FA+
Shop
Hurricane Isaac
13 years ago
So I sparked a fire on twitter with posting how I am tired of all the complaining about the flooding happening down south in the areas that are being inundated by hurricane Isaac. The people knew what happened in years past with Katrina, yet they decided to move back in again. In my opinion, these people should deal with the problem themselves. They knew what could and probably would happen.
Some of the complaints I have received, with names removed:
"What about those that live with their parents or relatives and didn’t have a choice? They just get to deal with it too?"
":-/ Not even children, college students ish too. I’m thinking of one of our pups in particular who I couldn’t be more worried about"
Its a shame that the children of those who live in that area are forced to deal with the issue of their daft elders. Many of them may not be at an age of reasoning that would allow them to understand what sort of circumstances they are being subject to. This furthers my anger towards their caretakers; forcing them to live in an area where such conditions exist and ignore those conditions blindly. It is the responsibility of their caretakers to ensure that their children are as protected as themselves.
As for the college students, a few more replies I received first:
"That's incredibly narrowminded of you. If you're a LA resident, you stay in state to get better tuition"
"Not everyone qualifies to get into LSU. You go where you're accepted and can afford."
"to let you know.. this is the ONLY college in the state that offers my classes so shut the fuck up.."
Doing a quick Google search pulls up a plethora of universities and other college systems in the state of Louisiana that aren't down in the New Orleans area or surrounding suburbs. I'm sure there are even more than the quick-glance list of roughly 30 that I saw. Of these, 75% of them are not LSU colleges. As for only one college in the entire state offering education/training on a certain subject, I highly doubt that.
"wow…. I wondered what kind of person you were. Some people can’t afford to go to expensive colleges."
I didn't go to an expensive college and I am doing just fine. It has been shown that many community colleges offer the same or better education at a much more reasonable price than many "expensive, big name" universities. If those people are dead set on going to a university, they can look abroad. I did some classes and training at out of state universities. They didn't pound me into the ground with excessive credit-hour costs, and the level of education provided was quite exemplary.
"A Bit sanctimonious, but is that the sympathy you'd like extended to you when a tornado trashes homes, or a drought kills crops?"
I'm sure by this point, yes, I sound like a bigot. At the same time I'm able to look at what has happened around me and plan for things. If I were to live in an area that I knew could flood and has flooded in the past, and I didn't want to deal with the flooding again, guess what? I'd get out of there. The same goes for if I lived in an area known to have other problems, be they man-made or environmental. Common sense tells us look at the problem, come up with a list of solutions and proceed with one that makes sense based on the constraints we have.
Did I say that they 100% needed to move from where they are? No, I haven't. But at the same time they should plan for whatever issues may arise. In this case, the issue is the fact that New Orleans: is a flood zone, next to the ocean and built lower than the sea level. If someone sneezes the wrong way water goes over the ocean walls built to "protect" the city. Either move from there to higher ground or deal with it. Homeowners insurance is a cost and inconvenience, but at the same time, why should everyone else have to pay for their actions? Especially when this scenario happened 7 years ago. We saw what happened then, why would it be any different now?
I welcome your replies here or on twitter. My only request is that you keep them civil.
The arguments laid out are solely my opinions. It does not reflect the opinions of any organizations or employees of any organizations I work for or with.
Some of the complaints I have received, with names removed:
"What about those that live with their parents or relatives and didn’t have a choice? They just get to deal with it too?"
":-/ Not even children, college students ish too. I’m thinking of one of our pups in particular who I couldn’t be more worried about"
Its a shame that the children of those who live in that area are forced to deal with the issue of their daft elders. Many of them may not be at an age of reasoning that would allow them to understand what sort of circumstances they are being subject to. This furthers my anger towards their caretakers; forcing them to live in an area where such conditions exist and ignore those conditions blindly. It is the responsibility of their caretakers to ensure that their children are as protected as themselves.
As for the college students, a few more replies I received first:
"That's incredibly narrowminded of you. If you're a LA resident, you stay in state to get better tuition"
"Not everyone qualifies to get into LSU. You go where you're accepted and can afford."
"to let you know.. this is the ONLY college in the state that offers my classes so shut the fuck up.."
Doing a quick Google search pulls up a plethora of universities and other college systems in the state of Louisiana that aren't down in the New Orleans area or surrounding suburbs. I'm sure there are even more than the quick-glance list of roughly 30 that I saw. Of these, 75% of them are not LSU colleges. As for only one college in the entire state offering education/training on a certain subject, I highly doubt that.
"wow…. I wondered what kind of person you were. Some people can’t afford to go to expensive colleges."
I didn't go to an expensive college and I am doing just fine. It has been shown that many community colleges offer the same or better education at a much more reasonable price than many "expensive, big name" universities. If those people are dead set on going to a university, they can look abroad. I did some classes and training at out of state universities. They didn't pound me into the ground with excessive credit-hour costs, and the level of education provided was quite exemplary.
"A Bit sanctimonious, but is that the sympathy you'd like extended to you when a tornado trashes homes, or a drought kills crops?"
I'm sure by this point, yes, I sound like a bigot. At the same time I'm able to look at what has happened around me and plan for things. If I were to live in an area that I knew could flood and has flooded in the past, and I didn't want to deal with the flooding again, guess what? I'd get out of there. The same goes for if I lived in an area known to have other problems, be they man-made or environmental. Common sense tells us look at the problem, come up with a list of solutions and proceed with one that makes sense based on the constraints we have.
Did I say that they 100% needed to move from where they are? No, I haven't. But at the same time they should plan for whatever issues may arise. In this case, the issue is the fact that New Orleans: is a flood zone, next to the ocean and built lower than the sea level. If someone sneezes the wrong way water goes over the ocean walls built to "protect" the city. Either move from there to higher ground or deal with it. Homeowners insurance is a cost and inconvenience, but at the same time, why should everyone else have to pay for their actions? Especially when this scenario happened 7 years ago. We saw what happened then, why would it be any different now?
I welcome your replies here or on twitter. My only request is that you keep them civil.
The arguments laid out are solely my opinions. It does not reflect the opinions of any organizations or employees of any organizations I work for or with.
BTW, I've heard a lot of sadness that their house is gone, followed by acceptance that it's a risk of living in that part of the world. I've heard people answer reporters' questions such as "is there anything left of your belongings" honestly and bluntly, but without whining or expectation of handouts. I've heard public officials show empathy for their affected constituents, and similar from people all over the country.
I've not heard or read even one person who was affected by this storm *complain*. At all.
Moving is an expensive process, and depends on a variety of factors. It's tough to find a job anywhere if you're poor, uneducated/unskilled and, quite frankly, black much less a strange city/state. Most of the impoverished citizens of New Orleans have probably lived there their entire lives, and don't know anybody that could help them relocate to a different part of the country.
For me, I can live anywhere I want to - I'm educated, have savings, and thanks to furry, have a network of people anywhere in the US (and parts beyond) to help show me around. I've chosen to live in Chicago, and I'm willing to take the good with the bad. But I think that many New Orleans residents simply don't have the freedom to choose where to live.