Storm Aftermath

[eggwards]

I spoke to my parents again tonight. Despite being 100 miles away from Galveston, they were without power. Their whole county is in the dark, and may be for several days. My Dad said that not only were many of the powerlines hit in the area, but the main powerplant was also damaged in the storm

Comments

[teddyb]

I'm glad to hear that your parents were spared serious property damage, and that they'll be able to get away to another part of the country for a while, until the power is back on (and stable).

Your comment about the lack of local radio reporters was very interesting to me. I wonder if most people realize how important local broadcasting was (and is, in emergencies like this), and how it has virtually disappeared because of the laissez-faire policies of the FCC under the Republican regimes of the last few decades.

I sympathize with your having to deal with the volume of financial transactions and customer inquiries brought on by the current financial panic.

You are so absolutely on the mark about how much worse it is all goinbg to get before it gets better. I honestly don't know how such a large segment of the American public can be is such a state of total denial about the current deficits and just how ruinous the current policies are for America's long-term financial stability.

And still McSame is running close to Obama. I know that Barack Obama has no easy, painless, magic solutions, and if he is elected, he will inherit a heck of a mess. But at least he is acknowledging there IS a problem. The Republicans just keep saying everything is fundamentally okay, and I can't believe anyone is still drinking that Kool-Aid.

Anyway, I am very glad your parents are safe, and I just hope you don't end up having to work too much overtime or take too many extra calls before things begin to settle down again in the financial markets.

[eggwards]

Yes, the de-regulation of broadcasting rears it's ugly head in times like these, especially for the smaller communities that have no local radio anymore, everything is voicetracked and sent in from elsewhere. I guess they just keep playing music. Some of the stations simulcasted television news reports, and apparently the TV stations were getting calls to tell them to work harder to describe things, since they couldn't see the pictures.

Obama's solutions are OK. Nothing ground-shaking nor awe inspiring, but they are certainly more people-focused rather than corporation focused. That seems to be the state of things here. The Republicans say that the corporations will save us if they would only be allowed to, and Democrats disagree - and then put too much emphasis on the role of government. It's a now win situation, but right now when de-regulation has gotten us to where we are, it's time for the pendulum to swing back the other way.

Thanks for you thoughts!