Expect howling and whining from the New Jerseyites and New Yorkers when they don´t get enough to stuff the union´s pockets as well as the politicos. Enough is enough. The bill should include the amount that is needed to get the job done and not a dime more. But, then again, this is New Jersey and New York.

Why buy insurance when "the government" will step in, and relieve private insurers (AKA campaign contributors) of their obligation to pay claims?

And in areas where flood insurance is not available, why in the world would the feds enable people to live there, forcing the rest of us to subsidize oceanfront property for the wealthy (rhetorical question)?

This is wonderful news!

Now I get to pay for people who built their homes and businesses right next to the ocean - - something I´ve always dreamed of doing.

Those of us who bought houses where there isn´t an ocean or a flood plain or an earthquake zone or a hurricane path are always happy to bail out our less responsible fellow citizens.

And while the Pubbies and demonrats are at it - - they can also send me the bill for the treatment of drug addicts, drunks, and the obese.

Personal responsibility is for chumps!

Less here than meets the eye. This money goes to pay claims on federal flood insurance. It doesn´t create a new obligation, it only funds an existing obligation.

FTA: "FEMA’s national flood insurance program covers Americans who live in federally-designated flood zones."

Whether that, or such, an insurance program should exist is a different topic.

And one way or another there will be a lot of waste and corruption as well as legitimate claims. FEMA won´t care or audit.

If you buy a home in a known flood zone then why on earth would any taxpayer money be involved in bailing you out when you end up getting flooded?
If I park my car on a railroad track will you good taxpaying citizens buy me a new car when the train hits it?
What´s the difference? Both are a given. This is insane. One only needs flood insurance if one builds in a flood zone. One can only build where the government permits. If the government permits someone to build in a flood zone then the government has been negligent and needs to pay up. Which promptly thereafter the approving engineer needs to be fired as well as any managers involved.
Instead they are going to take $10 billion and re-build in the same flood zone.

The government needs to pay up because they offered flood insurance (private insurance companies don´t offer it) and these people bought it and paid premiums. It´s not rocket science.

The big question today is how the Reps from Katrina states and other southern states which are hurricane-prone such as SC and GA had the gall to vote not to pay off on legitimate claims. I hope this is remembered when next time these states´ citizens have flood related damage and the House has to vote to pay off their legitimate flood insuranc claims.

The NFIP has been around since 1968. You don´t have to like it, but that´s how flood insurance works. These people had insurance but the provider (us) needs more money to pay the claims.