Bush's "Compassion": Favoring Corporations Over People:
"According to the New York Times, the U.S. Navy has asked FEMA to give it $2 billion to restore Northrop's Gulfport facilities to their pre- Katrina 'capacity and profit opportunities.' According to the Times that would 'shift the full burden of hurricane-related cost overruns and ship-building delays from Northrop to the government.' That amount is in addition to the $500 million Northrop has already gotten from its insurers and the additional $500 million it believes its insurers owe it. According to one watchdog group, the $2 billion is almost as much as the government plans to spend on repairing housing. The reason those funds are available for FEMA to give to Northrop instead of to non-corporate victims of Katrina goes back to October 28.

On that date Mr. Bush asked that $17.1 billion of FEMA funds be reallocated. He said he wanted the pentagon to get $6.6 billion (a sum that includes the Northrop money). The rest is to go to the National Guard reservists and repairs to military installations damaged by Katrina. He didn't leave out the human victims. He said $2.2 billion should be used for housing recovery."
- posted by geoff @ #