insuring against the inevitable

<![CDATA[ In another "triumph" for unfettered capitalism, the insurance industry is pulling away from insuring residents of Atlantic and Gulf coastal areas. In some cases, insurers are canceling existing policies. Predictably, a lobby group has formed to shift the industry's liability to the federal government, presaging a political battle that should outlast this year's hurricane season.

This directly speaks to the need for effective and meaningful government action (and associated funding) to step in and protect its citizens. It's not enough to fund an already-bloated Homeland Security department and spend money on defense gadgets that have little meaning in today's world -- nature has a way of doing more (predictable) damage to us than anything else, yet we never seem prepared in July or August. I'd bet that most people in this country wouldn't mind adding a few dollars per year in taxes if they knew it would go toward helping people in times of disaster instead of some irrelevant pork tacked onto a Senate or House bill. ]]>

alternate reality

<![CDATA[ My usual MO with television shows is to wait until they're about to end (or be canceled), then get really interested. This holds especially true for Aaron Sorkin-created shows. After having missed Sports Night on both network and syndication, we picked it up on DVD. After racing through both seasons, it turned into one of my favorite shows.

So now it's The West Wing. Virginia got the first two seasons for me last Christmas, and I finally opened it earlier this month. It's slower going, but two things keep coming to the front:

1. It's a really well-written and well-done show.
2. Why is the show the alternate reality, and our world the actual reality?

Michael Brown, who managed to preside over the worst national disaster in recent memory, is back in business. The Iraq-related expenditures are expected to be up to $320 million. And finally, our president is hypocritically calling for tax breaks for oil companies to end, having championed those breaks in the first place.

Can I have the alternate reality, please? ]]>