Flood Prevention? Not the Government's job

That seems to be the theory

.... that Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Clint Didier is espousing in his bid to take second in Washington's Aug. 17 primary.

In a meeting of all three Republican candidates with the Seattle Times ed board, the farmer and former Washington Redskin contrasted his views with incumbent Patty Murray(D):

via the Seattle Times:

While all the candidates attacked federal spending, Didier went the farthest, suggesting that Patty Murray's efforts to bring federal money to Washington State amounted to "buying votes."

He cited Wednesday's announcement of $26 billion in Medicaid funding for states, as well as Murray's recent announcement of $44 million to help fix Howard Hanson Dam.

Here she is bringing the pork back again. Spending our childrens and our grandchildren's money. She's already spent ours." he said.

"For crying out loud. How much is enough, Patty? You gotta go out there and buy your votes? Why is it coming in now?"

The 7:10pm Seattle Times release does not include any discussion or dissent from Condo Salesman and GOP frontman Dino Rossi or the third candidate local cobbler^[*] Paul Akers.

It is confounding that two candidates for the U.S. Senate sat in a room while another insisted that money for flood prevention is somehow wasteful and didn't challenge him.  It would be astounding enough if a single candidate had even been a room with someone who said it.  But as astonishing as it may sound, three Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate got into a room and agreed to the idea that money for dam repair is somehow pork stolen from our children's mouuths. They went on the record in front of newspaper reporters and editors and said that it's not government's place to protect its citizens and natural resources from flooding.

The purpose of a government is spelled out in the preamble of our Constitution.  It's a section that Rossi, Didier, and Akers should read.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure  domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The promotion of the general welfare, security of liberty, and the citizens' interests are the inseparable coequal values of America. It is what the Constitution was established to protect. It's time that Rossi and friends realized that.

It remarkable that three men anywhere think that flood prevention is wasteful spending. What is astounding is that these men want to be in the very government that they think is so wasteful. I wonder, if they think that shoring up a dam is wasteful, what would they, as Senators, spend our money on? Probably more tax give-aways to the rich and powerful. Spending to protect citizens? Waste. Giving it away and increasing the deficit? Fiscal conservatism.

Money should not be wasted in government, business, or a family, and this is not how you reduce wasteful spending.  Calling every project wasteful, obscures true instances of waste.  These guys are flooding the zone, camouflaging the real waste in our system. Instead of concentrating on fixing problems, Rossi, Didier, and Akers are running on the idea that government should do nothing.  It should not ensure human rights, it should not collect and spend money to benefit the nation as a whole, and it should never under any circumstances, defend its citizens' interests.  Apparently to these politicians, the "general welfare" just isn't worth the cost.

That's not Conservative- that's a rebuke to the entire American project.

Information about the dam is here: Howard Hanson Dam Information

^[*]
As far as I can tell...

At least his ad might make sense if that were his profession.

By the way, here's Rossi:

Where Rossi's money comes from: