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Kurt Vonnegut, in Kurt Vonnegut Letters
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Well, I see that after campaigning for months declaring that the election was all about his budget and the economic path America would take, Ryan now says it wasn’t about that at all. Oh really? I’m sure you would have said the same thing if you had won, right?
Dear fellow gonzos, the election is over. Please move forward as suggested by the winning campaign. This blog is getting a little boring to read. Rehash upon rehash upon rehash about the election. It’s over! Move forward. Let’s hope Washington can get it’s act together this time, so another 8 years doesn’t turn into the previous 8 years.
Re: John McAfee, former local boy gone bad. “Don’t do drugs. Drugs are bad. And they make your mother sad.” Guess he wasn’t paying attention in
DARE class.
Well, I’m starting to see where some disgruntled voters are signing petitions to secede from the U.S.
To reduce a lot of paperwork, anyone wanting to secede could just go ahead and move to Texas. That way, all the other states could just stay with the U.S. Maybe they could join OPEC since they have all that oil already. It’s the logical choice.
There would need to be a period of amnesty so liberals (if there are any) could flee to the north before the Texas border was sealed off.
So, all may not be lost for Romney. He could possibly run for President of the United State of Texas. He could dump Ryan and add Chuck Norris as his running mate. They can also keep Lance Armstrong down there as well. Maybe even have a parade when Ted Nugent’s moving van arrived.
Beautiful elevator.
@Alfred: So, would we need to re-create the Berlin Air-Drop to keep supplies of organic vegetables flowing to the People’s Republic of Austin?
Uptheriver, I agree with you, and after the election I thought….Well now we can go back to talking about what we used to talk about. And then I couldn’t remember what that was.
For a non-election discussion, does anyone else have a problem with the requiring helmets & goggles for moped riders? (I’ve never ridden one.)
From “Roanoke County pushes for moped helmet law” at http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/316610
Police Chief Hall said:
“We also feel those people who are involved in risk-taking behavior like criminal activity probably are not going to have safety provisions, which then would give us opportunity to make a traffic stop,”
So law enforcement sees this as another tool to stop and question who they want, giving them cover from “profiling” accusations?
They will pass the moped helmet law unanimously because there’s there’s not a huge block of moped riders with political clout.
Would the result be the same if they included bicycles in the ordinance requiring helmets AND goggles?
Mark, as far as I’m concerned, once they secede they’re on their own.
Alfred, someone posted this craziness on FB this morning and there were some folks in favor. I suggested those in favor of succession close their eyes, put their hand over their heart, click their heals together while reciting The Pledge of Alligance 3 times (I pledge allegiance…to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with libert and justice for all). I assured them this would transport them back to reality – kinda like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
BTW – the Teapublicans are losing their mind
Careful boys…
You seem to be ok with taking a handful of people
say or do in Texas and have them speak for the whole lot.
Be careful of throwing those stones..
You have some pretty good examples of your own in Ole Virginny..
and a very Red Tramontane.
I’m sure The People’s Republic of Austin would consider organic everything to be a liberal plot.
Maybe Austin could secede in turn from Texas and become an independent entity like Monaco. They could appoint Kinky Friedman as Archduke.
@Mark. I don’t think air drops would be necessary. Anyone wanting organic veggies would have fled to the north during the amnesty period.
#7 Well, Kristen, a lot of it was about how the right wingers hated Obama and how they couldn’t wait to get rid of him.
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that no one was held captive in any state in this union. If you do not like living in a red or blue state, move. Do not however, think you can secede and take federal lands, highways, bases and buildings with you. We don’t like secession anyway and that is not going to be OK with us.
Earlier today I attended the Memorial Mass in honor of the oldest member of the order of women religious which sponsors the college I lead. She was not quite 102 years old. She took her initial vows in 1931. What a life she lived!
