A Few Thoughts on Katrina
My family as far back as I know (which is a good stretch of history) has assumed the government will not (and can not) provide anything for us except protection from foreign aggression. This practice has had much to do with my family's health, well being and happiness. The Hurricane Katrina disaster is reaffirmation of this practice.
Some are claiming systematic racism (rapper Kanye West) or at least passive racism (radio talk show host Don Imus) as the reason for the slow and inadequate government response to the disaster in New Orleans. While I don't rule out the possibility of passive racism I am more inclined to think "class" is the source, not racism.
If I decide to build a development on the crater of an active volcano, can I receive federal funding for walls and water cannons for its protection? After all, a carpenter in Montana, a plumber in Maine, and a used car salesman in Tennessee would obviously have vested interest in keeping my development safe. And when it is destroyed by an eruption, will I receive more federal funding for rescue and then to rebuild?
If I hear one more ill informed reporter refer to the hurricane strength rating system as anything other than "category," as it should be, I may just snap. It wasn't a number 4, level 4, defcon 4, etc. It was a category 4 and you would have known that if you watch the Weather Channel for an average of four and a half minutes.
I may never agree with Sean Penn on any of his politics or the way he feels the need for everyone to know what they are, I have a great respect for what he has done in hands on relief for those affected. He is one of the few that puts his money, time and hard work where his mouth is and that is a rare quality in this day and age.
Why is the mere suggestion that New Orleans not be rebuilt with my money in the location it once existed so outrageous? Isn't free thought and diversity of ideas the foundation on which this country is built? Nevermind the fact that the idea is a good one...
No doubt, the Monday morning quaterbacks will be out with unbelievable force on this one, I predict no significant or effective changes will be made in the way the federal government responds to disasters much in the way I feel not one iota safer now that the 9/11 commission Report has been printed and the Department of Homeland Security has been formed. Not to mention that little disaster everyone has forgotten about for the past two weeks known as "Iraq."
Some are claiming systematic racism (rapper Kanye West) or at least passive racism (radio talk show host Don Imus) as the reason for the slow and inadequate government response to the disaster in New Orleans. While I don't rule out the possibility of passive racism I am more inclined to think "class" is the source, not racism.
If I decide to build a development on the crater of an active volcano, can I receive federal funding for walls and water cannons for its protection? After all, a carpenter in Montana, a plumber in Maine, and a used car salesman in Tennessee would obviously have vested interest in keeping my development safe. And when it is destroyed by an eruption, will I receive more federal funding for rescue and then to rebuild?
If I hear one more ill informed reporter refer to the hurricane strength rating system as anything other than "category," as it should be, I may just snap. It wasn't a number 4, level 4, defcon 4, etc. It was a category 4 and you would have known that if you watch the Weather Channel for an average of four and a half minutes.
I may never agree with Sean Penn on any of his politics or the way he feels the need for everyone to know what they are, I have a great respect for what he has done in hands on relief for those affected. He is one of the few that puts his money, time and hard work where his mouth is and that is a rare quality in this day and age.
Why is the mere suggestion that New Orleans not be rebuilt with my money in the location it once existed so outrageous? Isn't free thought and diversity of ideas the foundation on which this country is built? Nevermind the fact that the idea is a good one...
No doubt, the Monday morning quaterbacks will be out with unbelievable force on this one, I predict no significant or effective changes will be made in the way the federal government responds to disasters much in the way I feel not one iota safer now that the 9/11 commission Report has been printed and the Department of Homeland Security has been formed. Not to mention that little disaster everyone has forgotten about for the past two weeks known as "Iraq."
10 Comments:
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
By Tim McGuire, At 9:43 AM EDT
Comparing the New Orleans situation to an earthquake in southern California is a gross oversimplification.
Firstly consider the concept of risk and what it would mean for these two respective situations. New Orleans was built below sea level surrounded by water. This is far different than building in a poorly defined earthquake zone (even though we know where the fault line runs) in which the effects of a quake can vary greatly as can the location and decrease with the square of the radius from the epicenter.
Then consider mitigation and access. We have very viable technology to protect against seismic events being implemented by private property owners. There is no reliance on one protection mode for an entire city with no backups.
Post earthquake, the city is not rendered totally inaccessible, even in the historically worst events. This is quite different from an entire city under a mixture of water, sewage and other toxic chemicals.
I understand that no matter where one lives there is going to be some natural foe, be it hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, blizzards, tornadoes and others, all present varying levels of risk. The point with New Orleans is that it was an extraordinarily special case where a city was built with the knowledge that its near total demise was immanent!
If you cannot understand this distinction than I cannot help further, and you would have a very poor (and short) career in the property insurance business.
By Marc Moseley, At 10:03 AM EDT
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
By Tim McGuire, At 11:10 AM EDT
Real estate business = property insurance?
By Marc Moseley, At 11:46 AM EDT
Also...
1. Blogging isn't and never will be my career.
2. Reminder: I am engineer, we default by taking everything literally.
3. If you consider your second post a competant rebuttal, I would hate to have to try to debate you in person.
By Marc Moseley, At 12:01 PM EDT
The passive racism I see is that so many people think that white people hold all the keys in this society. I mean, Kanye West and rest act as though this was a prison with white guards.
This is a city and state that, for 60 years, has been dominated by democrats of the type that are supposedly the answer to the black community's problems.
And look what we have in this liberal utopia: lots and lots of poor people living in squalor, a city unprepared for an obvious disaster, a governor and a-- black, by the way-- mayor who didn't exectute their disaster plan (article coming).
In other words, the reason the response would have been different if this was a wealthier city is the same reason that city is wealthier in the first place.
By Ben Polidore, At 12:11 PM EDT
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
By Tim McGuire, At 1:08 PM EDT
1. Really, I'm not getting paid for this...
2. Please don't disrespect engineers by comparing us to Democrats. By the way, I don't see that trait as a "problem" as you do.
3. I only addressed the one part of your comment that didn't constitute your main point because it was the only one I really cared about. Not to mention, hyperbole or not, it was a condescendingly snide remark which didn't make any sense. If you type something that leads me to believe you have no sense, I will reply like you have no sense.
"And no, real estate finance is not equal to property insurance, but rest assured I know my way around risk assessment. "
You coulda fooled me...
And for my next trick...
"Arguing with a fire inspector is like wrestling with a pig in the mud; sooner or later you realize the pig is enjoying it."
By Marc Moseley, At 2:52 PM EDT
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
By Tim McGuire, At 3:32 PM EDT
You take yourself too seriously, Tim.
By Marc Moseley, At 10:44 PM EDT
Post a Comment
<< Home