmed U.S. coasts, seem likely to ignite a debate over a previously little-discussed subsection of the spending bills currently being debated in Congress.

Tucked into the House Republican continuing resolution are provisions cutting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including the National Weather Service, as well as humanitarian and foreign aid.

Presented as part of a larger deficit reduction package, each cut could be pitched as tough-choice, belt-tightening on behalf of the GOP. But advocates for protecting those funds pointed to the crisis in Japan as evidence that without the money, disaster preparedness and relief would suffer.

"These are very closely related," National Weather Service Employees Organization President Dan Sobien told The Huffington Post with respect to the budget cuts and the tsunami. "The National Weather Service has the responsibility of warning about tsunami's also. It is true that there is no plan to not fund the tsunami buoys. Everyone knows you just can't do that. Still if those cuts go through there will be furloughs at both of the tsunami warning centers that protect the whole country and, in fact, the whole world."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/11/tsunami-relief-gop-budget-cuts_n_834479.html?view=print

[joeybee12]

1. Don't you get it? We need the tax cuts instead! Paris Hilton is a job creator!!! nt

[zehnkatzen]

2. Well, isn't THIS just ironic and awkward. k/r

Well, that and the cuts to … vawlCAYno monitoring!

[Zorra]

3. Why not? That money can go toward building golf courses at State Parks!

And humongous government subsidized CEO bonuses for all republican supported corporations.

It's the republican way - to let their fellow citizens that are victims of natural disasters suffer and die so that they can have ten extra bucks in their pocket. Then they wonder why they can't get help when they are the victim of a natural disaster.

[chill_wind]

4. K & R. n/t

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

5. Isn't privatizing the national weather service

one of the goals of the repubs? To make us pay for what we know get for free?

[CatholicEdHead]

7. It is

Accuweather gave to Santourm to try to make the NWS only a data capture service and would have made all forecasts done by private companies (like them).

[Duer 157099]

6. Well since the uber wealthy tend to occupy beach front property

then I'd say they'll get exactly what they deserve, some day.

[Retrograde]

8. Yeah, but look who that helps

Tsunamis are most likely to hit Hawai'i, Washington, Oregon and California: and who do they vote for? Huh?

As I type this I'm listening to the local radio report on tsunami surge damage at the Santa Cruz (CA) harbor. And they're expecting more along the coast, including San Francisco.

[CLANG]

9. Not. Surprised. In. The. Least.

[pansypoo53219]

10. they are no longer cutting the fat of government,

but the bone to prevent taxes going up.grover norquist's wet dream.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. NOAA has been a target of these neaderthals for decades

they rather privatize them.

Granted the media cannot read the damn fucking reports, but they are a huge service, and very LOW part of the budget. But they employ icky scientists...

[KamaAina]

12. Remember when Booby Jindal wanted to cut volcano monitoring?

That was followed closely by, of all things, a volcanic eruption in Alaska, somewhere between Russia and Snowdrift Snooki's house. And now this.

Please tell me they haven't cut funds for locust prevention... :scared:

[musette_sf]

13. K&R

from a resident of a tsunami zone who awoke today to police sirens and evacuation announcements on loudspeaker