In contrast, Obama -- &, apparently, an egg-faced Republican bootlicker Jindal -- recognize that states cannot get through disasters without federal assistance. True recovery means finding solutions to the problems & fixing them. Handouts from churches & organizations like the Red Cross can provide some emergency relief but cannot finance the levee protection these storm victims desperately need & are seeking.
By BEN FELLER and KASIE HUNT
Associated Press
LaPLACE, La. -- President Barack Obama insisted on Monday that the federal government can help Americans in crisis, whether they're autoworkers fearful that their company will disappear or Gulf Coast residents picking up the pieces after the devastation of Hurricane Isaac.
In separate appearances in Ohio and Louisiana, the Democratic incumbent delivered a forceful defense of government involvement to counter the oft-repeated Republican argument that business and free enterprise are the main drivers of U.S success.
Obama has said the election between himself and Republican Mitt Romney is a clear choice of the competing visions about the role and reach of government.
(...)
Prior to his visit to Louisiana, Obama's remarks about the storm have focused on what money and resources the federal government can marshal to help. Romney used his trip Friday to emphasize the need for charitable donations to help people recover.
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Throughout his visit, Romney was confronted with reminders that locals were most concerned about extending flood protection - paid for by the federal government - far enough to protect their community. In New Orleans, $14 billion in federal aid was set aside to build a complex flood protection system of sea walls and levees after the devastation of Katrina in 2005.
Read more here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/03/v-fullstory/2983107/obama-romney-visits-to-gulf-highlight.html#storylink=cpyLa. Gov. Bobby Jindal asks President Obama for more Tropical Storm Isaac aid
The White House said Obama informed Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal of the emergency declaration in a phone call. The declaration makes federal support available to save lives, protect public health and safety and preserve property in coastal areas.
Jindal, a Republican, shot back late Monday in a letter to the Obama administration that the declaration fell short of the help he was requesting.
"We appreciate your response to our request and your approval," Jindal wrote. "However,
the state's original request for federal assistance ... included a request for reimbursement for all emergency protective measures. The federal declaration of emergency only provides for direct federal assistance."
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"The speed with which this threat developed "has necessitated extraordinary emergency protective measures at the state and local government level," he said, adding that the state has already spent about $8 million on a variety of "emergency protective measures."
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57501394/la-gov-bobby-jindal-asks-president-obama-for-more-tropical-storm-isaac-aid/
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