Advocates of economic and social liberty might wish to consider entering the IPN’s contest for the Bastiat Prize for Journalism, an annual award given to scriveners “whose published works promote the institutions of a free society: limited government, rule of law brokered by an independent judiciary, protection of private property, free markets, free speech, and sound science.”

Times-Dispatch readers otherwise unfamiliar with Bastiat might recall his mention in an editorial about the recent tornadoes:

After a tornado or similar disaster, some people occasionally try to find a silver lining: At least, they speculate, the event will provide jobs for construction crews, window companies, auto-body shops, and so on. Those beneficiaries will then spend their new income with other businesses, and everybody will gain.

The assumption is a common one—and a mistaken one, as the French political economist Frederic Bastiat explained in an 1850 essay.

In “That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Unseen,” Bastiat writes of a shopkeeper whose window is broken. While onlookers see the benefit to the man who repairs the window, they do not see the hidden costs: Buying a new window costs the shopkeeper the opportunity to buy something else: “If he had not had a window to replace, he would, perhaps, have replaced his old shoes, or added another book to his library. In short, he would have employed his six francs in some way, which this accident has prevented.”

Then he would have had both a window and a new pair of shoes or a new book, instead of just a window. Likewise, the person whose car has been wrecked by a tornado will spend several thousand dollars to fix it, and eventually have a working car again. But without the tornado he could have spent the money on a semester at college or new bedroom furniture. Then he would have had both a working car and college credits or new furniture.

For clarity of insight and elegance in elucidation, there aren’t many who can hold a candle to Bastiat.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/greensburg-kansas-extraordinary-transformation.php

John Picard is a sustainability expert, TreeHugger guest contributor, and consultant for the City of Greensburg, Kansas. A 13-part series about Greensburg, which was leveled by a tornado and is being rebuilt green, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, will air on Planet Green television beginning in June.

Right now in nearly the exact geographic center of the continental United States a town in America’s heartland is rebuilding from scratch after a taking a direct hit from a category 5 tornado. All that was left were the sidewalks and the underground sewer lines. That effort merits a story in itself but what makes it even more noteworthy is that the people of Greensburg, Kansas have chosen to move from ordinary to extraordinary…

The point about FEMA is correct. True, it was originally intended to be an agency that followed up after local and state first responders took care of the critical work but, as we saw in N.O., sometimes the state gov’t has more politically expedient things to do...like fly around in a chopper and calculate political damage. As for the Mayor..he had flown to Texas with his family before Katrina hit so, he can’t really be held responsible. Remember that sterling American trait of bailing out to leave your friends to die.

So Bush got blamed and the locals re elected the very guy who had left them to drown.

And now they sit idle and bitch because illegals are swarming in...to do the work that they refuse to do because they’re brainwashed entitlement drones.

So here’s one thing Bastiat didn’t consider. Is it a plus when an eager class of immigrants takes advantage of an opportunity that the the local community, after years of brainwashing, cannot realize?

N.O. flood plain? How dare you diss my buddies. We is lots of culture that was wiped out by repulicns. My nites in dome showed how uncare they is. Mayer Nagin will shows them by building behind levys, in the floood plains and on top of old. Obama will help. Diversity will aris again!

The president gave a speech in Greensburg, Kansas, a town obliterated by a tornado and then rebuilt from the ground up to be eco-friendly new and better.

That speech was no doubt intended to highlight his philosophy that people should bootstrap their ownselves up out of disaster, not rely on the guvmint to hand out freebies.

The problem with his speech is that same Bastiat principle.

New Orleans is still a basket case, or so I’m told. It ain’t the same. Never will be. Greensburg, Kansas is just salt in the wound of New Orleans. Probably salt in the wounds of Kansans too who never asked to have the president hold them up as exemplary when they are in fact the ones suffering not him.

We love to be inspired by the courage of folks rebuilding, refusing to bow to disaster. Fine, but disaster is disaster.

FEMA should be a functional agency not a political shell. It should only provide basics, not freebies, but it should spring into action, not send ice to Eskimos and formaldehyde to trailer trash.

They say they have overhauled it and the next hurricane will be different. We’ll see.

In the meantime, save the presidential speechs for Bush’s own accomplishments not for the rebuilding efforts of those who built along a flood plain and/or tornado alley, and then refused to kowtow to nature. Inspirational or pigheaded ? Both. Neither.

Post Your Comments: