Monday, September 12, 2005

In My America

In My America, people are reponsible for their own fates, and those of their families and friends.

In My America, there are many generous and caring people who will go well above and beyond that responsibility.

In my My America, if you buy a hot beverage, you should assume it is hot.

My America is a land of Liberty where your rights come along with responsibilites.

We don't live in My America anymore. It's getting less and less like My America every year.

In Today's America, there are far too many who take no responsibility for their own lives let alone anyone else's. They believe rights come with no responsibility on their parts.

I understand -- there are some who would like to fall into the first category, or at least be covered by the first category of people -- but for some reason, they are not.

So let's just say that, in a compromise, My America will allow that some people can't get out of the way of a natural phenomenon known to plague the area in which they live and forcast several days in advance. Still, in My America, I'm going to insist that everyone have a plan, even if that plan is to rely on the government evacuating them.

In My America, that plan would be a last resort.

But, again, in the spirit of the above compromise, I will say that those who feel they cannot get out should be able to register with the local government as a person who will need evacuating in such an event. The government will spell out what it expects to do for the evacuee, and the evacuee will be told what is expected of him or her. Frankly, that's all the "responsibility" I am willing to put upon the government for your immediate safety in the event of a natural disaster.

Still, it is contingent on the potential evacuee to register for that program, and that will then be his/her plan.

But everybody has to have a plan.

If you have another plan, or your plan is to do nothing, that is your business. Me, I wouldn't have relied on the Government for my plan before Katrina, and I certainly wouldn't rely on it after Katrina. This is not because I think the Government is incompetent (although it often is) -- it is because I don't want a government that big.

1 comment:

Daniel in Brookline said...

Great stuff, Phil!

I've taken the liberty of blogrolling you. I'm sorry it took so long.

all the best,
Daniel