Maddenation
Hurricanes, Habitats, and Humanity
As hurricane Rita bears down on East Texas, the cable news images are disturbing on many levels. Partly, we’re just seeing more of this struggle because of the aftermath of Katrina, but the human impact is staggering nonetheless. As I try to imagine what it’s like to be stuck in traffic, watching a Greyhound bus “explode” and burn, not knowing where you’ll spend the night or if you’re about to be picked up in your car and dashed to your death as the wind and water overtakes you, I can’t help but look objectively on the situation and lament the supreme inadequacy of our technology. And while I’m at it, why not take a few cheap shots at urban planning over the last century? We cram our coasts with over development and overpopulation (and it’s much worse in other countries), base our cities and suburbs on the automobile, and concentrate our energy infrastructure in an area known to be periodically slammed by massive, crippling storms. What were we thinking?
Clearly, this is hindsight, and I don’t want to suggest that I could have guided our country any better had I been supreme pontiff. However, a few things seem clear. First, the automobile, and the road system we’ve built to accommodate it, is obsolete. People may as well be walking out of Houston. In fact, many are doing just that, pushing their cars as extremely heavy and expensive wagons to carry their goods in order to save on fuel that will soon be scarce. How much better would it be if only buses and bicycles were allowed? Admittedly, most of us are so out of shape that we couldn’t handle to physical stress, but isn’t fitness another worthwhile goal we’re trying to promote? It’s time to admit that the automobile has served its usefulness (if indeed this evil device ever had any useful purpose, other than to bring about the strip-mauling of America). As we rebuild our Gulf Coast, hopefully into a smaller, safer, environmentally healthier habitat, we ought to consider eliminating the automobile as the mode of transportation.
Second, we can’t afford to keep rebuilding on land that’s at or below sea level. OK, maybe the Dutch have done it, but they don’t have much choice about it, and have spent more resources on the problem. The ocean level is rising, storms are worsening, and if global warming happens as predicted, our coastal areas will be disappearing. Move inland, folks. If you want an ocean view, ride you bike to the shore, have a picnic, and then return to the relative safety of your house on a hill. I know it’s tough, but tough love is what you need right now. We need a few people to man the ports and farm the deltas, but not 5-million Houstonians doing whatever they are doing now. As an added bonus, it’s cooler and less humid inland. Houston and New Orleans only got big through the massive influx of expensive and energy-wasteful air conditioning systems anyway. We need the resources and the energy elsewhere.
Finally, our government sucks. Politicians have lost all contact with the people they represent and the job they’re supposed to do. Their sole purpose has become toeing the line of partisanship their party leaders set up, and making sure their state gets as much pork belly spending as possible. National priorities such as terrorism or disaster relief cannot be dealt with objectively, but must be subjected to the same cronyism, nepotism, selfishness, and incompetence that pervades the rest of our overstuffed bureaucracy. The situation is almost hopeless, given the disinterest with which most voters view our political process. However, I see a ray of hope. If we can manage to maintain enough of our basic freedom to get the word out, voters will respond and maybe change the nature of politics. I feel silly even mentioning it, given how far our leaders have strayed, but we desperately need to get back to what Lincoln described. A government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Dad • Observations • 09/23/05 • 1 comments
Comments
David • 09/26/05 • 4:18 PM:This NPR segment tries to answer the question - “Where is the safest place to live in the US?” The apparent answer = Storr’s Connecticut.
And Dad, I’m glad to hear that you’re finally purchasing that recumbent bike you’ve been talking about. Awesome! I think you and Mom should get the screamer.
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