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Showing posts from June, 2006

Subsidized Stupidity

Let a Hurricane Huff and Puff - New York Times On the Gulf Coast of Texas, Jim Hayes is building houses on concrete stilts that he says will shrug off winds of more than 130 miles an hour and will easily survive the worst hurricane flooding. Near Orlando, Fla., modest but striking cottages are being built with safe rooms and ballistic nylon storm shutters. In the Florida Panhandle, Jason Comer is putting up a village of gleaming white mansions with eight-inch concrete walls and heavy, ridged concrete roofs. Is it just me, or does this represent a special version of stupidity?  Does it occur to any of these people NOT to keep building on the coast?  Does it occur to the taxpayers that we should not be subsidizing building in the hurricane zones and floodplains, only to further subsidize the rebuilding of the houses when the disaster strikes?  Talk about a vicious circle!  [Caution: logic-based sarcasm ahead - use at the risk of penetrating your denial and hubris]  Nooooo...let's kee