She was a teacher in the Catholic schools the order sponsored. Specifically she taught science and mathematics. She was one of the most joyfilled people I’ve had the privilege of being around. She was also one of the smartest. At the age of 64 she took a series of courses in nuclear medicine at Northwestern University and spent the next several years working in the field of nuclear medicine. At the age of 73 she helped the college I now lead start a computer science department and she led that department for 18 years. That’s right, until she was 91!! After that she “retired.” Shortly after my arrival at the college in 2006, (she was 95 then) my computer went on the fritz. The highly paid IT staff at the college couldn’t fix the problem and prepared to order me a new computer. My assistant called them off and said I want to call the Sister in to take a look. She came in and within 30 minutes had the problem solved and my computer working just like new.
Until she was 98 she lived in her own apartment in the Motherhouse. The Motherhouse has 5 stories and approximately 300,000 square feet of space. Each day she would take her walk and say the Rosary while she did. When you saw her in the hallways you left her to her prayers. Her apartment was on the 5th floor. At the beginning of her walk she went to the nearest stairway and walked all the way to the bottom floor. She then walked to the other end of the building, go up one flight of stairs, walk to the other end of the building, go up another flight of stairs, and so on until she was back at the door to her apartment. She made that trip twice each day that I know of. That’s likely one reason she made it almost to 102.
The day she fixed my computer she asked if she could pray for me as I began my journey as President of her college. So we did. Her opening prayer was “Mary, Star of the Sea, lead me to Jesus by the light of thee.” I’m told that was always the first of her daily prayers. Well, last Saturday, Mary, Star of the Sea, led her to Jesus and today we celebrated a new rising star in the heavens. It’s my hope that when my earthly journey ends the Sister and her stars can lead me to Jesus as well. God Bless you Sister.
@Alfred, the Grand Marshall of the parade could be Clark Griswold with, Jerry Falwell’s casket on top of his station wagon…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/john-allen-jill-kelley_n_2122173.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D234062
Maybe we’d be doing better in Afghanistan if our commanders were actually working the problem.
@Joe. I hear you. Maybe we could work out some kind of swap. You know, red for red, blue for blue. I did not mean to imply that all Texans wanted to secede. I picked Texas as it is the largest of the red states that are habitable. I know Alaska is by far the largest, but I don’t consider it all that habitable. Texas has also re-written some history and science textbooks and that would make the transition a little easier.
By the way…..my comments about seceding to Texas are intended to be humor. Although, maybe……Sometimes you have to clarify on here…….
http://tinyurl.com/btdozmo
**
Ryan’s Road Ahead
By Paul M. Krawzak, CQ Staff
Paul D. Ryan said after losing his chance at the vice presidency last week that he was looking forward to spending time with his family at home in Janesville, Wis. The political world, though, is focused on how he’ll spend his time when he returns to Washington.
Ryan fulfilled his role as an icon of the Republican Party’s conservative wing on the ticket with Mitt Romney, putting himself in a strong position to seek the top job in 2016. Ryan has not given any indications of whether he plans to run for president, but some who know him expect him to take that step after putting the polite and proper distance between the campaign and his post-election positioning.
SNIP
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, says Ryan’s campaign performance was “respectable” and strengthened his support among Republicans. “He’s viewed as a hero in the party, but he needs a reintroduction if he runs for president — a reintroduction that would make him more acceptable to independents.”
**
You think?
What an amazing woman, Ron! Thank you for sharing her story.
DaveH, Ryan needs an EtchASketch for his career.
That was wonderful Ron, thanks for sharing what a wonderful servant of God can do for us all.
Justin True @:48
And Mitt Romney’s dog on top of the casket to guard it
Someone agrees with me: http://tinyurl.com/akvxdkf
**
Rebuilding after Sandy is too big a risk
By Carl Safina, Special to CNN
updated 11:43 AM EST, Tue November 13, 2012
SNIP
Federal flood insurance is a counterproductive way for the rest of the country to subsidize people — putting billions of dollars and millions of lives at continuous risk, encouraging wholly inappropriate development. And it encourages larger, more expensive homes (often second homes) than fewer people would build if their insurance premiums reflected real risk.
In fact, few private insurers will touch most of these places. Let us think twice, fully comprehend that the stakes are ours alone, and then let those of us willing to risk it take our chances.
