this is broken

[anotheranon]

We got off easy after Sunday's storms - we only lost power for ~12 hours and because we vigilantly didn't open the fridge didn't have to throw everything away the next day. I've talked to more than one person who were still without on Tuesday night and I came home this evening to find the power had blinked again with the rain that came through at 2 - off I go resetting clocks again.

Not sure whether it's just me, unusually severe weather, crumbling infrastructure or some combination of these, but I've lived here ~15 years and it seems that it's only been in the past 2 that there have been multi-day power outages and unsafe water advisories/water restrictions.

Looking on the bright side, I had plenty of time to read and sew by lantern light. Photos/book reviews coming Real Soon Now, Really.

Comments

[ladyaelfwynn.livejournal.com]

I've spent pretty much the last 10 years frustrated beyond belief because of the way our system has been dismantled.

I thought the Bush tax cuts that are about to expire were a dumb move because we could've used the surplus to pay down our debt. Instead, he cut taxes and ended up dragging us into two wars sending us even further into debt.

I've been around long enough to know from personal experience that Republican economics only works for rich people. It doesn't help the majority of the working class; it hurts them. Either directly by keeping their wages low or indirectly by not paying for schools, or health care or to keep our freaking infrastructure from collapsing. Because rich people can just move to somewhere nicer and newer that isn't falling apart.

I've never quite understood those people who don't want to pay taxes. People gripe about how crappy things are, the schools, the roads, how long they had to wait at the emergency room, whatever and yet, actually shelling out the money to make things better, which to me is a no-brainer solution, seems anathema.

When you look at places that have high life satisfaction rates like Finland, Denmark, and other northern European countries, they have what we consider high taxes but they also have things like cradle to grave health care, free college, maternity stipends, and a bunch of other things we've been told are "drains on the system", "handouts", or "living like Welfare queens".

I really hope some sense of sanity can be brought back to things but I'm not certain how much I can do myself. I'm already hugely discredited because I'm a tiny, young looking, liberal minded woman and we're generally thought to be ignorable.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Right there with ya.

I've said forever that I'd cheerfully pay more taxes to fund education and public health - a healthy and educated populace benefits EVERYONE. It's not been until recently that I realized how much for granted I take basic things like clean water and steady electricity supply, both of which fall under necessities for public health, IMHO.

That other people can't see this - that no matter how rich you are you can't ensure good quality water coming out of your tap unless the public works are in order - astounds me.

I guess you never really do miss it until it's gone, huh? :(

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

Ah, the fond memories you bring back of studying for a big botany test by kerosene lantern because a blizzard had knocked our power out (blizzard at night was no guarantee that the school bus wouldn't be there in the morning ... we lived just down the highway from the municipal barns that housed the snowplows, so we got multiple plowings as they headed out and back in on their 24/7 rounds)

Got 87% on the test too (remember because, for some freakish reason, all year I got 87% on every test and exam in that class ***grin***)

P.S. Amen to more taxes for better services ... it's always worth it (provided the allocation/spending is in competent hands)