Eleven Brave Guardians of the Public Purse

It may be that I am in a very tiny minority about this, but I'm a wee bit concerned about the rush to throw money at the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. I've been shocked at the misery and death and destruction along the gulf coast, and have donated to private charities to help, but $10 Billion plus $50.8 Billion is a whole lot of money however you look at it, and I have the feeling that this is only the beginning. It is plainly too much money with not enough accountability. Paving the streets of New Orleans with dollar bills (*) will not make up for the evacuation that didn't take place, and the food, water, and rescue that was late. Assuming 200 million taxpayers, all of us just donated $300 each to federally-funded hurricane relief.

Given the current political climate only a very brave person, who is truly committed to reigning in spending would vote against this supplemental appropriation. No one in the Senate was that brave, but eleven House members were both brave and principled, and I salute them: