Rahm Emanuel, who served as the White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2010, said the following in November of 2009.

“You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”

The economic crisis was seen as an opportunity by the Obama administration to “spend money on just about every pent-up Democratic proposal of the last 40 years.” Here’s how the Wall Street Journal reported on the list of expenditures. Keep in mind that it’s only a partial list:

“We’ve looked it over, and even we can’t quite believe it. There’s $1 billion for Amtrak, the federal railroad that hasn’t turned a profit in 40 years; $2 billion for child-care subsidies; $50 million for that great engine of job creation, the National Endowment for the Arts; $400 million for global-warming research and another $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects. There’s even $650 million on top of the billions already doled out to pay for digital TV conversion coupons.”

Billions of the so-called “stimulus” — about $252 billion — was “for income-transfer payments — that is, not investments that arguably help everyone, but cash or benefits to individuals for doing nothing at all.”

Experts are projecting that the price tag for Hurricane Sandy is up to the $50 billion figure. Much of what people lost will be paid by the “evil” insurance companies. I hope people had flood insurance. It’s not part of a typical homeowner’s policy. It’s an add-on. Wouldn’t we like to have back some of that wildly spent stimulus money where, if we are going to spend it, it would do some real good?

When it’s not your money, when you didn’t earn it, you really don’t care how the money is spent. When you’re a politician, spending other people’s money is seen as a virtue. In reality, it’s about buying votes to stay in power.

Hurricane Sandy was not an act of government like the economic fiasco of 2008 that was brought on by Republicans and Democrats. So what can be gained by this present crisis?

First, if you have the will and the means, donate to a charity of your choice. There are most likely a number of rip-off charities that have sprung up. So be careful. Pick an established charity. Go online and look at what percentage of a donation actually goes to the people in need.

Second, if you are in a position to help by going to affected areas, then by all means do so. Take a chain saw, shovels, bottled water, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, non-perishable food, etc. Be a comfort to people. The store shelves are empty. There’s no electricity. There may not be any toilet facilities.

Third, VOTE on November 6 if you are in one of the ravaged states, most of which are pro-Obama states. So many people will be preoccupied with their day-to-day living that voting will be the last thing on their mind. Do anything you can to get to the polls, but help your neighbors first.

You never let a serious crisis go to waste. Let’s make this one work for us. While the clean up will continue and eventually homes and businesses will be restored, we could end up with Barack Obama and Co. for another four years and beyond.