Randy's Rants

Looters, Shooters, Good Guys and the Noble Highs
By Randy Gage
Sep 3, 2005, 09:55

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So bye, bye, Miss American Pie,
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was...gone.

Dear Colleague

I’m sitting at The Gourmet Carrot on West Avenue, eating my
hummus sandwich and nursing a Guava Gulp smoothie. Outside, a
Florida summer shower has materialized out of nowhere, and it is
pelting down.

On the sidewalk through the window, a gorgeous twenty-something
couple is getting deluged. The girl is laughingly trying to
pull her lover to under the canopy. But he insists on holding
her out in the rain, doing his best dancing in the rain
impersonation. The scene just explodes with mystique, love, and
passion. It’s a fascinating glimpse into one slice of human
behavior.

Which is what I am ruminating on, as I dine my organic lunch.
Now in the interest of disclosure, I must admit, I did watch CNN
for an hour last night. As you know, I never watch the news,
but after a few days of anecdotal reports on Hurricane Katrina,
I felt I should know what is really going on.

I’ve been fascinated with hurricanes, since moving here 30 years
ago, and experiencing my first brush with one. I’ve since been
through a few, the most notable being Hurricane Andrew.
Hurricanes are one of the most compelling demonstrations of the
raw and momentous power of nature’s true force. They let us
know how small and insignificant humankind is against such power.

And they give us an even better gaze into the human condition,
and how we react to the things around us. Natural disasters
such as this show us the inherent good in humankind. And they
show us the inherent bad in humankind.

I’m sure you heard some of the heartwarming stories of courage:
ordinary people performing heroic deeds to save others. And I’m
sure you saw footage of the rioters and looters, pillaging what
they can.

Yesterday they had to stop evacuation of sick people from
hospitals that are out of supplies, because the medics were
being shot at by snipers. At another hospital, they were moving
patients to higher floors, because looters were attacking the
lower ones. CNN reports that boat rescues were halted at yet
another hospital, because the rescuers were attacked, and a boat
capsized.

On the other hand, a young teen saved his whole family, leading
them to safety because they couldn’t swim. Donations and offers
of help have poured in from around the world. Doctors, nurses,
fire fighters, police and other emergency personnel are working
days on end, braving brutal and dangerous conditions to protect
and help others.

So which snapshot is the real one of human nature? The people
who are opening their homes to the displaced storm victims, or
the guys charging over $6 a gallon for gasoline?

I remember back to my days running a Howard Johnson’s
restaurant. I was having a conversation with my Regional
Manager about the safeguards we had into place to keep employees
from stealing. Here’s what he told me:

“Randy, ten percent of the people are totally honest. If you
leave $1,000 lying on the counter, they will return it to you.
Ten percent of the people are crooks. No matter what you do,
they will find a way to steal from you. The safeguards you put
in place are for the other 80 percent, who could go either way.”

I took that advice to heart, and it has served me well in the
years since. And I think you can see that in the aftermath of
the storm. The bad people saw their chance and they are taking
it. The good people did what good people do. And the people in
the middle – well they are steadily being led to the dark side
of the force.

Standing in the hot sun for three or four days with no food,
water or supplies will do that to you.

I could sit here and be judgmental, but I’m also a realist. I
know if I was sitting there with a couple of hungry, crying
kids, I’d probably be pillaging the 7-11 for pop tarts, ding
dongs and moon pies too. The real secret is never letting
yourself get into that position.

And that goes to your core beliefs about the role of government,
and personal responsibility...

Of course CNN found every ignorant, poor, black person with
missing teeth they could to interview, so they could rail
against the government, and how it is doing nothing. Because of
course it just seems natural to these people that in a situation
like this -- it is the government’s responsibility to provide
them with water, food, clothing, housing and supplies.

But can the government really provide this all-encompassing net
for all, in the face of a disaster like this? Of course not.
The government can’t even provide for its people when things are
going perfectly normal. And as you watch the reports of the
government response to this tragedy, there is only one way to
describe their efforts:

It’s a fucking mess!

They sent people to the Superdome, then seemed surprised that
they showed up. They told people to stand outside the
convention center, and they would bus them to safety. Well
people have been standing, and dying there for two days! But
the best shot of all, was of a helicopter dropping three sand
bags into the levee. The entire Gulf of Mexico is pouring into
New Orleans because it is under sea level, and the army is
dropping sand bags trying to stop it!

After Andrew, I thought the government might learn something,
but they didn’t. I thought after Hurricane Hugo, they might get
a clue. But of course governments are governments. They are
huge, monolithic, bureaucratic entities, incapable of quick
action, free thinking, or making decisions.

I don’t think I have ever seen President Bush look so clueless,
as he did at his press conference yesterday. I give him credit
for realizing that cutting back his two month vacation was a
savvy PR move, but the man just can’t buy a clue. But in his
defense, no president can do what people want right now.

Now of course I am a Libertarian. So I don’t see the government
as responsible for taking care of everything for everybody.
Libertarians believe the government should take care of three
functions only:
1) A standing army, to protect the country from invasion.
2) A police force, to protect private property and rights.
3) A court system to adjudicate disputes.

That’s it. We don’t want the government to run the hospitals,
the highway system, the schools, or anything else for that
matter. Which means the government can’t force you to wear a
seatbelt in your car, a helmet when you ride a motorcycle, or
arrest you for smoking crack in your own home. You can do
anything you want – as long as you don’t encroach on the rights
of others.

