Rand Paul: “the tragic events of abject poverty in New Orleans revealed on national TV by Katrina's destruction were real eye…”

“the tragic events of abject poverty in New Orleans revealed on national TV by Katrina's destruction were real eye- openers for many. These scenes prompted two emotional reactions. One side claimed Katrina proved there was not enough government welfare and its distribution was based on race. The other side claims we need to pump billions of new dollars into the very agency that failed, FEMA, while giving it extraordinary new police powers. Both sides support more authoritarianism, more centralization, and even the imposition of martial law in times of natural disasters. There is no hint that we will resort to reason now that the failed welfare policies of the past 60 years have been laid bare. Certainly no one has connected the tragedy of poverty in New Orleans to the flawed monetary system that has significantly contributed to the impoverishment of a huge segment of American society. Congress reacted to Katrina in the expected irresponsible manner. It immediately appropriated over $60 billion with little planning or debate. Taxes will not be raised to pay the bill, fortunately. There will be no offsets or spending reductions to pay the bill. Welfare and entitlement spending is sacrosanct, spending for the war in Iraq and the military industrial complex is sacrosanct, but there is no guarantee that gracious foreign lenders will step forward, especially without raising interest rates.…”