larry johnson delivers some perspective with the la fires as a backdrop;

The politicians in Washington dole out foreign aid like it is Halloween treats. Millions, billions, who cares? As long as the money is flowing. So, to give this some perspective, let me use the losses from the raging wildfire sweeping the hills surrounding Los Angeles:

🔶 Empty Hydrants: Firefighters faced a significant setback when numerous hydrants in Pacific Palisades ran dry. Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power confirmed that all water storage tanks in the area were depleted by 3 am Wednesday.

🔶 Budget Cuts: The LAFD is grappling with a significant $17.6 million budget cut for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the second-largest reduction among city departments. This could further strain their ability to combat future infernos, as reported by the NY Post.

🔶 Sending Gear to Ukraine: Joe Biden’s USAID has funded 16 Ukrainian fire departments with protective gear, motor pumps, chainsaws, and more by 2024, according to the organization’s reports. This has raised eyebrows, with figures like Elon Musk tweeting, “But what about California?” as LA burns.

The toll is sobering: two fatalities, over 1,000 buildings — schools, churches, and libraries included — destroyed. Palisades and Eaton fires spread across 26,000 acres with 0% containment reported.

Let us assume that the average cost of the 1,000 buildings consumed by flames so far is $3 million (I suspect the number of destroyed buildings will be much higher as well as the average cost, and the media selling price of a home in Palisades is $3.3 million). That is $3 billion dollars. A devastating sum, and it does not begin to capture the loss of keepsakes and family heirlooms that went up in smoke.

How much money has the US sent to Ukraine? A total of $75.1 billion between January 2022 and June 2024...........more........