Hello:

Sure that some will find this post full of controversy, others might find it somewhat cold hearted, but that is not my intent.

I've been watching yet another day of news filled with the destruction of yet another Hurricane that has swept across Florida, doing billions of dollars worth of damage...a small hurrican Wilma was compared to Katrina that all but swept the beautiful city of New Orleans off the map, but still a very destructive force.

In the past 18 months (give or take) Florida alone has been devasted by hurricanes known by a host of different names eight times.  Texas was hit this year, and Hurricane Katrina did hundreds of billions worth of damage across a three state area.

I used to live in Florida, have been through a few hurricanes, have lived in New Orleans, and in a host of other places located along the waters edge, from Maine to San Francisco.  Can we say EARTHQUAKES?  What I am wondering, is how long do we require the entire nation to carry the burden of rebuilding peoples lives when they make choices to live in dangerous areas?  They had a person on the news who has had their home destroyed now three times, and they are planning on rebuilding a fourth time (between FEMA funds, flood insurance) they say they will be fine.  Problem is, they in a way seem to think we as a nation owe them and obligation to subsidize their life choice of living on the brink of danger.  Should we as a nation, should we as individual have to (through our federal taxes) time and again be rebuilding communities that have been poorly designed, and placed in areas that at best can be considered very poor choices indeed. 

Seriously, why even allow someone to rebuild a home that was built in a flood plain area, why continue to rebuild communities in areas that fairly regularly get hit directly and/or indirectly by Hurricanes? Is it fair to force everyone else to subsidize these poor choices?  Governor Jebb Bush this year alone has requested federal disaster relief FIVE TIMES!  When is enough enough, when is it fair to tell these people they are ON THEIR OWN if they insist on rebuilding in the exact same zone of danger?

I am of a mind right now, that we have to draw a line in the sand.  There are lots of areas of our country out of harms way that are UNDER POPULATED, and maybe it is time that we give back to mother nature what is rightfully hers.  Perhaps it is time that beaches, and the lands along the oceans edge be returned to their natural states, places where we visit, rather than being places where we live, where we build home that are destined to be washed away again and again.

Dream Dragon