Today Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal delivered the Republican response to President Barack Obama‘s speech to Congress. In it he poked at the recently-passed stimulus package which contains, in his words,
$140 million for something called “volcano monitoring.”
Never mind that the $140 million is actually for more than volcano monitoring, I’d just like to say that as someone who lives on an active volcano, Bobby Jindal can go fuck himself.
I want the USGS to monitor volcanoes. I want them to give warnings when a volcano is going to erupt. I want them to monitor gas output. I want them to monitor earthquakes.
I’ll bet I’m not alone. I’m sure people in Washington would like to know if Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Adams, Mount Rainier, or Mount St. Helens are going to erupt. I’m sure people in Oregon would like to know if Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry Volcano, and Crater Lake are going to erupt. I’m sure people in Northern California would like to know if Medicine Lake volcano, Mount Shasta, and Lassen Peak are going to erupt. I’m sure people in Alaska would like to know if any number of volcanoes are going to erupt, particularly Mount Redoubt. I’m sure people in Hawaii would like to know if Mauna Loa is going to erupt. I’m sure people in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho would like to know if Yellowstone is going to erupt.
Besides, it’s not just for volcano monitoring! One of the other things this money’s going towards is replacement and upgrades of stream gages. It might be nice knowing if a stream or river is rising. Useful to know if you need to prepare for flooding.
And he shrugs it off. “Volcano monitoring.” Pfft. Who needs to look at volcanoes?
Fuck you Bobby Jindal.
#1 by Geof F. Morris on 25 February 2009 - 3:31 pm
I want volcano monitoring, and I live in Alabama. It’s not because I like you, Brad [which I do], but more because I don’t want to have to rebuild your town and bury you if you get torched by the volcano. Same reason we build levees … oh, sorry, N’Awlins.
#2 by George on 25 February 2009 - 10:35 pm
How the fuck could Louisiana bring in a Republican governor after Katrina????? Jindal is a douche bag piece of shit for questioning the monitoring of volcanic activity in our country. What’s next, get rid of earthquake monitoring in California??? The GOP needs a better token man of color than him. What a bunch of loosers. He needs to be voted out of office next election!
#3 by KB on 01 March 2009 - 3:05 pm
You’re the fucking idiot who decided to live on a volcano. The government shouldn’t reward stupidity. I have to admit though, you are right about not all of the $140 million will go to volcano monitoring. Some of it will go to making topographical maps, an effective way to spend our money. I couldn’t conceive a more justifiable cause than cartography to help us exponentially grow our country’s debt which Obama is so quick to blame completely on Bush. I wouldn’t have a problem with him calling out the former president if he wasn’t so intent on spending China’s money in a recession to promote programs that are not directed at getting us out of it. It’s not as if volcano monitoring is a new revolutionary idea that will not be realized without this massive spending. There are much more worthy causes that will get us out of this recession like spending $75 million to get people to stop smoking. Well I guess we can have both since our new socialist regime favors limitless spending over discretionary spending. Then, we can raise taxes so high on those rich bastards to get them back for pursuing and achieving the American Dream. That way, those damned richers with their fancy hiring and firing abilities can cut jobs. Yep, that’s the way to get this country out of crisis. Or, hopefully it will make times that much worse so that Obama can continue to blame Bush and scare Americans into blind followers.
I almost forgot; George and Geof, you guys are fucking retarted also
#4 by Brad on 02 March 2009 - 7:46 am
@KB
You can’t live anywhere without the threat of some kind of natural disaster. The Gulf Coast gets hurricanes. The west coast gets earthquakes. The south gets tornadoes. The north gets blizzards. Hawaii gets volcanoes. Are all Americans “fucking idiots” for voluntarily living where a natural disaster can happen? Are people living in New Orleans fucking idiots because they can get hit by a hurricane? Are people living in San Francisco fucking idiots because they could experience an earthquake?
Regarding “exponentially grow our country’s debt”: First, I think you do not know what the word “exponentially” means. Second, take a look at surplus/deficit charts over the past 20 years. The US had a surplus under most of Clinton’s presidency, highest in his last years. The US had a deficit under GWB’s presidency, largest in his last years. So yes, Obama did inherit massive debt and deficit from GWB.
When you have a coherent argument to make, come back and make it.
Also try to use the Return key once in a while.