Now of course Libertarians also agree that if we do get in a
wreck, we don’t expect anyone else to pay our extra hospital
charges because we didn’t wear a helmet, or provide rehab at no
cost from our addiction. Our philosophy is about personal
responsibility.

Now in a situation like Katrina, people wonder who would look
after people if the government didn’t. The answer is private
organizations like the United Way, Red Cross, and faith-based
groups. I’ve already started sending checks to help in the
relief, and I’m sure many of you have as well. But we could
help a whole lot more, if we didn’t have 40% of our paycheck
confiscated by the government every week to pay for dropping
sand bags in the Gulf of Mexico.

It just shows you how foolish it is to leave the Department of
Homeland Security responsible for disaster relief. And it’s
frightening to think what’s going to happen if we do get a large
scale terror attack here again. If that were a nuclear attack
instead of a Hurricane, millions would already be dead.

Like Harry Browne is fond of saying, “If they can get you asking
the wrong question, the answer doesn’t matter.” People ask who
would take care of the downtrodden if the government didn’t.
But guess what people? The government doesn’t!

But I’m ranting again, aren’t I? Let’s leave the philosophy of
government issues for another time. Instead, let’s go back to
the situation at hand, and how it can be improved, and avoided
in the future.

First, I hope you are doing what you can to help the people in
need. Now is not the time for debate; they need our help now.
I’ll put some links at the end of this of places where you can
channel your assistance. Please do what you can.

Then, do some serious reflection…

Do you have a supply of food, water and basic supplies that
could last you for the three weeks (or six) it might take FEMA
or another government agency to provide any relief in the case
of an attack, earthquake, hurricane or other disaster? I’m not
saying you need an arms cache and a bomb shelter. (Although I’m
not saying you don’t.) I am saying you do need the basic
necessities to take care of you and yours for a while.

Do you have at least $1,000 CASH in your home, just for any
emergency that may come up? If not, let me ask you: Have you
ever tried to get even $100 of your own money from your bank
when their computers were down? What would you do if the ATMs
were down for three weeks?

Of course all this leads us to the real issue here: Having
money.

Because the first question you could ask in a situation like
this was, “What part of, ‘Leave the city!’ didn’t you
understand?” Easy for me to say. As Katrina went through
Florida and people spent the weekend sweltering with no power or
AC, I was comfortablly ensconced at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan,
scarfing down room service and getting a massage. I’m rich.

But the sad truth is, for most of those people in the Superdome,
camped at the convention center, Biloxi and other places, they
didn’t even have the money to leave. It was the last few days
of the month, and many live on Social Security, welfare or
pension checks that come at the start of the month. They
didn’t have $20 to put gas in the car, or in many cases, even
have a car.

They’re having their day in the sun now, appearing on the
networks, railing about how the politicians haven’t done
anything for them and how they won’t vote for them next time.
But of course most of those people don’t vote. They’re
undereducated and poor, so they have no power base.

Now you can scream about how unfair that is. And you’re right.
But as Reverend Ike likes to say, “The best thing you can do for
poor people is not be one of them!”

Here’s the sad truth about most of those poor victims you’re
watching on the news each night: You could give them food,
water, supplies and a new home tomorrow, and it wouldn’t solve
their real problem. Ignorance. Or if that sounds too mean, you
can say their current level of consciousness.

Their problem is not that they lack money and things. Because
poverty is not the lack of money and things. It is a mindset
and for many of those people in Mississippi and Louisiana, it is
a mindset that has been passed from generation to generation.

And that’s the real work that needs to be done. But of course,
charity starts at home.

* So what would happen to you if the place you work was leveled?

* If you had to replace all of your clothes, furniture and
possessions, do you have the resources to do it?

* Where would you be if you missed your next five or eight
paychecks?

* Do you have the money to hop on a plane and check into a
hotel for a month – or would you be sleeping on the floor in the
school gymnasium with the rest of the unhappy campers?

Now don’t get me wrong: I agree with most of you: I think it
would be wonderful if after every natural disaster the
government brought in water, food, first aid supplies, stopped
price gougers, relocated everyone, and offered free manicures.
I’m just not stupid enough to believe they can.

So I hope you’ll take this chance to do a few things. First, to
help the affected people in the best way you can.

Two, to do some real critical thinking about what a government
should and actually can do for you. If you’re serious about it
check out www.lp.org and find out about the Libertarian
philosophy. If you’re really serious, read “Atlas Shrugged” by
Ayn Rand. You can get it at amazon.com.

And finally, I hope you’ll take an honest look at your own
financial security. Or lack of it. If you are counting on your
job or your government for financial security you’re out of your
mind. Please. Take responsibility for yourself.

Build some equity in real estate. Create a residual income with
network marketing. Leverage yourself by being an information
entrepreneur. Build an income that doesn’t go away overnight in
a bad situation.

There’s a book I’ve been meaning to recommend to you for a
while. This is a good time for that. It’s called “Street
Hockey Millionaire” and it’s by James Alan. He uses sports as a
metaphor to make financial planning fun. Check it out at:
www.streethockeymillionaire.com

You'll find the help links below. Please do what you can and
I’ll check in again next week.

-RG

AmeriCares is at www.americares.com
America's Second Harvest is at www.secondharvest.org
The Red Cross is at www.redcross.org
The Salvation Army is at www.salvationarmyusa.org

© MMXI Randy Gage. All Rights Reserved.

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