First they burnt up, now the barren hillsides are giving way resulting in mudslides ruining houses and killing people. Damn, they can't seem to catch a break down there. I'd like to repeat: Why are taxes being lowered when Houston, Florida, The Virgin islands, Puerto Rico and now California need help from the rest of us? I guess they will need to cut social programs to pay for help to our fellow citizens.
I thought it was common knowledge that an unsubstantial and inconsequentially tiny fraction of this money was going to disaster relief. Sorry, but this isn't about "lowering taxes." Tax money hardly helped anyway. Truthfully, the thread title and first sentence or two sounds like it's about legitimate concern for citizens of California, but then the slam against Trump's tax cuts isn't even slightly hidden. Thread seems uneven to me and I don't know how to respond. Want to bash Trump? Cool. He's an idiot. I'm with you there. But, then, make an "I Hate Trump's Tax Plan" thread. Don't hide behind "poor California."
Maybe everything would be wonderful and magical if we all just gave every dime we make to the government.
Neoprene---I'm from California, so I give a shit. I don't hide behind a fuckin' thing--I say what I mean. And I will mention anything I want.
I feel sorry for anyone caught up in a area ravished by nature, but I can't see what money ALONE will solve. The real problems were in the past, allowing forestation too near to homes and building houses that burn like tinder, while never even considering the potential path of mud slides before greedy developers built houses in their path. Needless to say, everything possible should be done to prevent human suffering, but with all the money in America, I can't see an easy sustainable solution. What California needs is a strong local government to rally it's people and plan for the future, making sure at the same time that it will not all come apart in the next dry summer. The ash and mud will soon leave a fertile dry canvas. Just make sure that people are elected and appointed to fulfill your dreams, rather than concentrate in filling their own wallets.
As of Dec., 17, 2017 the Republican tax bill eliminated tax deductions for uninsured losses from natural disasters if they aren't declared a federal emergency. . In 2015 that was $1.6 billion in claims. I don't know what happened in the final bill.
