U.S. Rep. Ron Paul wins — hands down — the award for high irony with his speech to the West Galveston Island Property Owners Association.
Paul has consistently voted against spending bills, including bills to provide relief to victims of Hurricane Ike.
That’s a matter of principle to him. He’s a consistent advocate of small government and low taxes.
The speech, delivered Saturday at the Galveston Country Club, included a message about keeping the federal government out of the pocketbooks of ordinary folks.
What’s ironic is that West Ender residents had lobbied relentlessly — and successfully — for what has to be the most breathtaking entitlement program approved in response to Hurricane Ike.
The federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program was not designed to compensate owners of expensive houses that end up on or near the public beach.
But, in Galveston, that’s exactly what it’s being used for.
The city council decided that beach-front homeowners on the West End would be allowed to apply for those funds while people who live behind the seawall would not.
Galveston has neighborhoods of poor to average folks whose homes were wrecked by the storm.
They weren’t allowed to apply for buyouts.
The folks on the West End, some of whom had houses valued at more than $1 million, got permission to ask the federal government to buy them out at pre-storm prices.
In the old days, you didn’t build a beach house unless you could afford to lose it.
If you didn’t have deep pockets, you built behind the seawall.
But why bother when you’ve got the federal government bankrolling an entitlement program exclusively for high-end houses?
Paul was given a standing ovation on the West End.
Some of those in the audience said it’s time for people to take individual responsibility for their decisions.
