In response to “Anarchy and the Aftermath,” Andrew Herbst makes an excellent point. And he should know what he’s talking about: he’s an architect. He writes,

So true about the East Coast and weather…nearly everywhere in the US people are subjected to worse weather, and are able to withstand it in spite of the government.

I’ve witnessed significant flooding, caused by nothing less than poorly graded, poorly designed sewer systems and sporadic maintenance.  I’m sure a lot of the flooding in NYC is simply the result of terribly conceived, resource intensive ‘planning.’ I’ve witnessed huge snowfalls where the following morning, rather than join neighbors to help dig people out, cops run down unplowed streets and ticket parked cars. A natural disaster, as you say, is always an event for an opportunist government to rig the system, fail, and then broaden its control…

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