Why Are National Republicans Treating Texas Like This?

Texans, and in particular Republican Texans, probably don't understand why their state with a Republican governor and a Republican Senate and a Republican House and a Republican everything is being treated like this by a Republican president. This article is what I'm talking about, State may not get paid for Katrina help. The governor went to D. C. and got walloped:

On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Perry told the Senate Appropriations Committee that Don Powell, federal coordinator of Gulf Coast rebuilding, told the state not to expect any additional help from Washington because the damage the state sustained from Rita was caused mostly by wind, not water.

Additionally, Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson said communities had been compensated very well for providing millions upfront to Katrina evacuees for housing.

The biggest wallop to Texas pride came Thursday, when Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., doubted Texas' need for compensation.

"I know there are costs and burdens, but I need to be convinced that they should be compensated," Bond said in a Senate Appropriations hearing.

He suggested that Texas has benefited from the influx of evacuees. "I think it's time we get back to being a good neighbor and not a paid companion," he said.

Bond was not available for an interview last week to elaborate on his concerns, spokesman Rob Ostrander said. Ostrander declined by e-mail a request for an interview in Bond's place, insisting that questions be sent to him first.

"Senator Bond's statement from earlier this week speaks for itself," he said in an e-mail.

Kit Bond? KBH had this to say:

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who lashed out at Bond at this week's hearing, said in an interview Friday that Bond's comments were "unnecessary" and reflect "a fundamental misunderstanding of what Texas has done."

She's right, but will that change anything and can she? The reason for this, and this is going to sound simplistic, is because of politics. In case you haven't noticed the president's poll numbers are bad. To get them up the White House is trying everything they can and it still ain't working. But at this point the last thing they're going to do is start pumping the little remaining money they have to play with into a state that is one of the most reliable Republican voting blocks in the country. In other words because of Texas' sheep-like quality of voting Republican, no matter what, our state can be ignored by the RNC and national Republicans. They figure they can do anything, or in this case nothing, and Texans will still vote for Republicans. As many have said, when we have one party rule we have no accountability. Whether it's on the county commission or the entire state government, once they control it all and believe they can't lose that control, then they can, and most times, will ignore the public opinion and do whatever they want. Whether it's toll roads, voting for publicly funded vouchers, or voting against money for a Crisis Center. The way to change this is to vote them and their party out of office.