Governments Around The World (NRR)
Rockadelic
Out Digging 13,993 Posts
I asked this question in the NOLA thread and got 
But I am curious so I'll ask again.....If you lose your home and all your belongings to a flood/wildfire/tornado/etc. and you have no insurance what will your Government do for you??What do you feel they SHOULD do for you??When my home burned down in August of '04 a rep from the Red Cross was there within 3 hours offering clothes and shelter if we needed it.
But I am curious so I'll ask again.....If you lose your home and all your belongings to a flood/wildfire/tornado/etc. and you have no insurance what will your Government do for you??What do you feel they SHOULD do for you??When my home burned down in August of '04 a rep from the Red Cross was there within 3 hours offering clothes and shelter if we needed it.
Comments
In the case of NOLA, I would say that the gov't. bears a lot of responsibility, as it was their responsibility to maintain the levees. They shirk that one, they bear the brunt of the rebuilding costs. Not much of a brainer to me.
When our house burned down in '95, the Red Cross was on the scene in 2 hours. They were incredible. I have the utmost respect for that organization in what they can do in a macro sense (Katrina and Tsunami relief) as well as micro (my and Rock's story). They get an annual check.
sound governments should have the ability to care for citizens in need/distress. whether it be financial provisions, shelter, defense/security, or other.
it goes beyond more than hand-outs. its the recognition that when citizens can count on their government (local, state, national) all parties are better off (this can be through tax dollars derived, peace of mind, whatever).
to answer your specific question, if your/my house were to burn down, i would suspect that i would have at least the following from the government
-local firefighter
-ambulance service (if needed)
-police (if needed)
-temporary shelter
your question doesn't bode well in america becuase of how intertwined insurance companies are within our lives. also, every government counts to some degree on charitable organization/philanthropy to assist.
the better question to ask Rock, is this. What would you expect from your government if a fire started on the other side of town, and becuase your city lacked the resources to fight the fire it traveled all the way to your home. And lets say it took the fire 4 days to get to your house. And lets say the national news was talking about this fire and people around the country were saying "damn, they need some help down there to stop that fire". If your house still burned down, what would you expect from your government?
Better yet...
If it's been abundantly clear for the extent of centuries that your government views certain segments of its constituency as less than human, what do you expect that government to do for those people during any given time of need?
Harvey......let me ask you a very simple Yes or No question....
When you lived in NOLA.....had you ever heard, thought, been told or know as a fact that if a Level 5 Hurricane hit the city head on it would be a major disaster with possibly 100,000 deaths and massive destruction??
In my travels there over the last 25 years this was a common thing to hear from the locals I knew and met there.....and every one of them thought it was inevitable.
Definitely, yes.