The Constitutional Alamo

As rain continues to cascade on North Georgia, causing the worst flooding in over a hundred years, some residents have already begun to look to the federal government to save them.

by Michael Naragon

According to the National Weather Service, over 20 inches of rain has fallen on the Metro Atlanta area since Friday, and the subsequent flooding has closed schools and highways.  Douglas County, GA, has declared a state of emergency, and people throughout the area are nervously watching the next line of storms heading east from Alabama.  Through it all, some of the residents are comforted by their faith in the federal government.

As emergency workers, work details, and homeowners begin to try to clean up damage or prepare for the next round of storms, local radio shows have been highlighting the negatives of this weather event.

On the Mark Arum Show on 750 WSB, residents affected by the flooding were encouraged to call in and describe the tragedy.  Governor Sonny Purdue has already flown over the flooded areas, but state funds are reportedly not going to be enough to deal with the emergency.  Some callers questioned whether the federal government would be capable of swooping in to make it all better.  Host Arum did not argue with those who called in to complain that the federal government wasn’t prepared to deal with such an emergency.

Then, like a tiny glimmer of sunshine, a woman phoned in to call such depression into question.  “Why should we wait for the federal government to save us?” she asked, stating that individuals need to take responsibility for themselves.  It’s not the federal government’s responsibility to be prepared for natural disasters such as this flood, she said.  Instead, people need to prepare themselves, particularly those who live in flood plains.

Typically, Arum cut the caller off before she could complete her thoughts, labeling her as “one of those individual responsibility people,” and advised her to call conservative talk show host Neal Boortz the next morning if she wanted to advance such theories.

And we wonder why there are so many who are actually interested in the federal government running their banks, automakers, energy, and health care, despite Washington’s record of complete inadequacy.  As people have been willing to give up their freedom–and the responsibility that goes with it–an ever expanding federal government has been more than willing to take up the slack.

Like the antagonist in the classic horror film, The Blob, Washington continues to absorb more and more of the nation until citizens like this female caller are lambasted for their audacity in asking people to take care of themselves.  And media personnel like Mark Arum continue to gleefully cheer on the villain.