Rebuilding New Orleans & Galveston?
How far should government go to protect people from their own insanity, risk-taking, and otherwise self-absorbed desires? After Katrina, the question was how smart is it to rebuild a city that's under sea level, an empty fish bowl waiting to be filled up. In like fashion, how smart is it to build on ANY barrier island that's sinking into the sea? Is that a fair question or not?
Ultimately much of this will be a product of the insurance indsutry- governmental entities notwithstanding. Can one get insurance to rebuild and if so at what cost. Let the insurer and builder- homeowner beware!
Mayor White told the Houston Chronicle prior to his appearance that statewide federal assistance required will amount to between $20 billion and $40 billion. He is seeking an immediate injection of $2.5 billion for Houston in the coming weeks. White said Houston is asking Congress to ''act expeditiously to both appropriate money to ensure quick recovery after Hurricane Ike and to streamline the process for payments."
Galveston's mayor, Lyda Ann Thomas, talked movingly about her grandfather, nicknamed "Ike, " who helped her coastal community recover from the devastating 1900 hurricane that killed an estimated 6, 000 residents. ''It sent chills up my spine when I saw (the name) Ike selected for this year's (hurricane) hit list, " Thomas said. ''The irony is that his granddaughter might bear the God-awful responsibility of helping my city dig out and bear up under a similar tragic event."
Thomas appealed for help, calling Galveston ''a viable and valuable piece of real estate that proudly flies the flag of the state of Texas and the United States of America." Is pride the operative word for a rebuild effort? Mayor Thomas and Galveston's leaders have now asked Congress for $2.3 billion to help rebuild the island.
As Eric Berger recently wrote, "The question we must ask ourselves, however, is whether it's prudent to rebuild and continue the development of unprotected areas along the Texas coast such as Galveston's west end and Bolivar Peninsula. I'm not saying we can or should stop people from building on their private property what they will. But should society encourage and support such development? Should we build roads? Should we offer insurance through the Texas Wind Insurance Association, which is backed by taxpayers across the state?"
Some of the many questions that need to be ASKED..................and ANSWERED!
As a spiritual-futurist, I interpret current events in light of possible macro-universal forces at play leading up to 2012, but not limited to it.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com
