Yes, Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on the Houston area, with terrible damage that will take years to rebuild.
It happens. Living in subtropical areas such as Florida and southern Texas as well as many nice areas along the Gulf coast has its appeal: nice, temperate weather for most of the year, with the winters just a bit chilly and the summers pretty hot. Lots of people like this. Me, too. But living in subtropical environs, one should expect that extreme subtropical weather will be part of your living experience as well.
But nobody should expect that taxpayers should subsidize your choice of where to settle down. When you buy a home in Oklahoma ('Tornado Alley'), you should expect a tornado from time to time, and accordingly you should buy appropriate insurance.
Or living in the beautiful forested areas out West: it's real nice most of the year, but from time to time, lightening or careless campers set these forests on fire, and folks' homes go up in flames along with the trees. Again, some home owners insurance goes a long way when the poop hits the fan occasionally.
When you choose the Great State of Alaska to put your roots down, you need to know that the place is frozen two thirds of the year and that your heating bills will take up a significant amount of your disposable income, in addition to snowmobiles and snow blowers just to get to the store or post office, etc. so that you have some semblance of freedom to move about.
Ditto living in the upper mid-west: it can get down to 30 below zero in northern Minnesota. For weeks at a time in January and February. Expect to sit tight until that kind of killer weather moves on, and don't expect government helicopters to swoop in and take you to the grocery store when you run out of Oreo cookies.
But please don't expect to live in these areas on other people's dimes, and when the weather dumps on you horribly, you put your hand out to the government and expect to be made whole at the taxpayer's expense.
Pick your poison. Live where you want to live. This is America, and you can go wherever you want. Just don't expect the rest of us to pay for your choices.
It may sound hard hearted, but this is the United States of America, Land of the Free and Home of the Brave: take care of yourselves.
John Blackshoe Sends: Serendipity History – A Cup Filled With Bitter
Memories - WW2 Trench Art Canteen
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Source- Author collection and photo
American soldiers have carried water in canteens for several centuries. In
earlier years they were wooden, miniature ca...
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