Thoughts on Ike

There's been non-stop news the last few days about Hurrican Ike and all the devastation it could cause/did cause. Clayton and I were talking about the people who decided to stay behind even though they were told to evacuate. Then they needed to be rescued from their homes. First of all, I don't understand why people chose to live in a hurricane prone area and then dare complain about the destruction caused by them every year. If you can't deal with it, why don't you just move somewhere else? It's like people (though I'm one of them) who complain about the heat of the summer in Arizona. If you don't like it, move. I have adapted. I just avoid going outside as much as possible during the 100+ degree days.

Anyway, back to the hurricane. I'm sure the government has spent an outrageous amount of money rescuing these people who didn't abide by the instructions they were given. Why are we, the taxpayers, now responsible for bailing them out? In Arizona, there is a law in place that if you drive through one of the many washes that flood during storms and get stuck, you have to reimburse the govt. for the cost of the rescue. Basically, if you are dumb enough to go against the warnings, you should have to pay for it. I think they could solve this problem by simply instituting a "Stupid Person" law. If these people feel like they don't want to evacuate when they are told to, fine. But when they decide that they need to get out and can't of their own accord and need to be rescued, they should then be responsible for paying the cost of that rescue. I think something like this would really make people think long and hard about whether or not it is really worth it to try and stay when they have been told to leave.

Along these same lines, why are we, as taxpayers, bailing out people who used risky mortgages to buy houses they couldn't otherwise afford and have now found themselves in foreclosure trouble? I feel for them and their families, I do. I know people who have lost their houses. I just don't think that I should have my hard earned (okay Clayton's hard earned) money be used to bail them out. When we bought our house, we agreed that if we couldn't get a fixed-rate loan, we couldn't afford the house. And as responsible home-owners who pay our mortgages and other bills on time every month, what are we getting in return? Nothing, other than bailing out those whose choices landed them in a very rough spot.

I don't want to offend anyone, so if I have, I am so very sorry. Just remember most of this is the rantings of a pregnant, hormonal housewife with a lot of time on her hands to think about things that annoy her. :o)