The government should at this time help victims get their lives back on track. But no federal dollars should magically appear for rebuilding in flood-prone areas. The spots that flood will take repeated hits. Everyone knows this. To help people rebuild in those places is to help put lives and investment in harm’s way. It’s foolish.
SNIP
**
Alfred..
Poking fun will happen..
Living in Texas im used to it.
Tx has a lot in common with Va
Many folks several generations ago
left Tennessee GA and Va in the mid 1800-s
for well known historical reasons. (Ill let
you research on your own)
But when you poke fun..be really sure whats going
on in your own back yard.
If it were not for Northern Virginia the state
would shine redder than the Mill Mountain star.
The South still hangs on unreconstructed.
https://sites.google.com/site/georgeeggson2/1968electoralmap.png
Ron, that was an absolutely beautiful tribute to your beloved Sister. Thank you so much for sharing her story with us.
So it seems The RoCo Board of Sups will have a nonsectarian prayer… I guess the all Christian board will over look the Thou Shalt Have NO other gods before me commandment…?
Perhaps I will write a request to the board to let a Satanist pray before a meeting? Or a Wiccan? Or myself, an ordained minister in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
What gets me is someone like Butch Church will stand up and say that this issue with prayer is the most important decision the board will ever make. I on the other hand feel that is extremely sad and pathetic that an elected public figure thinks that forced public meditation is the answer to our societies problems. What a sad little man he is. You would think educating our children would be at the top of his list? Guess not. He and the board would rather have a constant reminder that no matter what you believe, you will have to acknowledge their superstition. You will have to acknowledge their supposed omnipotent, omniscient, celestial dictator. Why? You have no other choice. He can sit there in his nice little suit and claim prayer works, that is fine. I will keep working with my fellow secularist and volunteering in my community, teaching children that you do not have to be scared of the monster under your bed, nor the monster in the sky.
“Faith is the surrender of the mind, it’s the surrender of reason, it’s the surrender of the only thing that makes us different from other animals. It’s our need to believe and to surrender our skepticism and our reason, our yearning to discard that and put all our trust or faith in someone or something, that is the sinister thing to me. … Out of all the virtues, all the supposed virtues, faith must be the most overrated”
-Christopher Hitchens
The Taubman is not on the list? I want a recall!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/travel-leisure/worlds-ugliest-buildings-_b_2039451.html#slide=more260041
Joe, I am very aware of what goes on in my backyard. As “red” as Southwest Va. is there are still some of us who vote blue. And, as far as NOVA goes, my piddly one blue vote is still part of the grand total.
As far as secession petitions go, Texas already has over 84,000 signatures link here. Virginia has a paltry 3,300 link here.
No, he cannot afford health care for his workers…“Who would’ve imagined pizza could build this,” said former presidential candidate Mitt Romney earlier this year. This is really something. Don’t you love this country? What a home this is, what grounds these are, the pool, the golf course…. This is a real tribute to America, to entrepreneurship.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/papa-johns-obamacare_n_2123207.html?utm_hp_ref=business
Yeah a real great American who got his and says to hell with his employees whose hustle and hard work gained him all that splendor. Let the taxpayers take care of their health care insurance, he owes them nothing, not even a “nickle” per pizza.
Yeah applaud that you right wing heels.
Yo Sandi, your putting-green envy is a-disgusting! He’s da Coneeelyus Vanderbelt of da pizza pieya!
“Ron, that was an absolutely beautiful tribute to your beloved Sister.”
Agreed. Thanks for sharing.
You probably haven’t heard of them yet, but you will.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/dianne-feinstein-david-petraeus_n_2123449.html
How many more things can the foil hatters be wrong about this week.
Yes Art, I have heard from them. You are correct we need to be wary of Greeks bearing gifts.
Thanks Art!
ron may,
that piece on the good sister was good of you to share. thank you.
Ron,
It sounds like the good sister was a great woman devoted to the tenets of her faith who respected human life. You would do well to follow her example.
Well, I see that after campaigning for months declaring that the election was all about his budget and the economic path America would take, Ryan now says it wasn’t about that at all. Oh really?
