There is a lot of controversy with this storm Irene. I was reading Orwell's 1984 and it became an interesting topic with what is going on with Irene. I'm out of the Halloween reading temporarily, still got some death metal going though. Sure Irene may have tremendous impact on people's homes and lives, however, does anyone think in the fictional 1984 sense or the Y2K scare sense, that the government sees this as a potential fear pumper to get people to consume products that potentially are low in sales?
I feel that way about Y2K, I may even feel the same way about Irene in regards to potential 3 week electric power outages where we all have to start buying up those water bottles, flashlights, snack supplies etc.
Anyone here put their faith in government? That they are really out there to protect us? Insight is much appreciated as always.

I work for the government.



What do you think things would be like without them?

All in all, your post really doesn't make any sense.

What does make sense is to be always prepared for eventualities in whatever region one lives in.

Definition of FAITH

1
a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty
b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2
a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3
: something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs

Quote:

Anyone here put their faith in government? That they are really out there to protect us?

If one has knowledge of severe weather then that individual should take measures to protect him/her self. If that person waits for anyone or anything to do it for them then a test of faith will ensue. I am betting on nature in that scenario, not faith.

I always like to visit George Carlin when on topic of the government. Here is what he has to say.

It's a hurricane (now a tropical storm), what is controversial about a hurricane/tropical storm?



Money can be made from any situation--if anybody is using this to come up with some kind of "nefarious" plot (or whatever the hell we're talking about here) to make money, I'd place more bets on private sector business owners, not Uncle Sam. And let's be honest, that's what Capitalism safeguards (the right to profit legally), isn't it?

I live in a section of the Delmarva Peninsula that got hit while Irene was still a category 1 and for the first time ever, I got to see and hear ads for Generac all night last night; never heard of them until now. I'm not aware of the government being in cahoots with Generac, though.



My entire town went without losing electric and my entire state is nearly up and running not even a full 24 hours after Irene passed.

Electric companies make more money when people have power, than when people do not.

Also, bottled water and snack food doesn't have any trouble selling in my experience. I'm not an economist, but I doubt that the government is getting kickbacks from Dasani, Deer Park, Aquafina, Nestle, Little Debbie or any of the other various manufacturers of these sorts of products. Whatever extra taxes they might be getting from the sale of these products, I wouldn't rationally assume that it was a planned move, unless you think the government cooked up hurricane Irene in some secret ocean facility unknown to the rest of the world.



As it was said above my post, I do what is necessary to protect myself and family (boarding up windows and driving to stay with relatives that live further inland). speaking strictly for my state, however, the National Guard should get medals for how quickly they responded to flooded areas, downed trees, distress calls that normal emergency personnel could not respond to etc. etc. Even as I drove home from work this evening, the National Guard is still out in force, helping to finish cleaning up debris. If Uncle Sam is out to get me, I sure as shit didn't know it.

I meant controversy as in many people are talking about it...unlike the end of the world thing back in June. That was never a topic of discussion amongst people around me only after it happened, my friend brought it up in a conversion.

Why would the government want a storm to hit its coasts when it will have pour billions of dollars in recovery and rebuilding?

I don't think the government would want that to happen...for the most part unless population control purposes.
What I think is the government can exaggerate things to get people afraid and consume out of fear.

I would assume it would be the media that would benefit from panic.

That is true.

I do believe that all hurricanes after Katrina will be made a "big deal" Cat. 1 or Cat 5, doesn't matter. Its a god damn hurricane.

If you are unprepared, you are an asshole.

That goes along with how the media work. The main goal of the media is to keep people watching the station so that they can sell their sponsors products.

This past weekend there were emergency alerts warning of flash floods, I did not see a drop of rain, nor any flash floods. However there are times that I've seen more than 1" of rain in an hour, it is not uncommon to see 2 inches of rain in less than 90 minutes with lightning then the sun comes out, then after that 60+ mph winds. That is the desert it is a place of extremes. I've even lost books when a small tornado took off part of the roof during a storm in Anaheim, not far from Disneyland.

Storm warnings are there for extreme weather, and people get the warnings to prepare, if people did not get the warnings and a storm hit there would be many saying that the government failed them. Much like what happened in Japan.

If you are wise you will have these things beforehand. They are cheap insurance and if you need them then nothing else will suffice. Don't plan on any supply you need being available post-disaster, and don't rely on the government to help you out (Remember Katrina?). The government may manipulate the masses, but that's still no reason to ignore what could be a major danger.

Personally, I have many emergency supplies despite living in a region of the world which is pretty safe from disasters of any kind. When people ask why I have them I say, "I can't predict the future. When I use them I'll let you know why I have them." It's like the old saying about guns, "It's better to have one and not need it than to need one and not have it."

In my opinion (since you asked for it) there is no such thing as true altruism. I put my faith in myself.

If you follow the Boy Scout Motto and "Be Prepared," you will be fine. Remember that mental preparation is just as important as having the right equipment.