Conservative lawmakers contend that government should be as inconsequential in the lives of Americans as possible. The brutality of Hurricane…
Conservative lawmakers contend that government should be as inconsequential in the lives of Americans as possible.
The brutality of Hurricane Harvey, however, shows us that government does and should have a significant role in helping us all live comfortably and safely.
We need a strong, efficient, effective and fully-funded government on all levels, and our elected leaders should make decisions about resources and the protection of citizens based on sound public policy, and not petty politics or favors to special interest groups.
Good government matters, and it sometimes costs money.
For the most part, Texas leaders have been up to Harvey’s challenge, casting a steely resolve and dispatching the considerable resources on Texas’ government in ways that inspires confidence. The federal government has been on point as well, promising the resources needed for the tough, long road ahead.
President Donald Trump struck the upbeat tone during his Tuesday visit to Corpus Christi.
“It happened in Texas and Texas can handle anything, ” Trump said before grabbing and slightly waving a Texas flag.
Gov. Greg Abbott has excelled as well, shaking off the folly of this summer’s special legislative session to help steer Texas out of the storm.
Unfortunately, Harvey has showcased government missteps, particularly in the legislative and planning arena. The storm reveals that decisions by policy makers have consequences that aren’t always immediately apparent.
In the Houston area, some analysts say officials failed to get a grip on rapid development that resulted in houses and businesses erected in flood-prone prairies that shouldn’t have been disturbed. And development has wiped out a large percentage of the wetlands in Harris County that help soaked up flood waters and protect neighborhoods.
More wetlands wouldn’t have stopped all of the massive flooding from this historic hurricane, but it would have helped.
Rice University scientist Mark Jones says “there were homes built were they shouldn’t have been built.”
Houston-area officials have also been criticized for not evacuating the most vulnerable neighborhoods before Harvey took hold, as evident by Abbott’s early comments that an evacuation should have occurred.
But Abbott, appropriately, has backed away from retrospective comments, and others have defended the decision not to evacuate, particularly since such an effort was disastrous when Hurricane Rita followed Hurricane Katrina through the Gulf Coast.
Texas lawmakers also are under fire because as flood and hurricane victims continue to deal with Harvey, they have to be mindful of a new law approved by the Legislature.
Starting Sept. 1, House Bill 1774 becomes law in Texas, a measure that advocates for insurance companies say was designed to limit lawsuit abuses while preserving protections for homeowners.
But lawyers and consumer advocates say the new law will severely limit homeowners’ ability to hold insurance companies accountable when they take months or years to pay for a claim, underpay or wrongfully deny legitimate claims. And they are exhorting Harvey’s victims to preserve their rights under current law by filing claims before the new measure takes effect Friday.
Proponents of the law say it will only impact those who have to sue insurance companies, not the majority of people who go through the claims process without resorting to legal action.
If the new law means that residents are now at the mercy of insurance companies, it may have to be changed or clarified.
Texas Republicans in Congress are also under scrutiny in the aftermath of Harvey.
After Hurricane Sandy devastated the Atlantic Coast in 2012, eight Texas Republicans voted against increasing flood insurance, and 23 voted against emergency funding for victims.
Some of the lawmakers have defended their votes bey saying the bill was loaded with pork, a contention that’s been largely rejected by other congressional leaders.
Both measures ultimately passed the House and Senate before being signed into law by President Obama.
But then Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, along with 15 Texas Republican congressmen, voted for budget cuts to make up for the price of aid for Hurricane Sandy.
Now Texas needs help, perhaps billions of dollars in supplemental aid.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, never one to spar a punch, has blasted Texas lawmakers for asking for federal support when they blocked it for victims of Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall in the Garden State.
“The congressional members in Texas are hypocrites, and I said back in 2012 that they’d be proven to be hypocrites, it was just a matter of time, ” Christie told reporters Monday, adding that coastal states inevitably experience natural disasters. “Then all of a sudden, you’re not going to want conversations of all of the philosophical niceties, because people are suffering and dying.”
Many East Coast lawmakers have pledged to help Sandy victims, but there’s a lesson here for Texas officials.
Moving forward, there are other things our government leaders should do to protect Americans, even if it means spending more money.
The nation’s roads, bridges and infrastructure are in bad shape and need to be overhauled. It’s just a matter of time before some kind of disaster highlights government inaction. Congress should approve a comprehensive infrastructure repair bill before it’s too late. State leaders should also be mindful of the need to improve the quality of life for its residents, including better transportation, air quality and flood control.
Congress also has to reauthorize and beef up the National Flood Insurance Program, which is set to expire Sept. 30.
Issues with extending the program include controlling insurance premiums and protecting property values, but lawmakers will be under pressure to find a solution.
