Of Hurricances, Ballots and Federal Funding

[e_dog]

Who the hell named Florida the Sunshine State? should be the Hurricance State. the latter name would not be so good for tourism though eh?

Tourism and terrorism are the main items in the news today. Terrorism is usually bad for tourism, except when it happens elsewhere. Anywhere but here, that is the American motto for war.

Now another ghastly disaster awaits as a result of hurricane Frances. (A propaganic naming i.e. France? that 'old' european rival?) And, along with it comes great ratings for the Weather Channel -- who loves to stoke fears and get everyone scared out of their skull with endless 'storm stories' the terror of nature (though climate change, if relevant, is a man-made phenom.) Also coming soon is the declaration of another disaster zone and promises of federal relief and assistance. But should the rest of the Union be funding the extravagant subtropical lifestyle of the Floridians? federal disaster aid means that the rest of the U.S. is paying for Floridas insurance bill so to speak. it is not like hurricances are an unforeseeable event: this shit happens almost every year, don't it? that's why they call it hurricance season. let the the rich in Florida pay for it i.e. tax the rich (i am certainly not suggesting that nobody help the poor mobile home crowd that always gets the brunt of the storm damage).

of course, there are political reassons for disaster relief, and i don't think its too cynical to take note of this. the Bushes want the Florida vote and they'll buy it with disaster relief if they can. Floridaians are still recovering from Hurricane Bush v. Gore. Hurricane Frances may be no match for the devastation of another political storm, say Hurricance Bush v. Kerry.

which brings up the election campaign. it is a sick show of corporate greed and the purchasing of power. true, the democrats are guilty of this too but the Republicans are the bigger threat. the election will certainly be a simulacrum of democracy, but maybe just maybe if Kerry wins we can try to avoid the coming storm of terrorism that the Bush administrations' militaristic-imperial policies and actions are brewing in the distance.