Seven Million Reasons To Love Bush

After listening to months of the "...the past eight years..." mantra it is interesting to see how the business of serving the people quickly pushes the politics to the back burner.

Ever wonder what a $7 million dollar tab looks like?

It isn't like that dinner check at Bob Evans; in fact, it has much more detail built in, including just how vulnerable the emergency communications system in Ohio was when battered by 60 mile per hour winds and power outages; how the State wants Uncle Sam to pick up the tab for closing state parks over fears of fire; how U.S. taxpayers should pay for spoiled meat in powerless refrigerators at state meat inspection stations and how Ohio can't afford to pay for some damages because we've already cut our troubled budget. READ it here; .pdf file of request for federal assistance

All part of Governor "we need change" Strickland's request to President "eight is enough" Bush following the Ike storms that swept up the Ohio Valley and left over a million without power. There are still plenty of Ohioans without services as utility crews continue to fix the widespread damages. Imagine what it is like in Texas where the nation's fourth largest city is still reeling.

This is what we expect government to do: work together to make us whole again after disaster, regardless of the sniping from one side to the other. It does point out, though, the odd situation Ted Strickland must find himself in. On one hand he's banging the drum loudly that McCain is Bush but he's asking Bush to clear the way for a seven million dollar bailout. The White House, of course, will pretend politics never matters in a case such as this and besides they would be idiots to not work quickly to help Ohioans, especially in areas that helped send and keep Bush in office.

What an odd animal politics is; working so hard to demonize the same guy you are now begging for help from.

Thankfully there are enough bureaucrats in both Columbus and Washington who understand the true power of government in America: the names and faces of the suits up top come and go but the system remains.