If It's Such A Big Problem, Why Can't The State Pay For It?

Does anyone else find it amusing to put these stories side by side?

This story is about a fight over an amendment to remove $11 million in funding for California levees from the "emergency" Iraq War and Hurricane Relief Bill.

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Coburn's attack brought the state's two Democratic senators to the floor with impassioned speeches and a copy of a letter Schwarzenegger sent to the Oklahoma senator Tuesday.

Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein stressed that the request for the money is bipartisan and includes area Republicans - a reference to Reps. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, and John Doolittle, R-Roseville, who both support the emergency funding.

"I am telling you these levee banks could breach at any time," pleaded Sen. Dianne Feinstein, as she pointed to a photograph of the Pocket area. "I am telling you that 100,000 people could lose their homes.

"Do I believe this is a life emergency?" Feinstein asked, referring to the threat of massive levee breaches. "Yes. ... This work has to be done."

In his letter, a portion of which was read by Boxer, Schwarzenegger said, "We cannot wait for disaster to strike and must use the lessons of Katrina to act now." Feinstein said the additional money would mean the 29 highest-priority erosion sites will be strengthened this summer.

Boxer attacked Coburn's amendment as "reckless." "I don't know where the heart is," she said. "I don't know where the soul is. I don't know where the common sense is."
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This story is about the huge, unexpected overflow in tax revenue California is seeing.

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officials at the Department of Finance say the state could end up with about $4 billion more in its bank accounts this year than the governor predicted in January when he released his proposed $125.6 billion spending plan for the 2006-07 fiscal year.
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So let's recap. Congress is including money for levees in Calfifornia in a federal bill supposedly intended for Iraq and hurricane relief. Amusing, but unfortunately just par for the course at this point.

More amusing are theatrics over the assumption that without federal funding of $11 million there is no way to protect these homes - and that it is heartless to question it. Um, if this $11 million is so amazingly urgent, why can't Californian's be protected from the billions in extra revenue California finds itself with? Isn't California also currently working on a bond measure which has $4.09 BILLION for flood protection? But, for some reason, it's reckless for the federal government to consider not acting on this.

Just for fun, let's ad this story to the mix. The federal government's obligations and expenditures outpaced intake's last year by $760 billion last year.