TWO YEARS AFTER KATRINA

TigerHawk has an article about the Katrina reconstruction. He asks the question: Will government's failure make people more self-reliant? This is a conservative idea that has been around for quite awhile. If we rely on the government to take care of us, we lose the ability to take care of ourselves. I don't know if I would go that far. I think government dependency becomes a habit that can be unlearned. TigerHawk asks some interesting questions:

1. will people be less likely to take on risks notwithstanding a subsidized government insurance scheme? style="font-weight:bold;">I believe that people will continue to take those risks, because the American people have a fundamental belief that a disaster can't happen to them.

2. Will they be more likely to rely on themselves to rebuild their houses and their lives notwithstanding the promises of politicians that governments will do it for them? I believe that most Americans expect the government to be there for them when there is a disaster. I don't agree with that philosophy, but I do believe it to be true.

3. Will Americans become more self-reliant because Katrina has taught them that they must be? Again, I believe the answer is no. Despite the lessons of Katrina, the American people have a very short memory span, and will expect the Federal government to rescue them during the next disaster.

Finally, TigerHawk says if you answer no to any of these questions and yet claim to be opposed to "big government" reconcile the inconsistency. This is an easy one. The majority of Americans don't think as I do.