Post by pieter on Nov 4, 2012 11:29:11 GMT -7
Jaga,
Thank you for your thoughts and effort in research. For your efforts were very well rewarded in results, very much appreciated.
I think perhaps the apex of this issue, is a conflicting cultural differences between many Americans and us. We as North Germans and our neighbour Holland, are accustomed to the violence of the North Sea with the winter storms. And as a result of hundreds of years of survival, we work together with our respective governments in resolving the issues of the land and sea.
In this manner, we build for to make harmless, heavy weather and land wash with various breakwaters and inlets into our harbours that lessen damage from storm surges and heavy tidal currants.
We may be critical of actions our government will take, but it is our government and we respect out leadership.
I do aggree with Karl, because this is the truth. We do have experiance with Storm surges, and the damaging effects of them during the centuries and decades that are past to us. In the Netherlands we lost villages and towns to the North sea, and we do remember the "North Sea flood of 1953" which killed 1,836 people. Floods covered 9% of Dutch farmland, and sea water flooded 1,365 km² of land. An estimated 30,000 animals drowned, and 47,300 buildings were damaged of which 10,000 were destroyed. Total damage is estimated at 1 billion Dutch guilders (450 million euros).
And we watched the Tsunami's of 2004 and Japan 2011 Tsunami's, Hurricane Katrina, and last week Hurricane Sandy. We know how bad it can get and what these people are experiancing. Because of that and because of our history we had to be prepared for such things to happen for decades. That's why we invested billions of Euro's in the past decades in Storm search barriers; large scale waterworks like our The Delta Works; and next to that a series of construction projects of dams, sluices, locks, dikes and levees.
Jaga, I do appreciate your work in providing the url video with Mr. Stossel as the interviewed of his personal experience with his home being storm washed out to sea. With this, his flood insurance as provided through FEMA {Federal Agency}, and received full payment for his losses.
What is quite noticeable though, is when asked by the interviewer if he {Mr. Stossel} had repayed FEMA for the payment. Mr. Stossel replied: NO, he gave it to a private agency for the reason that the government would just wast it..
At present, there is a very wide conflict in this attitude of Mr. Stossel. For one, he {Stossel} had previously applied for flood insurance through the programmes of FEMA, with the implied trust that if a flood situation should in future occur. FEMA would abide by responsibility of the contract, to reimburse Stossel for his damages. This, FEMA had done by virtue of protection to the insured.
By his statement {Stossel} does not trust his government and the monies given to him was a waste of money.
Now, what sense is there to that type of mindset?
We have on one side of the Roman coin, Americas demanding Government help in their time of need. Whilst on the other hand, Americans do not trust their government and with this, demand Government stay out of their affairs...
The USA is a democratic Republic and the leadership is by popular vote by the citizens. If then the Government is wrong, then this relates to the fact that the voting citizens are wrong. In this manner, we have two wrongs that do not make up a right.
I am sorry, but there appears to be a break down of the process of reality with these Americans. The facts are to that of what they are.
Karl
I have to agree with Karl in this one too. Maybe it is our North-West European mindset. Karl has a point there!