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• Friday, February 24, 2006 06:52 AM

  The next big hurricane

  We are just entering a 30-year hurricane era. It will probably be a lot worse than previous hurricane eras due to global warming. The best thing that could happen is for another category 4 hurricane to hit the gulf coast, before a lot of money is wasted on rebuilding in low-lying areas. The Bush administration was totally stupid in its combination of socialism and capitalism in its response to Katrina. It would have been a lot cheaper and simpler to give the affected residents money and told them to do what they wanted with it, but don't come back. Oregon has a coast that is almost devoid of towns, even though it does not have hurricanes. In the early 20th century the state designated the coast as a highway right of way, about a mile wide as I recall. Now that tsunamis are perceived as a threat it looks like a very wise move. The gulf coast should have the same approach. A thousand mile long park as wide as necessary to avoid building in low-lying areas would be appropriate. Very few of us remember the incredible hurricanes of the 1950's. They used to tear up the east coast. When I was at MIT in the mid-50's all the bridges between New York and Boston were destroyed by a hurricane. For a week it was very difficult to travel that route. Our ancestors have moved on for thousands of years when it became necessary. I have lived in LA, NY, Boston, OR, PA, and now ID in my adult life. Screw the silly sentimentality of these whiners. After the next big one they'll be whining again. Only a fool lives many feet below a rising sea level.

  —curmudgeon2 Read curmudgeon2's other letters
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