You either believe there is a role for government protecting the public good, or, you don't :... by gimleteye

An outstanding and sobering view of Houston's difficulties coping with three years in a row of 500 year floods. The New York Times report might have been exactly of Miami-Dade had Hurricane Irma or Maria delivered a direct blow.

For years, the local authorities turned a blind eye to runaway development.

The story of Harvey, Houston and the city’s difficult path forward is a quintessentially American tale. Time and again, America has bent the land to its will, imposing the doctrine of Manifest Destiny on nature’s most daunting obstacles.

Unfortunately, nature always gets the last word. Houston’s growth contributed to the misery Harvey unleashed. The very forces that pushed the city forward are threatening its way of life.

How many times do we have to say it? Probably until the King tides come up, then don't go back down. Then, the politicians who encouraged development in flood plains, in the historic Everglades, and at the mangrove shoreline will all disappear. They will be forgotten as other emergencies rise to the surface and other leaders are summoned to the stage.