Human created disasters

Why do we have to stand in line feeling sorry for people who place themselves and their families in harms way and then get harmed?

I know, it's hard to move from a place where you grew up, so I guess second generation and above folks should get some of our sympathy? I dunno. I moved away from the place I grew up because I saw disaster coming in the form of immigrants from the big city moving in and was smart enough not to move someplace where I was likely to have my life destroyed by earthquake, flood, hurricane or wildfire. People will do what they have to do to survive. Maybe some of the young people living in vulnerable places are simply uninformed?

Why do people populate places like this? I remember looking up at the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans thinking "what the fuck?" I wouldn't spend the night in the shadow of a gigantic mass of water looming over me like that. . . WAY too creepy. And again, I understand that a lot of people get stuck in places like this, but wouldn't it be more cost effective for the gov't to work towards moving people out of harms way rather than supporting them within harm's way. . . or in the case of New Orleans, NOT supporting them?

How about these Southern Caleefornia morons? Did you see those houses that were burning? Most of them were mansions. Tennis courts, swimming pools, sweeping broad roof lines. . . these weren't poor people residences. Why didn't they have fire lines around their homes? Not too bright? How about fire proof roofs and siding? surely if you have a million dollar house you can afford a few tens of thousands of dollars in fireproofing. I have some in-laws who live in a forested area in Northern Caleefornia. They've got brush and tall pine trees right up to their wood clad house on all side. If a fire sweeps through the area, there will be nothing left. Would I feel sorry for them? Maybe, on some level, but geez, these are educated people who really ought to know better. So if their house burns because they were too stupid or lazy to clear the brush and trees from around their house and install a tin roof and aluminum siding, I'm not going to feel real bad for them or be in favor of any of my tax dollars bailing them out.

Have you ever seen the enormous mansion houses perched on hillsides in the Hollywood Hills? Oh, it's a sight to behold. When the first big one hits the West LA area those things are going to go down faster than a 5 dollar whore with a 50 dollar bill in her face.

The Outer Banks of North Carolina is another place where insane people congregate. They have almost every foot of ocean coast line available covered in big luxury homes on stilts. These things are huge and beautiful, but the first big hurricane that plows through will take them right out to sea. It happens. If you look at the communities along the Banks, you will notice that they are all tucked into wooded areas on the sound side of the islands. People who live there aren't stupid enough to live next to the ocean. So how do I feel when a hurricane sweeps up the Atlantic coast and takes out a thousand ocean side half million dollar homes? Not very sympathetic. Even when I see the sobbing home owner standing in front of their vacant lot I gotta just snicker and think "moron."

So sorry if this makes me a bad person, but fuck these idiots who put themselves smack dab in front of catastrophe and then want our sympathy and tax dollars when catastrophe doesn't go around them. You gambled and you lost and I don't have to cover your ass.