Mike Bloomberg in The Test of our Times


On Homeland Security: New York was 49th lowest per-capita in post-9-11 DHS grants

[Post 9-11, the Dept. of Homeland Security] gave a ton of money to New York City, though no matter what the amount, Mayor Bloomberg argued it wasn't enough and once said DHS grants were "pork barrel of the worst kind." He added, "NYC has already been targeted by terrorists six times since 1993. Yet inexplicably, today New York State ranks 49th among the 50 states in per capita Homeland Security funding." During a televised hearing, he said, "During fiscal year 2004, New York State received $5.47 per capita in Homeland Security grants. Nebraska got $14.33 per capita."

The per capita comparison was misleading. If you look at the numbers, New York and Washington got the bulk of the money. In the second round of grants, we got the FBI to assess the threats and tied grants to them. The political reality is you're not going to get representatives and senators from smaller states to vote in favor of a program that sends funds to only a few larger states, and nothing to anyone else.

Source: The Test of our Times, by Tom Ridge, p.179-180 Sep 1, 2009

The above quotations are from The Test of our Times:
America Under Siege...And How We Can Be Safe Again, by Gov. Tom Ridge.
Click here for other excerpts from The Test of our Times:
America Under Siege...And How We Can Be Safe Again, by Gov. Tom Ridge.
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