Water On The Brain
I don’t know if you all in the rest of the country heard about this story, but two million people who live in Eastern Massachusetts were without drinking water for two and one half days because of a rupture in one the mains that supplies the Greater Boston Area. No one was without water, but it could not be used for cooking, the washing of food, or drinking without first boiling it.
I bring this incident up not to criticize the Authority in charge of the water [the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority or MWRA] because, in fact and out of character for a governmental organization, they performed brilliantly and most efficiently [even though the Governor is a Democrat, the head of the MWRA is a Republican, which might explain things].
Rather, I bring it up because of some things I witnessed as I followed the story and some of the questions that arose in my mind as a result.
Unlike many similar situations, the water never stopped flowing. The MWRA merely switched over to reserve water supplies which came from several lakes. As with any such untreated water, a simple short boiling of it kills any nasty biologicals and renders it safe to drink. So, a simple effort, a few pots and kettles, and a little time could yield safe H2O.
OBSERVATION #1: Within hours of the Boil Water Order being issued, people started demanding that their local cities and towns set up distribution centers for ‘free’ bottled water. Over the next forty-eight hours the National Guard worked with cities and towns to distribute ‘free’ cases of bottled water.
OBSERVATION #2: The Democratic Governor of Massachusetts [and Friend of Barry-O], Deval Patrick, set up a hotline to take calls reporting ‘price gouging’ by stores selling bottled water.
OBSERVATION #3: The President declared the towns effected ‘disaster areas’ upon a request from the Governor.
QUESTION #1: Have we become so mentally dependent on our government that we immediately turn to them to help us get through minor situations such as this?
QUESTION #2: Have we become so lazy and mentally fat as a people that we can’t spend a small amount of time boiling water?
QUESTION #3: What the Hell is going to happen when we face a real crisis like a natural disaster or a terrorist attack [you know, from one of those crazy TEA Party people]?
QUESTION #4: If you were one of the people demanding ‘free’ bottled water, are you going to complain when your taxes go up to pay the bills for the bottled water and the ‘emergency management’ costs?
QUESTION #5: What exactly is so wrong in businesses charging more for bottled water?
QUESTION #6: When something is in short supply and in big demand, what’s wrong with charging more for it?
QUESTION #7: If you believe a particular business is ‘gouging’ you, don’t you have the freedom to take your business elsewhere?
QUESTION #8: The OED defines a disaster as ‘a complete failure’; explain how this situation, as described above, rises to the level of disaster?
CONCLUSION: We’re doomed.
We are not doomed… Only the doofus liberals who can’t cope. ‘Tis Darwin in action.
Will Deval Patrick ever take issue with tax gouging?
I’m with you there Bob. Having rode out hurricanes Rita and Ike, I understand what it means to fend for yourself. Complaining about a water main leans too much to the extreme whine. Call the Whaaambulance.