Insurance or More Entitlements?
September 6th 2008 14:52
There's a discussion on Fox this morning that I find very interesting and important. Right now it has some rather special meaning.
The storms that are currently threatening the Atlantic coastal areas and the fires that threaten other places are the focus of the debate. Who should be paying for the lost homes when a hurricane or forest fire takes its toll? Let's see what you think...
"The government should have a seperate fund for disaster relief." O.K. they should. The government should be responsible for rebuilding lost or damaged infrastructure that they were responsible for in the first place. National Guard and Corps of Engineers should certainly help with emergency measures like helping to evacuate people, providing support and clean-up at the time of the disaster. The government should pay for replacing federal buildings and federal roads, and federal parks, and federal water projects, and any other federal propperty that is lost or damaged. No question about it! How about state governments responsibility? They should pay for all the state infrastructure involved. State parks, state roads, state water projects, state business offices. Same thing with the counties. Same thing with all the cities and towns. That's what business insurance is for, folks! In the really small towns, it's harder to come up with the money for repairs of city property. That's where municipal insurance and disaster funds should come in very handy. As for all the people who lose their homes, my heart goes out to them! But if you live in a flood plain or a place (like Malibu) where fires happen every year of so, there are only two reasonable choices. Either live someplace else or have insurance. Homeowners and renters alike should be very careful to carry insurance. What's a few dollars a month compared to replacing everything you own?
It's not that hard to shop for insurance, folks. There are companies around who can give you replacement costs of everything you own, no matter what it's worth. The rates vary, of course, and buying homeowners or renters insurance from a company you already deal with (for life, health or car insurance) can usually offer a pretty good deal. I'm getting tired of hearing about New Orleans! Most of the people who lost everything in Katrina moved away and had the opportunity to remain where they were, find jobs, and build new lives. Why would anyone return to a place that could be flooded again and again. Wasn't once enough? It's a city built below sea level and near the coast, for goodness sakes! Bobby Jindal can see to the levee repairs and many other things, but he can't move the whole city to higher ground! And the folks who just have to live in the prestigious Malibu area? They know that fires go through every few years. Living in a well know disaster area is asking for trouble. How about San Francisco? Earthquakes? Big earthquakes?
What it all boils down to folks, is common sense. Either don't live where the disasters happen or carry insurance. The federal government was never intended to come to the rescue to the extent that it does now. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that every citizen is entitled to a big, fat government check if a natural disaster happens. We need to start taking care of ourselves and stop whining for the government to do everything for us!
The storms that are currently threatening the Atlantic coastal areas and the fires that threaten other places are the focus of the debate. Who should be paying for the lost homes when a hurricane or forest fire takes its toll? Let's see what you think...
"The government should have a seperate fund for disaster relief." O.K. they should. The government should be responsible for rebuilding lost or damaged infrastructure that they were responsible for in the first place. National Guard and Corps of Engineers should certainly help with emergency measures like helping to evacuate people, providing support and clean-up at the time of the disaster. The government should pay for replacing federal buildings and federal roads, and federal parks, and federal water projects, and any other federal propperty that is lost or damaged. No question about it! How about state governments responsibility? They should pay for all the state infrastructure involved. State parks, state roads, state water projects, state business offices. Same thing with the counties. Same thing with all the cities and towns. That's what business insurance is for, folks! In the really small towns, it's harder to come up with the money for repairs of city property. That's where municipal insurance and disaster funds should come in very handy. As for all the people who lose their homes, my heart goes out to them! But if you live in a flood plain or a place (like Malibu) where fires happen every year of so, there are only two reasonable choices. Either live someplace else or have insurance. Homeowners and renters alike should be very careful to carry insurance. What's a few dollars a month compared to replacing everything you own?
It's not that hard to shop for insurance, folks. There are companies around who can give you replacement costs of everything you own, no matter what it's worth. The rates vary, of course, and buying homeowners or renters insurance from a company you already deal with (for life, health or car insurance) can usually offer a pretty good deal. I'm getting tired of hearing about New Orleans! Most of the people who lost everything in Katrina moved away and had the opportunity to remain where they were, find jobs, and build new lives. Why would anyone return to a place that could be flooded again and again. Wasn't once enough? It's a city built below sea level and near the coast, for goodness sakes! Bobby Jindal can see to the levee repairs and many other things, but he can't move the whole city to higher ground! And the folks who just have to live in the prestigious Malibu area? They know that fires go through every few years. Living in a well know disaster area is asking for trouble. How about San Francisco? Earthquakes? Big earthquakes?
What it all boils down to folks, is common sense. Either don't live where the disasters happen or carry insurance. The federal government was never intended to come to the rescue to the extent that it does now. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that every citizen is entitled to a big, fat government check if a natural disaster happens. We need to start taking care of ourselves and stop whining for the government to do everything for us!
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Comment by Lester Caudill
Round Politics
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
When are you going to do a new post?
Comment by Lester Caudill
Round Politics
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by Lester Caudill
Round Politics
Comment by Steven Barrett's OpEd Blog
Kids are clamoring for more financial aid for college. Small business owners fret whether or not they'll be able to receive enough in loans to open shop, and small towns in rural New England hard hit by freak tornadoes will be beggared so the wealthy living by the sea -- quite voluntarily -- won't have to worry that their precious PRIVATE ACCESS ONLY BEACHES will retain their pristine looks.
Sounds like socialism in reverse. But can it qualify for investigation under the RICO act?
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
The RICO Act.... hmmmm....