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Topic: Has Chertoff Katrina'd NYC??? (NYC) Return to archive
1st June 2006 02:09 PM
monkey_man D.C.'S STUPID SCROOGES SLASH NYC TERROR AID AND SPLURGE ON THE STICKS
By GEOFF EARLE Post Correspondent

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/66878.htm

June 1, 2006 -- WASHINGTON - Less than five years after the murder of 2,749 people in the Twin Towers on 9/11, the feds yesterday shockingly slashed anti-terror funds needed to protect New York City against future attacks.

The Homeland Security Department announced it was hacking funds distributed to the city by 40 percent compared with last year, while pouring hundreds of millions into unlikely terror targets like Kentucky and Wyoming.

The shocking stinginess from Washington comes just one week after a Pakistani national was convicted of a plot to blow up the Herald Square subway station.

New York City will get its vital anti-terror funding chain-sawed from $208 million this year to $124 million next year - even though security experts agree it is vastly more threatened than any other city in the country.

The unexpected move set New York lawmakers in both parties fuming - especially since Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, a native of the region, vowed to dole out money based on risk.

Two cities in Chertoff's home state, New Jersey, made out like bandits - Jersey City and Newark will receive a total of $34.3 million, a 79 percent increase from the previous year.

"As far as I'm concerned, the Department of Homeland Security and the administration have declared war on New York," said Rep. Peter King (R-L.I.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

"It's a knife in the back to New York and I'm going to do everything I can to make them very sorry they made this decision."

King said he would launch "rigorous investigations" of the Homeland Security Department - including a $21 million DHS contract with a Virginia limousine service accused of arranging hotel trysts between lawmakers and prostitutes.

"They have cut $80 million in funding to New York City," King said. "Meanwhile, they gave a $21 million limousine contract to the company that was driving pimps and prostitutes around."

Sen. Charles Schumer had a more personal message for President Bush.

"I don't think the president should come back to New York and stand in solidarity with us without changing this formula," said Schumer (D-N.Y.).

"This is unfair. This is wrong. This is an outrage. This is basically abandoning New York."

Even though the feds had less money to hand out this year because of spending cuts, New York's massive drop was far out of proportion to the overall reduction.

In fact, New York City absorbed more than half of the nationwide cut of $119 million in money for urban areas. The city reduction amounted to $66 million below the prior year.

Federal officials said they based the new funding on a "two-by-two matrix" based on "risk" and "effectiveness" - but offered no specific justification for why New York's share plummeted.

"We have to look at the risk of New York City in relation to the rest of the country as well," said Tracy Henke, a DHS assistant secretary. "You're only as strong as your weakest link."

New York leaders weren't buying it.

"There's no question, they should have given us a lot more," said Mayor Bloomberg.

"When you stop a terrorist, they have a map of New York City in their pocket. They don't have a map of any of the other 46 places" that got money yesterday from the feds.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said city funding cuts and a big cut for Buffalo "demonstrates a pre-9/11 mentality that we should not tolerate" and called for Senate hearings on the issue.

"There's something seriously flawed with a process that results in a 40 percent cut to the city highest on the terrorists' target list," said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

"We lost almost 3,000 people that day," said Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.), who held a press conference with Rep. Vito Fossella (R-S.I.) at Ground Zero. "Yet Washington is blind to what happened."

While New York got more than any other city - $124 million - it has twice been hit by al Qaeda attacks, and major plots have been uncovered for attacks on the Brooklyn Bridge, tunnels, Wall Street, and numerous other targets.

Even as New York braced for massive cuts, several small-city mayors were poised to bask in a security bonanza. Seven cities that got big increases have populations smaller than Staten Island.

Louisville, Ky. - home to Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), who chairs a powerful Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee - got almost $9 million.

Memphis, in the home state of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), got $4 million.

"Political considerations played no part in the allocation process - none whatsoever," said George Foresman, DHS undersecretary for preparedness.

But security experts were at a loss to explain the funding decisions.

"Omaha is not target No. 1 for Osama bin Laden - it's New York. What is the administration thinking?" asked Scott Bates of the Center for National Policy.

Of the $1.7 billion in security funds being awarded, $1.3 billion goes out based on risk. Another $400 million goes to states by a formula that guarantees something even to states with tiny populations like Idaho and Wyoming.

The feds say funds were awarded through a secret peer-reviewed process. But each peer group of five to seven people included at least one rural or small-state representative - giving small towns an edge.

DHS officials hinted that New York's paperwork wasn't up to par. That led King to respond: "What they're trying to do is take a cheap shot here by saying the application wasn't filled out right. That can result in thousands of people being killed."

Of the 46 cities that got special grants, New York City ranks 23rd per capita, getting $16 per person.