The election was about the free stuff and the cheating. 25% of the folks surveyed in exit polls said they were better off than four years ago. That means they didn’t give a hoot about Ryan’s plan or anything other plan. They didn’t care about a plan at all. just keep them goodies coming.
Had this Petraeus stuff hit three weeks ago, does anybody think the MSM would be talking about it? Just like they talked about Benghazi. Not at all.
One thing is certain. These liars in the 0bama adminstration will eventually be exposed for all to see. The Lord says evil people may appear to prosper in the short term, but they always end in disgrace. That goes for 0bama, Clinton, Rice, Carney, Axelrod, Panetta–the whole sordid bunch.
Says Suzie:
The Lord says evil people may appear to prosper in the short term, but they always end in disgrace.
Sounds like a self fulfilling prophecy to me.
Ron May
The post about the sister was a warming story and presented with you usual grace. Thanks for it and all your contributions here.
He’s got a point.
Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in,
and washes all the dirt off you. He opens you up, touches you deep
inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff– including the seeds of doubt,
hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His
light inside you to shine for all the world to see.
Happy Fall!
“?The Lord says evil people may appear to prosper in the short term, but they always end in disgrace.” Now that Suzie has admitted her downfall, we can all move along. What you fail to see in your mental state is that people like you do not get to decide who is or is not “sordid”. That would be like a fox calling another animal a predator.
Ain’t it the truth?
“WASHINGTON—As they scoured the Internet for more juicy details about former CIA director David Petraeus’ affair with biographer Paula Broadwell, Americans were reportedly horrified today upon learning that a protracted, bloody war involving U.S. forces is currently raging in the nation of Afghanistan. “Oh my God, this is terrible,” Allie Lipscomb, 29, said after accidentally stumbling on an article about the war while she tried to ascertain details about what specific sexual acts Petraeus and Broadwell might have engaged in.
….
“Sources confirmed that after reading a few paragraphs about the brutal war, the nation quickly became distracted by a headline about Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash’s alleged sexual abuse of a 16-year-old boy.”
http://www.theonion.com/articles/nation-horrified-to-learn-about-war-in-afghanistan,30367/
#42 “Had this Petraeus stuff hit three weeks ago, does anybody think the MSM would be talking about it?”
Yes. Unfortunately.
“Just like they talked about Benghazi. Not at all.”
I’m not sure where you were. I read NUMEROUS stories about Benghazi.
Oh, that’s right, you’re just parroting BS you’ve read on brain-dead wingnut sites.
You would do well to follow her example.
Comment by Suzie — November 13, 2012 @ 9:54
As would you SuzieQ.
Remember that when you point a finger at someone else there are three pointing back at you.
Obama Cabinet Member threatens to punch out female reporter. The War on women has started, baby!! You reporterettes better toe that line.
http://www.reporterherald.com/news/loveland-local-news/ci_21989320/salazar-said-have-threatened-punch-out-reporter
The Obama Administration’s pimp hand is strong on women who can’t hold their tongues as they should.
“Obama Cabinet Member threatens to punch out female reporter. The War on women has started, baby!! You reporterettes better toe that line.”
http://www.reporterherald.com/news/loveland-local-news/ci_21989320/salazar-said-have-threatened-punch-out-reporter
The Obama Administration’s pimp hand is strong on women who can’t hold their tongues as they should.
–Comment by Henry
Y’all make sure to watch the full video, which shows absolutely no threat of any kind whatsoever.
#52 Gosh, what a coincidence that the audio cuts off before the “threat,” Henry.
And even if by some chance he did say it, do you have some sort of evidence he said that to her because she’s a woman?
I didn’t think so.
“Federal flood insurance is a counterproductive way for the rest of the country to subsidize people — putting billions of dollars and millions of lives at continuous risk, encouraging wholly inappropriate development.”
They subsidize the “wholly inappropriate” mortgages for those houses, so why not? Flood insurance irks me anyway. I once lost a sale to it. I listed a house with a very small stream behind it that had regular homeowners’ insurance and no flood insurance. In the house’s sixteen years, it had never had any water in the basement even through those extreme snows in 1993 and 1995. Upon selling it, the lender said that because a fresh off the press FEMA flood map showed it just inside the 1,000 year flood plane (yes one thousand), that it required flood insurance. The cheapest quote was $4,875 per year! Of course that blew up the deal.
