Sometimes we don’t know whether really egregious acts of the state can be chalked up to evilness or just incompetence. Oftentimes, it is a combination of both.
There is nothing like a natural disaster to expose the incompetence and evil of government. We are witnessing this with the response to the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
It is actually striking how similar it is to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that left much of New Orleans flooded. There are certainly differences between the two storms and the reactions. In 2005, Bush had already won reelection while Hurricane Helene happened right before a major election. Still, the horrible responses to both events are similar, and it is obvious that nothing has improved over the last 19 years.
This isn’t just a federal government thing, although FEMA and the federal response is the biggest area of evil and incompetence. But it is important to acknowledge that state and local governments can also hinder efforts to help victims by imposing bureaucratic red tape.
I saw a story of a man flying a helicopter. He rescued a woman who was stranded and was going to go back for her husband. The local bureaucrats told the helicopter pilot that he would be arrested if he went back to rescue the man because he hadn’t yet gone through the proper government channels.
If that wasn’t bad enough, there was some dumb woman who was trying to defend the decision. I wish the person interviewing her had asked her the following:
“If you or one of your family members were stranded and your life was in imminent danger, would you tell someone not to attempt a rescue until they got it approved through the proper government channels?”
It is actually amazing that some people can be so dumb and evil at the same time.
Let Them Eat Cake
The response from Biden and Harris has also been dumb and evil. You would think they might be smart enough to put on a good act. Instead, Biden has seemed to just blow the whole thing off and say that people are doing well and that the government is responding accordingly.
Trump was politically wiser and visited Georgia shortly after the devastation. He also promoted raising money for the people in need.
The establishment media is covering the effects of the storm more now, but it was surprising just how little they were covering it in the few days after. It wasn’t just one town under water. Most of the west coast of Florida running up the Gulf side had massive flooding with tens of thousands of houses ruined or sustaining significant damage. Farther north, there was massive flooding from the rain and rising rivers. The states most impacted were Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina. It even went up to Kentucky and parts of Virginia. As of this writing, there are still people who are stranded and in need of help and some who are missing.
Imagine your own situation with your house. Imagine just a foot of water gets into your main living space. All of your appliances are ruined. Your furniture is ruined. Your kitchen cabinets are ruined. Your floors and drywall are ruined. And any personal stuff that wasn’t up high is ruined.
Of course, the flooding in many areas was far worse than a foot high. In places like western North Carolina, houses and buildings were underwater.
But Biden and Harris don’t even try hard to empathize. Remember that Georgia was a very close state in 2020 that was contested by Trump. Biden actually won the state according to the official results. You would have to imagine that there are some mad residents there who aren’t happy with the federal government’s response (or non-response) at this time.
Where are the Resources?
It’s bad enough that the government at all levels takes almost half of our income. If we had a lot more wealth at our own disposal, then we would have better houses less prone to flooding over time. And with more wealth, when a disaster does strike, it would be much easier to deal with.
It is even worse when FEMA actively prohibits private parties from attempting to deliver food or rescue help. So not only do they take our money, but then they use that money to actively get in the way of rescue efforts. Again, this is reminiscent of Katrina.
Some have been pointing out the money that has gone to illegal immigrants instead of going to helping the hurricane victims. There have been a lot of loose numbers thrown around. In general, I think it is a valid point. At the same time, I think the money going to illegal immigrants is almost a drop in the bucket compared to what is sent overseas and spent on the military-industrial complex.
There has been something around a couple of hundred billion dollars spent on Ukraine to perpetuate the war there. All of that money could have been used at home.
From a libertarian standpoint, we should get to keep the money we earn, so this isn’t a plea to have greater government welfare at home. But it is still valid to point out that resources sent overseas can’t be used at home, regardless of whether it goes through the government.
If hundreds of billions of dollars weren’t being spent on funding Ukraine, Israel, and all of these other overseas adventures, then that money could be used at home, which includes helping victims of hurricanes.