Mitt Romney on climate change, natural disasters, and the role of government

[hammercock]

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You know, I watched him say during his nomination acceptance speech at the RNC, "President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet. My promise ... is to help you and your family." I noted the smirk and the eye-rolling as he said it. And at the time, I ranted at the television about how working on these things

Comments

[browngirl]

*takes notes*

[jbsegal]

I'm going to repost this far-and-wide, if you don't mind…

[hammercock]

Go for it!

[spacehawk]

Wow.

[achinhibitor]

The 47% that live further inland than 50 miles. Because that's the REAL AMERICA. Or something. I guess.

To a considerable extent, it is red America.

OTOH, the Mormons are incredibly organized about disaster help -- when there's a disaster in Mormon country, they turn out en masse to help whoever needs it. They're attitude is more that every individual should help, not that the government should help.

[hammercock]

My opinion on that attitude is that it's like communism: It only works in small numbers of people who agree to it.

[achinhibitor]

Ironically, the reason it works is because the Mormon church is strongly disciplined. If you join, you're expected to provide corvée labor for a huge range of good works. Which in reality, makes the church a government, and the labor a tax. And I think that's one part of Romney's problem, he doesn't see the need for "the government" to do a bunch of things that are done by church-sponsored activities within the Mormon community. But few of us live within a community that does those things. (Down south, many churches do devote substantial time and money to social services (paid for by tithing).)

[lioritgioret]

Romney probably has very nice private insurance on his beachfront properties and just thinks people who need disaster aid are the ones who were too lazy and stupid to buy insurance as good as his.

[hammercock]

Undoubtedly. Perhaps they should have borrowed money from their parents to buy that insurance. :-b

[achinhibitor]

Of course, you can't get private insurance on beachfront property because the Federal government provides subsidized insurance for flood-prone areas. If Romney actually does own beachfront property, it'd be interesting to find out how it is ensured...