On the bright side, that was six years ago and the house still has never seen a drop of water in the basement!
John Wilburn,
My home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia was 9 feet above sea level. It was more than a half mile from the nearest water source. Nonetheless, I was required to purchase flood insurance on the property. The house had more than 3000 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and was on one of the better golf course developments on the ESVA. My flood insurance premium was under $300 annually.
Please understand that I am not questioning your statement, but that house would have to have been one serious house to have had level of premium.
John Wilburn,
We want to know what the price of that house was, and how it ever sold at all with a $4800-per-year flood insurance premium. It just doesn’t sound right.
And what stream did it sit on the banks of? The Mississippi?
#55 Tiny streams in Roanoke drowned people and destroyed homes in 1985. One that I could jump across killed two people and wiped out a block.
Still, the $4,875 figure simply doesn’t sound right. How much is insurance for a beachfront place?
Ron May,
Lenders have differing requirements for flood insurance, but this house had a stream about 100′ behind the house. We’ve seen that stream “maxed out” and I couldn’t see where it warranted the concern they had for it. If it weren’t for the lender, any rational cash buyer would likely have taken the good history and, at worst, just set aside a fund for future damage before paying that outrageuos premium. We almost had a cash buyer to make the loss sting even more.
It was a nice $329,000 ranch, if I remember. I remember the price of the insurance better than the listing! The stream came off of a hill in the Ellett Valley. It never has sold. The owner built it new in 1990.
Federal flood insurance limits coverage on a single family home to $250K, with about $100K for property loss, which are purchased as two separate policies. Regardless of how fabulous the house, the policy limit doesn’t change, which makes me wonder who the heck was quoting $4800 as a premium.
What part of he Constitution of the United States, Article. I. Section. 8. allows taxing the “rest of the country to subsidize people — putting billions of dollars and millions of lives at continuous risk…”? Surely, wasting money to put millions of lives at continuous risk is not to provide for the general welfare.
Even if authorized, is it wise policy?
With all due respect, Ron, why should we have been subsidizing insurance against a know risk for your house on the Eastern Shore?
Okay, I went back into the file and it was $4,275 quoted by Nationwide. A local insurer said “$1,200-$2,000″ but that coverage was not acceptable to the lender.
DaveHicks, to participate in the Federal Flood Insurance program, there are lots of benchmarks to be met, including the community being a party to and participating in flood amelioration measures. It’s more than just a matter of signing up and getting it. If your community isn’t in the program, you don’t get it.
You shouldn’t Dave Hicks.
Re: Comment by Kristen — November 14, 2012 @ 11:02 am
I don’t understand your point.
Why should we be putting billions of dollars and millions of lives at continuous risk via national tax funded subsidy and why should localities be putting millions of dollars and dozens (or hundreds) of lives at continuous risk via using their tax dollars to enact “flood amelioration measures” which appear to fail with regularity — especially a la Sandy, Katrina, et al?
Quoting another paragraph from the article raises a tipping point question.
“With what we know about rising sea level and what we understand about the rate of world warming and how tropical storms pull their strength from the temperature of the ocean, Sandy feels like a very harshly spoken word to the wise.”
Could it not be that that “word to the wise” is it is time to reconsider the whole issue?
Might we not be at a tipping point that is not unlike when we decided to quit subsidizing the tobacco industry?
Namely, has a bad policy in the first place finally reaches a public acceptance of scientific evidence sufficient to start phasing out the old and get on with dealing with reality.
How wise is it to have built in flood prone areas? How wise is it to subsidize building or rebuilding in flood prone areas?
Re: Comment by John Wilburn — November 14, 2012 @ 10:57 am
I’m above my pay grade and guessing here. However, might that not be reflecting the difference between the limit of government subsidized coverage that Kristen cited @ 10:40 am and a full replacement value insurance (demanded by the lender) for insurance at full market value w/o goverment subsidy?
