I’ve
got a great
idea, well,
perhaps it
really isn’t
once you
think it
through, but
we’ll go
ahead with
this thought
anyway.
Let’s you
and me find
us some
swampland,
you know the
cheap kind
that is very
likely to
flood with
any heavy
rain or
adverse
weather.
Then we’ll
go to good
old Uncle
Sam and
apply for
loans to
build
condos,
houses and
apartments
all over the
place. Then,
if they
flood and
get ruined,
we go do it
again.
Now, we’re
going to do
this in
spite of the
fact that we
know in our
heart of
hearts that
at some
point in
time this
whole entire
area will
most likely
flood and
cause great
damage to
the projects
which have
been
constructed.
Which will
mean more
money to
restore the
properties
and start
over.
Do you think
we have a
chance of
getting our
money to
fund this
project?
I think any
sane person
would say
no, no way
Jose. Not
going to
happen. Not
in our
lifetime.
So, what are
we going to
do about
rebuilding
New Orleans?
Isn’t this
what we’re
hearing from
the
government
and the news
media?
Rebuild,
just as
before? Good
as new. You
tell me,
does this
make any
sense? I
don’t think
so.
What we, the
tax payers
are supposed
to do is
grin and
bear the
horrendous
cost of
rebuilding
an entire
city or at
least the
majority of
an entire
city that is
below sea
level and is
prone to
flooding at
any given
time. We
have all
seen how
fragile the
levees in
New Orleans
are,
courtesy of
Misses
Katrina and
Rita. So we
are to
believe and
support the
proposal to
go back into
a
potentially
flood prone
piece of
countryside
and spend
some 100 or
so billions
of dollars
to rebuild
because…well,
just
because.
I’m sorry, I
certainly
feel sorry
for the
folks over
there who
lost their
houses,
businesses
and their
lives, but I
hardly think
this is the
justification
for starting
over and
have it
happen again
in the
future. What
happens four
or five
years from
now, if we
rebuild and
another
direct hit
comes and
does the
same thing
as these
past two
hurricanes.
You can’t
adopt the
attitude
that a
hurricane
won’t
happen; the
attitude
must be one
of when will
it happen?
Hurricanes
do occur and
with some
frequency.
Kind of like
riding a
motorcycle,
it isn’t if
you are
going to
fall off,
it’s a
matter of
when you
will do so.
Let’s look
at it
another way.
Several of
our states
have areas
that we
would deem
dangerous to
build any
type of
settlement
on. Think
Hawaii on
the side of
an active
volcano or
California
directly
over the San
Andreas
Fault. If
someone
wants to
build on one
of those
hazardous
areas with
their own
money, more
power to
them. But,
if they want
to build
using your
money and
mine as
taxpayers,
then should
they be
allowed to
do so?
I got a
chuckle
(very sadly)
out of a
comment made
the other
day by a
legislator
from
Louisiana.
He made the
statement
that “The
money to
rebuild
Louisiana is
going to
come from
FEMA, not
the
taxpayers.”
Excuse me,
but I didn’t
realize that
FEMA was a
for-profit
operation.
Perhaps I
just missed
something,
but I
thought the
United
States
taxpayers
funded it. I
suppose I
have just
been
misinformed
and FEMA is
really a for
profit
organization
like
Starbucks or
General
Motors.
Maybe they
own
Starbucks or
General
Motors…who
knows?
Anyway, my
point is, I
think it is
a total
waste of our
hard earned
money that
we as
taxpayers
have to pay
into the
system to
create
something
that has
such a
potential
for disaster
in the
future.
But, then
that’s just
my opinion….
for what
it’s worth.
