Oops, The Weather's Bad

This story in the New York Times today, about the Very Republican State of South Dakota:

"South Dakota is nearing the end of an unusually punishing year of weather.

The year began as residents were still digging out of a record-setting statewide dump of 15.4 inches of snow, and the ensuing months have delivered a parade of ice storms, tornadoes, floods and, with a climactic thud, the nation’s largest hailstone.

The seven presidential disaster declarations issued here — part of a record 78 nationwide so far this year — more than doubled the number in any previous year, naming all but 10 of the 66 counties as a disaster area; some many times over...The disaster declarations allow the state and local governments to recoup up to 75 percent of the costs for uninsured losses from the federal government."

Yes, this would be the same State of South Dakota whose Republican elected officials have worked happily to see that not a cent is spent on you-know-what, but are perfectly happy to have the evil Federal government pick up the tab when their weather goes crazy.

"Gov. Michael Rounds, with typical understatement, said, “We just happened to have a run of bad weather.”


 Just a run of bad weather.  A run of bad weather that has been going on for decades now, and seems to be getting worse all the time.  That remark would be, of course,  from Republican governor Michael Rounds.  Here's a funny tidbit about his family, from Wikipedia:

"His father, Don Rounds (was) executive director of the South Dakota Petroleum Council."

Surprised?  No, I didn't think you would be.  Well, guess what was almost not mentioned at all in this article, at least until paragraph 21 of a 23 paragraph story?  Here's the remark:

"“The flooding is increasingly getting worse,” said (South Dakota farmer Gary) Knock, who lost 160 acres of corn to the river that parallels his property. “People are getting disgusted with it. Because it’s not just some years and it’s not just once a year. It’s three times or four times a year. Extreme is normal — that sounds crazy, but that is how it is.”

He said that he does not believe in global warming but that there is no missing the changes that have occurred here. He blames natural weather cycles."

Yes, global warming is not even worth consideration in this article, except to let some ignorant farmer claim that it doesn't exist.  So, the whole nation can end up being a disaster area, rather than make politicians with family connections to the oil industry admit what is right before their eyes.

You know what we should do for these asses that don't want to do a thing to protect the nation from a monumental, looming disaster, but are perfectly happy to have the rest of us bail them out?

Nothing.  We should do nothing.  Let them rot.  Why should we rescue them from the consequences of their own stupidity and greed?  Let them pay the price tag for their self-serving behavior.  A few more years, and we'll see who is still laughing about global warming.

Comments

Poll P. said…
I haven't been paying attention to the news much, so this S.D. thing is a total, delightful, surprise!
Frame it this way GE. South Dakotans are being punished by God for not reelecting Tom Daschele.


Those degenerate heathens!

Now I almost feel good about Mt.Rushmore floating away.

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