If so, it could well highlight the actual risk and the hidden cost of insurance premiums reflecting the real risk.
I find it strange that those who dispute goverment handouts are by-and-large seeming to be silent on subsidizing flood insurance.
OTOH, it seems equally strange that those most assured of global warming and the ramifications of it also seeming to be silent on subsidizing putting millions of lives back at continuous and likely increasing risk.
“I find it strange that those who dispute goverment handouts are by-and-large seeming to be silent on subsidizing flood insurance.
OTOH, it seems equally strange that those most assured of global warming and the ramifications of it also seeming to be silent on subsidizing putting millions of lives back at continuous and likely increasing risk.”
Dave Hicks, the flood insurance is mostly a handout for the rich. They LOVE handouts for the rich. They feel entitled. They believe they deserve it. They’ve been getting them for 30 years and now they want MORE handouts, darn it! Damn the poor and the middle class.
Dave Hicks:
“If so, it could well highlight the actual risk and the hidden cost of insurance premiums reflecting the real risk.”
Bingo!
68.”I find it strange that those who dispute goverment handouts are by-and-large seeming to be silent on subsidizing flood insurance.”
Only because Michael A. Howdyshell is not here at the moment.
I do not think FEMA or taxpayers (at any level) should rebuild, help or assist in any way someone whose “second” (or more) home was destroyed and most certainly not until those whose only home was destroyed are made whole.
Well, 50% of the US population lives within 50 miles of some coast. Commercial insurers are one by one ditching the more flood-prone coastal areas, and as I pointed out a limit of $250K isn’t going to do much for the guy who decides to build his dream home 100 feet from the ocean. People will either be self-insuring or building their $2 million dream homes elsewhere.
As for the global-warming deniers, they’re not going to put 2 and 2 together.
71.”I do not think FEMA or taxpayers (at any level) should rebuild, help or assist in any way someone whose “second” (or more) home was destroyed and most certainly not until those whose only home was destroyed are made whole.”
I agree with your general idea, but bear in mind that there are people who have “second homes” for the purpose of housing family members who otherwise wouldn’t have a home. In essence, two small roofs instead of one big one. What about them?
Why should we be putting billions of dollars and millions of lives at continuous risk via national tax funded subsidy and why should localities be putting millions of dollars and dozens (or hundreds) of lives at continuous risk via using their tax dollars to enact “flood amelioration measures” which appear to fail with regularity — especially a la Sandy, Katrina, et al?
Comment by Dave Hicks — November 14, 2012 @ 11:43 am
Dave, I will give one example of government investment of monies on “flood amelioration measures” that I believe were worth the investment. Not perfect, but well worth the investment of taxpayer monies.
I think you know from prior comments I have made that I grew up on a dairy & grain farm in southwestern Indiana. There the Wabash River separated Indiana from Illinois. The river routinely flooded low lying areas populated mainly by farms. The town of Vincennes sat right on the river, but the nearest town on the Illinois side was Lawrenceville, Illinois which was 9 miles west. The land, especially on the Illinois side was flat as a table. In 1937 there was a huge flood that cover much of Vincennes and several miles west into Illinois. The Indiana & Illinois congressional delegations got together and between the WPA and several other federal agencies got federal dollars to build levees on both sides of the river several miles north and south of Vincennes. I honestly don’t know how much money was spent, but in late 1930s dollars it was sizeable. Each county in each state has Levee Control Boards whose responsibilty it is to monitor and maintain the levees. Since the levees were put in place there have been 2 breaks in the levees. One on each side of the river. In 1956 there was one on the Indiana side and about 5 years ago there was one on the Illinois side of the river. Since the original federal investment the funds to maintain the levees has come from local citizens. It’s part of the local property tax millage. I obviously believe that original federal investment was good on many levels.
I agree with you on subsidizing coastal areas like those hit horribly by Sandy and areas devastated by Katrina. My family and I have spent some great vacation time on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, along the North Carolina coast and the South Carolina coast. If people want to build houses on the beaches like those I see no reason to stop them. However, I don’t believe the federal and/or state government should bail them out through subsidized flood insurance or other subsidies.
