The Real Coming Hurricane

by: deciminyan

Fri Aug 26, 2011 at 05:00:00 PM EDT

Unless you're living in a cave and are cut off from the outside world, you probably are aware that a hurricane is coming to New Jersey. The press coverage is relentless, and credit should be given to those reporters who are providing helpful hints on how to deal with the pending disaster.

By all accounts, Irene is predicted to be one of the worst natural disasters to hit New Jersey in a long time. There will be millions of dollars of damage, lots of inconvenience as we are diverted from our daily routine, and, tragically an inevitable loss of life.

deciminyan :: The Real Coming Hurricane

If we take these warnings seriously, and with preparations and precautions, we can minimize the number of lives lost. If we lose even one life, it's a tragedy, but let's assume a horrific scenario where 750 New Jerseyans are killed by the hurricane and its aftermath. That's about how many Garden State residents were lost in 9/11.

If that's the case, Irene would go down in the history books as one of the worst disasters to befall New Jersey and the press would rightfully cover this event to the hilt. But stop and think for a moment. How many people die each year because of the Republican Tea Party's antipathy toward helping their fellow citizens? How many people in New Jersey will die because of Scott Garrett's refusal to provide affordable health care? How many people in New Jersey will die of lung disease because of Chris Christie's withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative consortium? How many women will die because their cancer is undiagnosed due to Senator Diane Allen's complicity in sustaining the governor's veto of women's health care? How many lives will be ruined because of Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon's putting tax breaks for businesses ahead of after-school programs that keep kids off the street? The answer, of course, is orders of magnitude worse than a worst-case hurricane scenario.

So as far as Irene is concerned, hope for the best while you prepare for the worst. But when you read the news about the tragic stories that will inevitably ensue from this natural disaster, keep in mind the equally tragic stories that are a result of the GOP's (and some Democrats') refusal to provide even basic safety nets to tens of thousands of New Jersey citizens. You won't see that headline in the Star-Ledger.