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Politics : A Neutral Corner -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (219)	9/18/2005 2:50:02 PM
From: Constant Reader	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2253

A sensible version of the plan would target the tax relief, loan guarantees, homesteads, etc., at displaced persons, but it would allow them to be exercised anywhere in the country. That way we would help the victims without subsidizing excessive risk-taking. Yes, that is a better idea than some of the things I've tossed out. -g- Just to be clear (because I've found that my position on this matter is frequently misinterpreted), I am not saying the Gulf region is economically undesirable and should be abandoned. It should and will be rebuilt. The question is what extent of economic activity should take place there, and how many people should live there. Subsidizing economic development in that region relative to other parts of the country causes more people and businesses reason to settle there than makes economic sense, because they are not exposed to the true cost (including risk-related costs) of their choices. I'm not in total agreement here, although the point about risk is certainly a valid one (but one no less valid in any other area of the country). By almost any measure someone could choose to use, the areas (and the states) hits are some of the poorest and poorly-developed areas of the country. While richer areas of the nations have the ability to attract commerce and industry with freebies (outright grants of land), extended tax holidays, subsidized or preferential rates for utilities, low interest or interest free loans for construction, these areas have not been able to offer such incentives and remained hopelessly uncompetitive. Perhaps this is our one best chance to change that situation and provide a semblance of a level playing field with the richer areas. If something like that happens, the areas and the states will be better off, their ability to provide essential services (such as a quality education) will improve and the economic lot of the residents will improve as well. If such things happen, I believe that the result would be a greater expansion of the economic pie than would otherwise occur and that the expansion would be more widespread than if nothing were done. Again, I believe the argument that the entire area hit by this hurricane is somehow uniquely more dangerous than some of the heaviest populated areas of the United States to be absolute rubbish. If we followed that type of argument to its logical conclusion, the only responsible thing to do is encourage wholesale depopulation of all of Florida and almost all of California as well before a similar disaster strikes those two states. I hear that South Dakota is looking for a few good people, and wonder if they have room for an extra 60,000,000 give or take a few million.