Over 230 died in several states during Hurricane Helene when it struck the south coast of the country in late September. Now, many are anticipating what is said to be one of the worst potential hurricanes ever recorded to hit Florida, Hurricane Milton, and many are scrambling to flee before its expected landfall late Wednesday or Thursday.

“This is literally catastrophic,” Tampa mayor Jane Castor said in an interview with CNN on Monday. “I can say this without any dramatisation whatsoever: if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.”

On 26 September - the same day that Hurricane Helene made landfall – Israel announced that it secured a $8.7bn aid package from the US to support its ongoing military efforts.

Despite the US administration’s assurances, people on social media have remained critical of the government using taxpayer money to fund Israel’s war as citizens are being internally displaced in the US.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Well, Israel has AIPAC that takes care of properly bribing American politicians. What does the mob of commoner hurricane victims have to offer in terms of bribes? Nothing? Well, there you have the answer.

      • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        That was the original design of Democracy. Somehow, though, politicians have forgotten about that, and only care for the monetary reward. Convincing people to vote for them is actually a cost factor.

        • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
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          2 months ago

          The power still resides with the voters. Politicians are selling the skin before they have caught the bear. Ultimately they cannot sell a vote they don’t receive.

          • Poach@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            That assumes a population who has critical thinking skills, and long term memory.

  • Carrolade@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    General reminder that according to the US Constitution, budgeting allocations (the power of the purse) are determined by Congress. With a dem controlled Senate and GOP controlled house, some negotiation between the two parties becomes necessary.

  • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    The world’s hot, my son got knocked Evidently, it’s elementary, they want us all gone eventually

    NAS

    • Sundial@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      These are people dying and having their entire cities destroyed while the government neglects them but prioritizes Israel. It’s not a stretch to think they would be upset.

      • ArdMacha@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Maybe they should worry about how much of their tax is spent on “defence” and the armed forces as a whole first, it’s ten times more than the next ten countries combined.

      • awwwyissss@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        Did you get this propaganda straight from the Trump campaign or what? Stop spreading lies.

        • Sundial@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          What lies? The fact that people’s entire lives have been destroyed by this hurricane? Or that they have a right to feel angry and neglected by their own government?

          • awwwyissss@lemm.ee
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            2 months ago

            No “entire cities have been destroyed,” that’s hyperbolic nonsense trying to get emotional people upset.

            The Biden administration has been actively involved, with the federal involvement getting praise from Republican governors in the impacted states.

            • Sundial@lemm.ee
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              2 months ago

              Hurricane Helene wiped out entire areas, killed hundreds, knocked out power to 130K customers, and displaced thousands or tens of thousands of people. And I haven’t talked about Milton. Dismissing it as “hyperbolic nonsense” is just an insult to the people suffering from these events.

              The whole premise of the article is that Congress is able to pass billions in aid to Israel easily and there’s pushback on emergency funding for this catastrophe. That is not a far fetched idea to me.

              • awwwyissss@lemm.ee
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                2 months ago

                None of that is “entire cities being destroyed”

                There’s pushback from Republicans because they don’t want the Biden administration to lead efforts to help people who might then vote for Harris. That’s a big part of why Desantis doesn’t want federal aid for Floridians.

                It has nothing to do with Israel other than the fact that anonymous accounts on social media are trying to make a connection and use it to discourage Harris voters and people who don’t understand how it works believe it.

        • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          You really think everyone in America wants their tax money to be spent on a genocide instead of helping others that also contribute to America’s government?

          • awwwyissss@lemm.ee
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            2 months ago

            Of course not, and that’s a false way of framing it because it’s not a choice between the two.

            But you frame it like that to make the current administration look bad so you can get the Kremlin’s sociopath puppet back in the White House.

            • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              It’s 100% a choice when we say we can’t do things for American taxpayers because of the cost. Then spend 17 billion a year to fund a genocide on the other side of the globe…

              I don’t think you understand how this works.

              1. US government takes money from taxpayers that is supposed to go to other things.

              2. US government give that money to Israel

              3. Israel “buys” weapons of mass destruction from US companies.

              4. US arms manufacturers and AIPAC “donates” money to the US politicians who facilitated it

              5. Go back to step 1

              Does that help?

  • Valmond@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    What an idiotic take, I guess it’s some “MAGA” crap.

    If you fillow that logic, you’d defund everything except hurricane relief I guess. Guess the 40 billion dollars from congres wasn’t enough?

    Edit: uneducated people think Ukraine got $$$ when they got military support.

    What are you going to do with weapons? Bomb the hurricane?

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      If you fillow that logic, you’d defund everything except hurricane relief I guess.

      That’s a terrible guess bro…

      Like if I said it’s stupid for a struggling family to spend 10k on a TV instead of housing…

      Would you take that to mean they shouldn’t spend money on anything except housing? Or would you understand the problem is the 10k TV?

      • Valmond@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        The idiotic take OP is making is trying to frame it as it’s somehow possible to stop helping Ukraine/Israel to help Florida. It’s like giving you a tv when you are hungry.

        • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          We gave a country with free higher education and universal healthcare over 17 billion dollars this year so they can commit genocide without lowering their standard of living to match ours…

          Instead using that money to help our country rise to the same standard as every other first world country makes more sense.

          Hell, lighting that 17 billion on fire would make more sense. Because then it wouldn’t be used for a genocide.

          Does that help you understand the situation?

          Edit:

          And why are you talking about Ukraine when everyone else is talking about Israel?

          They’re two completely different things, one is a victim and one is a genocidal far right government…

          • yetAnotherUser
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            2 months ago

            The US would save money by implementing universal healthcare and free higher education.

            The former because the US is currently spending more than any other country per person on health care, the latter because higher educated people pay quite a bit more in taxes than lesser educated people.

            Ironically, there’d be even more money for genocide if the US had either or both.

    • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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      2 months ago

      Guess the 40 billion dollars from congres wasn’t enough

      Literally yes. That’s why Biden was asking Congress for more money.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      I don’t know is everyone safe and all the damage from the hurricane fully repaired already? If so that seems like a great time to start sending more money towards Genocide.

      Everything is fixed already right?