It also shouldn't come to a huge surprise to most people that there were a number of people who rolled the dice and thought that it was a great idea to build homes and towns in an area known to have more than a few hurricanes roll through every now and then.

And as Gomer Pyle is fond of saying, "Surprise. Surprise. Surprise." Those homes got damaged during the latest hurricane. Some, just flat out destroyed.

Okay, so their homes got destroyed. So where are you going at with this, KG.

I'm getting there, just bear with me.

What this is leading to, is a troubling trend that we are experiencing here in America.

Contrary to what the nearest pack of birkin sock wearing, Al Gore quoting, hippie-environmental whack jobs (or tin-foil hat wearing HAARP conspiracy theorist) would have you believe, the federal government has NOTHING to do with creating hurricanes or controlling where they go.

Look, they cannot balance their own checkbook!

Who in their right mind believes that they have the wherewithal to even remotely manipulate atmospheric phenomenon of any type?

Junior created a terrible precedent several years ago when he caved into the whiners that the federal government needed to "do something" right after Hurricane Katrina, as if the billions the federal government had stolen from everyone and sent down to New Orleans over the span of decades for flood management and was subsequently misspent by the democratic controlled Parish and other government leaders didn't count.

Okay, we'll do this one more time.

"Free" federal cash, FEMA workers, cancer-causing travel trailers...done!

Uh-oh, Katie bar the door!

Several months, and one huge boring mega-concert later, those affected by Hurricane Sandy are still asking: Where's my money?

They took to the streets.

They took to TV.

Look, I can see this from democrats. They're hard-wired to ask for/demand money regardless of the circumstances. But self-professed republicans also began to hold their hats out asking for money as well.

And they even took to telling people not to donate to the GOP.

Disgruntled by what they viewed as a snub by Washington during the "fiscal cliff" theater, the states adversely affected by Hurricane Sandy demanded, and are now getting $60-billion in "free" federal cash. The first vote for $9.7-billion took place today. The second vote in about a week and a half for the rest in the $50-some-odd billion pork laden bill. (even more pork)

-    $17-billion for CDBG funds. Huh? What does THAT have to do with hurricane relief?

-    $13-billion would go to "mitigation" projects to prepare for future storms.

-    $10.78-billion for mass transit. Not disaster relief, mind you. But, future construction.

-    $197-million "to... protect coastal ecosystems and habitat impacted by Hurricane Sandy." They couldn't stop this hurricane. What makes them think that they can stop another?

-    $150-million to NOAA to distribute to fisheries in Alaska. (It's been a while since I snuck a look at a globe...but I'm pretty sure that Alaska is nowhere near the Eastern Seaboard).

-    $8-million to buy cars and equipment for DHS & DOJ.

Now, here's where things get really interesting.

Not more than one week ago, several (but not enough) republicans were complaining that "we cannot tax our way to prosperity." We must look at spending.

One of those voices was Rep. Garrett out of New Jersey. He even had an interesting blurb on Fox News about it several days ago.

And to top things off, look at this cool graphic his office used to support his position.

Now fast-forward to today's vote (354-67 for those w/o a scorecard), and contrast THAT with what Rep. Garrett had to say regarding Constitutional Authority:

[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 1 (Thursday, January 3, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H34]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]

By Mr. GARRETT:

H.R. 41.

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following:

Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 (The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and
general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, imposts, and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.;)

Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 (No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time)

and Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 (To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department of Officer thereof).

The Constitution exclusively bestows to Congress the power of the purse and this legislation would increase the amount of borrowing authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for carrying out the national flood insurance program.

Need I remind those republicans woefully ignorant of our republic's history; Federalist No. 45, written by James Madison himself (he has some idea of what the author of our Constitution actually meant when he wrote it), regarding the powers of the federal government:

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected."

Anybody see anything in there that can be bent, twisted, of even creatively interpreted to include coerced hurricane relief?

Neither did I.

Even though the GOP demonstrated (again) that there is no discernible difference between themselves and the democrats when it comes to spending money, there are some Michigan bright spots in today's vote.

Even though this bill passed the House, there were 67 Republican "no" votes cast today.

Three of those votes were from Michigan. They demonstrated their convictions and should be recognized for standing up for our Constitution, even the rest of the republican majority was busy wiping their backsides with that document.

Representatives Justin Amash & Kerry Bentivolio voted "no" on HR-41 today (and to be fair, some guy named Benishek).

Yes, a republican led House led us further into debt with yet another Porkulus bill.

But, we have at least some representatives who did not kowtow to the party machine on this one.

Send their respective offices a "Thank you" when you have the opportunity.