I’ve also visited New Orleans on a number of occasions and walked along the flood wall that separates the Mississippi River from parts of New Orleans. It was obvious, each time I made that walk, that the river was higher than the residential neighborhood immediately next to it. Major portions of the city really should be there. I don’t have an easy answer to that one.
To come to an end, I think some federal monies have been well invested, but others haven’t and are likely never to be.
Re: Comment by John Wilburn — November 14, 2012 @ 12:26 pm
LOL.
I did that for a family member for years.
Re: Comment by Ron May — November 14, 2012 @ 12:35 pm
OTOH, there have been cases where levees intentionally breached to flood populated mainly by farms in order to “save” more populated areas.
See: http://tinyurl.com/cpefzcd
Whose ox gets gored? Why?
Would not the restoration of such places as wetlands serve a better purpose environmentally and as protection of more developed places. OTOH, might not relocated some of more developed places (coast line or river edge) out of harms way be a wiser public policy?
As to the government helping victims get their lives back on track, why does it have to be in the same flood-prone areas?
Why should federal dollars magically appear for rebuilding in flood-prone areas but not to assist or encourage relocation? Particularly in places forecaster for repeated hits. Rebuild in those places puts lives and investment in harm’s way.
Re: Kristen — @ 10:40 am
Good info, BTW.
I’m a tad late, but “Thanks.”
Do you, by chance, know what the dollar policy limit commercial property — beach front hotels, restaurants, etc.?
DaveH, I believe $500K building and contents.
As for the global-warming deniers, they’re not going to put 2 and 2 together.
The majority of big hurricanes to hit the northeast did so during the 1950s, an era in which there was global cooling. Ooops.
In other words, the MMGW loonies are wrong as always.
Suzie..
Please do enlighten us if you will..
What is your background in meteorology?
For that matter in any science?
Suzie..
Please do enlighten us if you will..
What is your background in meteorology?
It’s call reading sources and posting facts, goober. You don’t have to have a background in a particular field. If you did, none of the libs here could post about anything.
Well sure, because your authority speaks such volumes Suzie.
Suzie:
“You don’t have to have a background in a particular field. If you did, none of the libs here could post about anything.”
And you have a backgound in what field again?
And you have a backgound in what field again?
Comment by John Wilburn — November 15, 2012 @ 9:34 am
John,
Having grown up on a dairy farm, I had to learn how to operate the “honey wagon.” I don’t know if you know what that is, but SuzieQ impresses me as having great talent at operating a “honey wagon” if you know what I mean. She displays that talent daily on this blog.
More on Flood insurance.
http://tinyurl.com/c4d2b5u
**
The Editorial Board
Don’t own a beach home? You’re paying to rebuild one.
11:11AM EST November 14. 2012 – After disasters such as Superstorm Sandy, the natural inclination is to do everything possible to help people struggling to rebuild their homes, businesses and lives.
But over the next couple of years, those good intentions will lead to a lot of foolish, even dangerous, decisions that will encourage people to rebuild in harm’s way. That’s why any recovery plan has to involve rebuilding smarter in some places and not rebuilding in others.
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A USA TODAY analysis in 2010 found 19,600 properties where multiple insurance claims resulted in payouts greater than the property’s value. One Mississippi home valued at $69,000 had been flooded 34 times since 1978, prompting insurance payouts of nearly 10 times its worth!
Nor is the program built to withstand the biggest disasters. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina and other storms drove the program $19 billion into debt, which it borrowed from the federal treasury. It still owes $17.8 billion to taxpayers. Now the program faces more than 100,000 new claims from Sandy, and payouts that could reach $7 billion. Chances that the money will be repaid to taxpayers: practically nil.
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Re: Ron May @ 10:36 am
Ron,
That’s the only thing John Deer sold that they wouldn’t stand behind.
“Don’t own a beach home? You’re paying to rebuild one.”
And, dear readers, you SHOULD be paying to rebuild those sand McMansions! Because the people who owned them are captains of industry, the elite, who employ a lot of people out of the goodness of their hearts, the job creators who believe they should be exempt from taxes!