But residents of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., got $67 per person, and residents of Atlanta got $45.
1st June 2006 02:17 PM
lotsajizz sleep tight Amerika
1st June 2006 02:24 PM
BILL PERKS THEY ALREADY GOT US
1st June 2006 02:25 PM
Some Guy ever googled Loose Change and watched the video?
1st June 2006 02:26 PM
glencar --"Omaha is not target No. 1 for Osama bin Laden - it's New York. What is the administration thinking?" asked Scott Bates of the Center for National Policy.--

These people are fucking stoopit. I think most of this money is pork anyway but on the off-chance that it does some good, NYC is the huge bullseye target. Most crazed terrorists wouldn't know Omaha from Kearney.
1st June 2006 02:48 PM
Dan
quote:
glencar wrote:
--"Omaha is not target No. 1 for Osama bin Laden - it's New York. What is the administration thinking?" asked Scott Bates of the Center for National Policy.--

These people are fucking stoopit. I think most of this money is pork anyway but on the off-chance that it does some good, NYC is the huge bullseye target. Most crazed terrorists wouldn't know Omaha from Kearney.



Maybe not. Its our very own Joey who put Omaha on the map. Or at least inspired me to find Omaha on the map.
1st June 2006 03:09 PM
voodoopug
quote:
Dan wrote:


Maybe not. Its our very own Joey who put Omaha on the map. Or at least inspired me to find Omaha on the map.



Until I caught wind of joey (see: finger light)...I just assumed Omaha was in Siberia......not anymore my friend!
1st June 2006 03:12 PM
glencar Omaha is still NOT happening!
1st June 2006 03:31 PM
glencar Good to see NY pols are making hay of this: http://www.wnbc.com/politics/9306297/detail.html
1st June 2006 03:31 PM
gimmekeef Everyone here in Atlanta got $45?...Where did mine go then?....Thats a bottle of scotch !
1st June 2006 03:42 PM
Jumping Jack Your $45 went to MARTA so the police chief could get his office painted before he left to become Chief of Sandy Springs. The money went to an unqualified minority contractor who defaulted and next year's money will be used to hire some illegals to do the job right. Feel safer now?

Big government is the solution to all problems! Wait until the Hildabeast straightens things out.
1st June 2006 03:43 PM
pdog The request for the money wasn't well written, or so I hear.
Should've just showed them pictures of September 11th in NYC and DC.
1st June 2006 04:05 PM
gimmekeef
quote:
Jumping Jack wrote:
Your $45 went to MARTA so the police chief could get his office painted before he left to become Chief of Sandy Springs. The money went to an unqualified minority contractor who defaulted and next year's money will be used to hire some illegals to do the job right. Feel safer now?

Big government is the solution to all problems! Wait until the Hildabeast straightens things out.



Dont scare me my Stones buddy..at least we can get a decent burial here in north Atlanta..ooops perhaps not even that!...lmao
1st June 2006 04:13 PM
Jumping Jack Did you see this? It made national news. Maybe we should use the $45 to hire ex-marines to walk the streets of Hot-lanta!

http://p081.ezboard.com/fshidoobeewithstonesdougfansoftherollingstonesnonstonesarticles.showMessage?topicID=5016.topic
1st June 2006 05:12 PM
rasputin56 and according Homeland Security (that term still makes me laugh) there are no national landmarks in NYC that are worth protecting. I love these guys.

http://abcnews.go.com/images/WNT/new_york_area_060601.pdf
1st June 2006 06:18 PM
glencar
quote:
Jumping Jack wrote:
Did you see this? It made national news. Maybe we should use the $45 to hire ex-marines to walk the streets of Hot-lanta!

http://p081.ezboard.com/fshidoobeewithstonesdougfansoftherollingstonesnonstonesarticles.showMessage?topicID=5016.topic

Yeah that guy should run for sheriff!
1st June 2006 06:37 PM
pdog I'm glad we have something bringing left and right together against Bush and his incompetient appointees.
1st June 2006 07:06 PM
glencar Chertoff is supposed to be a brilliant guy. He seems to have a tin ear though.
2nd June 2006 01:49 PM
monkey_man The arrogance of these bastards at DHS !!!!


City Has Itself to Blame for Terror Cuts, U.S. Says
By AL BAKER and DIANE CARDWELL

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/02/nyregion/02security.html?ex=1306900800&en=37196c5c0e47099f&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

The federal agency distributing $711 million in antiterrorism money to cities around the nation found numerous flaws in New York City's application and gave poor grades to many of its proposals.

Its criticism extended to some of the city's most highly publicized counterterrorism measures.

In a report that outlines why it cut back New York City's share of antiterrorism funds by roughly 40 percent, the Department of Homeland Security was so critical of some highly viewed local measures — like Operation Atlas, in which hundreds of extra police officers carry out counterterrorism duties around the city each day — that the Police Department and other city agencies must now seek further federal approval before drawing on the money they were given to pay for those programs.

Federal officials said yesterday that the city had not only done a poor job of articulating its needs in its application, but had also mishandled the application itself, failing to file it electronically as required, instead faxing its request to Washington.

City and state officials insisted that they had made no mistakes. And a state official provided a written acknowledgment from the federal government saying that the city's application for grant money had been "successfully submitted" and said that the city could "log in" any time to view the application.

