Remember when George W. Bush talked about the “soft bigotry of low expectations”? We have reached a stage in American history in which the words “low expectations” have become synonymous with the federal government. I suspect at some point, the Biden administration will form the Department of Low Expectations. Karin Jean-Pierre will likely head it up after she leaves her current post.
In keeping with the theme of the new department, the government has announced that it will evacuate U.S. citizens stranded in Israel. For a price. The State Department announced on Thursday that it will arrange for charter flights for “U.S. citizens and their immediate family members who have been unable to book commercial transit and seek a safe means of departing Israel.” But in order for the government to get them out of the country, those citizens will have to pay. No word if this includes seats in first or business class, or if everyone will have to fly coach. It’s probably best not to try for an upgrade. And believe it or not, it is legal. In fact, you can find it in 22 U.S. Code § 2671—Emergency expenditures. The government is authorized to evacuate:
United States Government employees and their dependents; and
(ii)
private United States citizens or third-country nationals, on a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable, with such reimbursements to be credited to the applicable Department of State appropriation and to remain available until expended, except that no reimbursement under this clause shall be paid that is greater than the amount the person evacuated would have been charged for a reasonable commercial air fare immediately prior to the events giving rise to the evacuation;
(B)
loans made to destitute citizens of the United States who are outside the United States and made to provide for the return to the United States of its citizens…
Loans? All hell is breaking loose in the region, and you can get a loan to get yourself and/or your family out of danger? All you have to do is fill out an application and then sit back and keep an eye on travel.state.gov. To get a loan to try to escape the situation in Israel, one must provide a social security number and verifiable address and have a written loan agreement that includes a repayment schedule. If one defaults for over a year, the matter could be referred to the Department of Justice, and the collections process could be started. Incidentally, interest will be charged. The U.S. government could not think out of the box long enough to pull U.S. citizens out of danger without charging them plane fare.
As this sorry episode unfolds, Ben Whedon at Just the News notes that illegal immigrants continue to receive free housing and meals. Whedon states that many illegals are getting “welcome packets” when they cross the border, complete with travel itineraries and information about how to move about the U.S. In the past, PJ Media has reported how cities like New York have provided illegal immigrants with free hotel rooms. According to Whedon:
New York City spent an estimated $1.7 billion on shelter, food, and other services for immigrants through the end of July, and Chicago expects to have spent $255.7 million between August 2022 and the end of 2023.
One can be sure that among those “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” are plenty of cartel drug dealers, human traffickers, and dangerous foreign nationals who may be meeting with their sleeper cells even as you read this. But your government, which apparently cannot find the word “exception” in the dictionary, will recoup every dime (with interest) from those Americans who just want to come home.
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