"The tornado damage near Oklahoma City is still being assessed and the death toll is expected to rise, but already Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., says he will insist that any federal disaster aid be paid for with cuts elsewhere."
Honestly, this is just despicable. To put it in context,
Oklahoma is a net recipient of federal tax dollars. (New Yorkers pay, per capita, $4,502 a year towards the federal budget. Oklahomans? $-376) In other words,
Senator Coburn is actually proposing that the disparity be increased, because I'm not sure why. The more affluent should pay more in taxes, of course, and poorer people should receive more assistance. I have no quarrel with that. My complaint is that this principle should be followed generally. I begrudge the people of Oklahoma nothing-- when disasters occur, the federal government should assist, and because I am fortunate enough to live in a sensible place where tornadoes don't, at the moment, knock down whole damn cities, I'm fine with chipping in. Just don't tell me that doing so means that other people should get screwed. We could empty out Oklahoma and nobody'd miss it. J.J. Cale could move to Texas and that would be that culturally. It's only other contribution is the Red River Rivalry in college football, and I imagine Austin would find something else to do for that one Saturday a year.
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