New York City received $124.5 million from the Department of Homeland Security, about 40 percent less than the $207.5 million it received the year before. Many smaller cities around the country, like Charlotte, N.C., saw their shares increase sharply.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg questioned yesterday whether old-fashioned pork barrel politics was at play in doling out the money in an election year. He was one of several elected officials who moved on different tracks to uncover how the decisions were made, with an eye toward revising that process.

"We tried to do an analysis of some of the moneys and whether or not they were given out for political reasons, and in fact in many of the places where they got money — but arguably there's no threat — there are close elections either at the Senate level or the House level," the mayor said. "Now, whether that was their motive I have no idea."

The White House tried to minimize the effect on New York. The grants will be reconsidered each year and could change if "some grand and unforeseen need arises," said Tony Snow, the White House press secretary. "The point of homeland security, as I said before, is to provide security for the entire homeland," he said. "And certainly no disrespect meant to New York with $124 million for this coming year."

The report, obtained yesterday, pointed out opposing views held by cities and the federal government over how antiterrorism money should be spent and, as an extension of those views, how terrorism should be fought.

City officials have used federal money to subsidize continuing costs, like paying overtime to officers. The federal government, on the other hand, wants the grants to pay for semipermanent safeguards that can increase security over the long term, like improvements in communications systems, better gas masks and increased training.

The report faulted the city for not adequately explaining why the money being requested could reduce risks.

Though the report said the city was in the top 25 percent of urban areas at risk, it rated the city in the bottom 25 percent in the quality of its application. It rated the Police Department's counterterrorism program and Operation Atlas as below average in sustainability, a criticism of the continuing overtime costs.

Eight of the city's programs including the counterterrorism division and Operation Atlas, as well as some health and training programs — fell in the bottom 15 percent, meaning any federal money used toward them will need to be specifically approved.

Elected city officials were especially stunned that the report said New York had no national monuments or icons. The city's application was evaluated by so-called peer-review panels of five to seven people with varying backgrounds from 47 states and affirmed by government analysts at the Department of Homeland Security.

Angry officials in New York zeroed in on the peer review process yesterday, trying to determine who evaluated the programs and whether their judgments were clouded by a desire to steer security money to their own areas. City officials questioned whether the reviewers had expertise in antiterrorism efforts.

Members of New York's Congressional delegation presented a united front in pledging action to change the allocations. Representative Peter T. King, a Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said he would hold hearings to investigate the process, while Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, both Democrats, wrote letters to Michael Chertoff, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, demanding a full explanation.

In Washington, Mayor Anthony A. Williams described the decision to cut his city's allocation by 40 percent as shortsighted.

A spokeswoman, Sharon Gang, said the Homeland Security Department did not give much of a rationale for the cuts and that their proposals rated average or above average on almost all counts.

"It sounds like they made a unilateral, gut decision not based on our application," Ms. Gang said. "And they scored other locations higher."

Officials in New York said the impact of the cash drain would be felt.

"We have a counterterrorism center that would deal with all of the potential scenarios that we have been studying that we have to be prepared for that could be dramatically affected by any cut in funding," said Fire Commissioner Nicholas A. Scoppetta. "It's as though Washington is not going to be convinced of the need until they have another terrible incident in a place like New York or Washington."

Paul J. Browne, a senior aide to Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and the department's chief spokesman, said: "The N.Y.P.D. will continue to do what it needs to do to keep the city safe," he said. "We'll just be doing it without D.H.S. stepping up to the level expected of it."

He said the department's counterterrorism work had been essential in defending the city since 9/11 "What more evidence do they need?" he said.

Stephen C. King, a lawyer who specializes in emergency-response and domestic security issues at Hunton & Williams in New York, said he could not understand the 40 percent cut to the city. "I'll have to look at it closer," he said, "but I can't wrap my arms around that one."

Though the federal officials said the city did not file properly, the city said state officials filed its package, and a state official said its package of applications was filed electronically on March 2, the deadline.

In an interview, George W. Foresman, under secretary for preparedness as the Department of Homeland Security, applauded some of the security work being done by New York, while raising the question of just what is the proper use of the federal funds.

"Do you pay for what are viewed as basic capabilities; law enforcement, fire, E.M.S., public health, emergency management?" he asked. "Whose role is it to pay for that, versus whose role is it to pay for specialized training and equipment for fire, E.M.S. and law enforcement?"

Mr. Chertoff said yesterday: "There was no suggestion about anything we did that New York is not the No. 1 terror target. But I do think it's fair to ask this question: After a city gets $500 million, more than twice as much as the next-largest city, is it correct to assume they should continue to get the same amount of money year after year after year after year with everybody else dividing up what remains?"

Still, Mr. Schumer called the episode an "absurdity," saying the grading system did not make sense.

"It would be as if you got 800's on your boards and Stanford Law School rejected you because you put the stamp on upside down," he said.
2nd June 2006 08:50 PM
lotsajizz
quote:
glencar wrote:
Chertoff is supposed to be a brilliant guy. He seems to have a tin ear though.



Chartoff is another one of those 'dual citizenship' types who have been allowed by the GOP to infiltrate our top levels of givernment.



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