more on A MUST MUST read on the real world of disaster prep

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Adam L Beberg <beberg () mithral com>
Date: September 7, 2005 5:52:15 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Cc: greenman.k () inkworkswell com
Subject: Re: [IP] A MUST MUST read on the real world of disaster prep


David Farber wrote on 9/7/2005 12:48 PM:



> From: Kelley Greenman <greenman.k () inkworkswell com>
>
> We should probably ask ourselves: Were it our community, would we  
> (do  we) have the political will to raise the revenues or shift  
> spending  to prepare for such a disaster?

Great summary of the hows, whys, and why nots of evacuation. But this  
is the wrong question. New Orleans will be flooded again and again,  
with absolute certainty.

The correct question is do we have the will to tell people they can  
live anywhere they want, but if that place is below sea level, or on  
a beach in a hurricane zone, or right on top of a fault line, or in a  
forest that burns down every 10 years, they cannot have insurance,  
must buy houses with real cash not credit, and will not be bailed out  
by the taxpayer for living somewhere in Mother Nature's "I warned  
you!" zones.

My share, your share, and every other person in the USA rich enough  
to pay taxes but not rich enough to avoid them is now expected to be  
over $1,600 ($11 per taxpayer per billion the government spends). If  
they rebuild next time it will be $3,200. There is hope - 90% of  
those rescued say they have no plan to ever return to New Orleans and  
will settle somewhere else. Poor but not stupid.

That is a much harder but better question. Lets see if anyone in  
government is willing to ask it. My money (what's left) is on no.

But for now, we count the dead and dying, not the dollars.

--
Adam L. Beberg
http://www.mithral.com/~beberg/




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