The Cost of Hurricane Sandy Recovery [POLL]
President Obama is expected to ask Congress for $50 billion in Hurricane Sandy aid. That sounds great...until you realize that the governors of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut have asked for $82 billion in relief aid.
So who should foot the bill?
When it comes to down to it, we will all pay for this in some way. Whether it's beach badges, property taxes, or otherwise, costs are going to increase because of Hurricane Sandy.
Should residents of beach towns have to pay more than anyone else? (Considering they got hit the hardest, and many lost everything, that seems especially cruel.) Should it be the local, state, or federal government's responsibility?
The toughest part is that it's going to be impossible to get people to agree on this.
Those who live in western Monmouth County, or those who don't often go to our local beaches, may find it unfair to have to pay to restore those boardwalks and beaches. Those who live in coastal towns will wonder how they are expected to pay for it all themselves.
I'm not even sure who should shoulder the responsibility.
Then there's the people who suffered losses and were denied by their insurance companies and FEMA. People who were given an unreasonably small amount to rebuild their entire lives.
Where is the money supposed to come from? Our country, our state, and our local governments are all already suffering from debt. What do we do?
It's clearly going to have to be a 'lesser of all evils' situation.