Charlie Hits! And on FoxNews the ugly anti-Republican word was used!

[The Backlash Cometh]

Growth Management! They just discussed the area that it is going to hit dead on. Charlotte Harbor. They described it as low lying and full of seniors and mobile homes. It doesn't look good folks. They haven't said it, but I've lived in Florida long enough to know the real danger of this storm. This is a slow moving storm. It's not the winds that Jeb Bush is afraid of. It's the incessant 6-10 inch rains that a slow moving storm can dump in one area. It will reveal the flaws in Florida's poor development planning. The woman who was being interviewed on Fox News just stated that there were a lot of newcomers to Florida and this is a learning experience and certainly it was time to evaluate our Growth Management.


It was time to evaluate it ten years ago. Florida had a great program in place in the 80s but the reality is that developer controlled cities resisted them. And when the Florida legislature was overtaken by Republicans, that created the problem we find today. This storm is every Republican's nightmare.

[SharonAnn]

1. Nah, the Republicans will find a w y to line their pockets from

taxpayer revenue becasue of this.

They'll probably close all schools, drop all Medicare, eliminate anything that oculd be considered welfare and use the revenue to line the pockets of their "friends". Perhaps their developer friends will suddenly go into the "repairs" business and take 50% or more of every dollar that is spent for "repairs".

They'll call on FEMA to help and it won't be up to the job. Then they'll blame Clinton for gutting FEMA even though he's the one who rebuilt it "better than ever", and * is the one who's been cutting the funding.

We all know how that works.

[phantom power]

2. you may be underestimating Republican capacity for denial

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. You both are right for this reason:

Republicans do like catastrophic losses because it means there is a building boom on the way. And I guarantee that not all the construction companies that will get the contracts will come from Florida. Nor will there be enough inspectors to insure the buildings meet code.

[supernova]

4. Yeah, and how much did Jeb

discourage people from buying into the National Flood Insurance program? These people are going to get wiped out. Period.

Say goodbye to your job Jeb, because you will screw this up.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. I don't remember that he did that. But what a calamity!

Of course, we would need the media to remind people of what he did, so I guess there shouldn't even be a ripple of indignation.

[coloradodem2005]

21. Maybe he should be recalled.

He can accept the culpability for the lack of readiness the way the California energy crisis was thrust on Davis.

[jpak]

12. Are construction materials nation-wide in short supply????

I thought I read several reports about this recently.

If this is the case, then this hurricane will have a national (adverse) economic impact ...

[amazona]

18. last year they were

I was somewhat impacted because my home had mid five figures worth of damage from Tropical Storm Bill. The cost estimates for roofing and plywood and OSB were sky-high. Fortunately, I had a good insurance company (Allstate).

I thought the plywood/OSB was a temporary shortage caused by the war in Iraq and that there is enough plywood out there now...but won't guarantee it.

[ewagner]

5. Florida's poor development planning

Hell!

The Regional Planning Commissions (which Regean destroyed) were screaming about unplanned growth in the early '70's. Greed was the operative word so the planners were ignored.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. I often feel like taking realtors out and flogging them.

I have one who is the wife of a pastor. The decisions she's made about selling homes which may have problems for the next homeowner just leaves me agog. Poser Christians.

[Tsiyu]

8. Don'T We All Love The Convenient Christians

And won't Floridians be shocked when they can't get building materials for less than Premium prices because it's all being sent to rebuild the crap we blew up in Iraq.

[StClone]

9. Developers/ Realtors should share blame

For this probable major disaster and they that should be remembered when blame issued. Owners take a risk too but "The Professionals", push for growth for their profits and should share in the loss!

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Part of the problem is that they come from states that now have

good building codes and code of enforcement departments. They must understand that this is a chaotic state. When it was in the hands of the Democrats, at least they erred on the side of the public. But the Republicans have completely made this a chaotic anarchy when it comes to development. They're making money hand over fist, but we're the ones that are left with the long-term costs whereever they cut corners.

[soupkitchen]

10. John MacDonald was writing about this stuff thirty years ago

[Bluebear]

14. I remember that book!

[BillZBubb]

11. Relax, it's all Bill Clinton's fault!

The Republicans would never have allowed it if Clinton had been for it. But since they assumed he was against it, they had to be for it. Get it?

Nothing is the Republican's nightmare. The amnesiac public will buy their spin no matter what.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

13. Sounds like major flood damage is in order

and the regional planning was inept.

[Dancing_Dave]

16. Repubs need to keep people in insecurity and fear

Like George Orwell's Big Brother regime, that's how they control people.

But when enough people realize that corruption, scams and dissimulation are involved, they can turn against a politician who played 'em for a sucker real fast. Just look what happened to Nixon. And the Bush family is way more treacherous than him!

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. And then they come in for the photo opportunity with federal $

They create the chaos, and they take the bows.

Thank you media whores.

[slojim240]

19. Send in Halliburton. They need the contracts.

Oh, sorry, they're in Iraq.

[onethatcares]

20. fucking carpet baggers.

that's what happened to Florida, sell it all, the pumped up islands, the wetlands that you can't build on unless it's on stilts, destroy the river of grass, kill byscane bay, fuck it all up and make money, who cares anymore, the earth is dying and if the humvee driving assholes don't have any land left to sell, they'd sell their kids and wives. I'm tired and hoping that the big wind from Africa comes and knocks down the entire barrier island condofuckingminimums that no one can walk on the beach in front of them unless they by a 75 dollar pass to park for a half hour. fukking place ain't what it was supposed to be. won't ever be what it was before. Where do you go for sanity???????