Dam Inspectors

I was watching CNN the other day and happened to catch yet another story about irate citizens in what remains of New Orleans. They want to know what the Army Corps of Engineers is going to do to guarantee their safety from levee breaks in the future.

I don’t think it is the Corps responsibility to guarantee their safety. It’s the Corps job to do the best they can with what they have.

I think that if you live next to a levee, your ass should be out there checking it yourself. There are few guarantees in life, and safely from water is not one of them.

I do not count on the government to assure my safety. They make laws that help, and point people in the right direction, but my ass is on the line, and I am not going to count on them to look out for me.

If I live below the dam, then you can bet your bottom buck that I am going to watch it for leaks. If I do see a leak or potential for a leak, don’t expect me to just sit there and watch things get worse. I am going to get to high ground, taking my family and friends with me.

What I am getting at is an issue of personal responsibility. If you choose to build in a place that has risk, then take precautions against that risk. If you think that it is someone else’s job, then you will probably be hurt and dismayed when they fail to protect you.

Do you lock your doors at night? If your door was unlocked and somebody came in and raped your pet hamster, would you blame the builder for not installing a better door?

All of the people of New Orleans left the door to the levee unlocked for decades, and a big girl came in and raped their hamster. Now that she is gone, they want protection from others like her.

The problem is that now they can’t pay for that protection. When they could, they did not seem to think they needed protection, or that it was a low priority.

Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.