Darrell Issa (CA-48) is famous for trying to assume the role of tightwad in committee hearings, and yesterday's hearing about healthcare in New Orleans was no exception:
Confronting a panel of health professionals seeking continued federal support for a fragile network of New Orleans health clinics that emerged in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform asked Thursday whether the city is becoming a ward of the federal government.
"Is everyone so poor in Louisiana that the state cannot do more for you?" Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., asked the panel. "Are you going to be a permanent ward of the federal government?"
Issa asks a valid question. New Orleans may not be a permanent ward of the federal government, but the feds will have obligations to the city for years.
(more after the jump)
That Issa is a douchenozzle is not in dispute, so his seemingly-insensitive remarks sparked a tirade by Dennis Kucinich:
If we can't see that New Orleans is still suffering, if we can't see that New Orleans has a health-care infrastructure that is not adequate to meet the needs of people who are still recovering from the hurricane, if New Orleans has to come with a tin cup to beg for money for clinics "," Kucinich said. "Our country is falling apart, and what's happening in New Orleans is a signal condition of where America's priorities are totally fouled up.
At which point, Anh Cao (LA-01) thanked Kucinich for his passion and understanding.
But Issa really does have a point. It's time that the federal government start thinking of New Orleans as a victim of their negligence. Kucinich doesn't even understand the situation. New Orleans isn't "recovering from the hurricane." New Orleans is recovering from the negligence of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The city recovers quickly from hurricanes. No region in this country can recover quickly from the 40+ year systemic failure of the Army we've experienced here.
Naturally, Issa isn't going there. Since he represents a conservative section of Southern California, his constituency is dominated by military families, both active duty and retirees. Conceding that the USACE is as screwed up as we now know it to be would not go over well with the folks who sent him to Washington.
As someone who who ran a manufacturing concern, however, Issa should well understand the aftermath of lawsuits. If someone is severely injured working on an assembly line, or if the victim in an automobile collision needs long-term medical care, those who caused the injury must pay the bills to fix things. Trust funds and annuities are set up for the victim. In a manner of speaking, the victim does become a "ward" of those who were negligent.
More simply put, use Colin Powell's "Pottery Barn" analogy: The USACE broke New Orleans, therefore the federal government has to pay for it.
Unfortunately, the USACE is immune from legal action for the systemic failure of New Orleans' floodwalls. That means that New Orleanians have to go hat-in-hand to asshats like Issa, demanding that they do the right thing. The biggest problem with this is that Issa has no idea why he is responsible:
In his questioning, Issa said he wasn't disputing the worthiness of the clinics. But he said California, deep in its own financial bind, taxes its citizens at a higher rate than Louisiana taxes its citizens, and he questioned whether paying for health care in New Orleans ought to be his constituents' burden in perpetuity.
It's because your Army broke New Orleans, Congressman. You and your state have to pay for that, just like a driver who hits a pedestrian has to pay for that victim's care. And to Congressman Kucinich: it was YOUR Army as well, and Ohio has the same responsibility. I applaud your attitude, but please get the reason for copping that attitude right.