Question Non-Fishing

[Feathers and Fins]

Ive been hearing on the News all day about Super Storm Sandy and how hard it is to recover and how many are still not home and how gubberment needs to do more.

Why is it we hear this crud from all the big city's but... Joplin gets hit and destroyed and pretty much the news on it was done after a few weeks.

Is it because Joplin is a success story where people came together and did what had to be done maybe? Sorry just bothers me to hear these big cities cry like babies with all the gubberment money given to them and then drive through Joplin and see one house and one business after another back up and people working hard and not complaining.

[Guest]

Yeah, I heard that on the news too.

Katrina was much worse, but its the dirty south and the BIG politicians don't care.

Joplin, Tuscaloosa, West Texas, etc was worse.

Its Jersey and they're special

Its in theyre backyard so it matters bc it directly effects them.

I think its outta sight and outta mind type mentality.

Kinda like the gun control deal was a huge mess, but they didnt want to report on the home invasions afterwards where guns protected the home owner.

Or the knife ttoing nutt job that stabbed numerous students in Texas.

Its not part of their agenda and they want it to go away so they can ram legislation down our throats and run this country into the ground.

[tjulianc]

well actually high population states, like New York and New Jersey add more tax revenue than they do tax spending. While states like Missouri and Louisiana spend more federal tax dollars than they generate.

You can view the chart here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_taxation_and_spending_by_state

Its the taxes the federal government gets from big cities that make things like fixing the levees in New Orleans, and farm bills possible in the first place.

[Al Agnew]

Look, it doesn't matter what the subject is, if it happens on the east coast or the west coast it's going to get a lot more play in the media than if it happens anywhere else. It's simply a matter of that being where the media is based, and the skewing of attention based upon population. If you want ratings, you'll cover the news of the major population centers in depth because that's where the ratings are. Joplin's story is a big deal in Missouri, but to the east coasters it's just another midwestern small town getting blown off the map by a tornado, happens multiple times every year. New Jersey and New York suffering a major hurricane DOESN'T happen every year, so it's bigger news to begin with, and then the east coast/west coast bias comes into play in the follow up stories. It isn't some government conspiracy, or some kind of liberal media bias, it's just one more instance of the media's ratings bias plus its ineptness.

[LarrySTL]

Al is lots more thoughtful and polite than what I might have said.

[ozark trout fisher]

Most national media outlets are based in either New York City or LA. So any major story at all that occurs near those areas are going to get plenty of coverage. It's not that the people out east or in big cities are more likely to be complaining in these types of situations, it's more that they happen to have a huge number of national media outlets to amplify those thoughts. Something we don't have in the midwest. It's not okay that a natural disaster will be considered more important near a major market. But I'm pretty resigned to the fact that this is how it's going to work. It's a lot easier and more obvious to cover a story like that in your backyard than to travel to Missouri or Kansas to do the same, and like others have pointed out the ratings of said coverage will be lower. It's sad but it's also reality.

[Chief Grey Bear]

I don't know that a day yet has gone by that I haven't heard about the Joplin tornado on the news. Local news of course.

[eric1978]

Joplin: ...damages cost up to $2.8 billion (2011 dollars).

Sandy: ...Damage is estimated at over $71 billion (2012 USD)

Which do you think had a greater nationwide impact? Just because a disaster happens nearer to you doesn't make it any more or less tragic. It'd be like comparing the Joplin tornado to a house fire in Rogers, Arkansas and complaining that Joplin gets more attention. And your assertion that the stoic heroism and charitable, communal inclination only occurs in smaller mid-western cities is nothing short of ridiculous.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Joplin_tornado

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Sandy

[Justin Spencer]

Joplin: ...damages cost up to $2.8 billion (2011 dollars).

Sandy: ...Damage is estimated at over $71 billion (2012 USD)

Which do you think had a greater nationwide impact? Just because a disaster happens nearer to you doesn't make it any more or less tragic. It'd be like comparing the Joplin tornado to a house fire in Rogers, Arkansas and complaining that Joplin gets more attention. And your assertion that the stoic heroism and charitable, communal inclination only occurs in smaller mid-western cities is nothing short of ridiculous.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Joplin_tornado

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Sandy

Agreed Eric. I want as much as anyone to call those from Joisey whiners, but I think things out there are pretty bad. That being said, I think the government coming in and helping people rebuild in the same areas that were flooded is like hitting their heads against a wall. I don't know enough about the insurance industry to speak intelligently, but seems like if they take premiums from people for coverage, they (not the govt.) should be the ones responsible for rebuilding. I'm all for the govt. getting the sand out of the streets and making things safe, but beyond that it should be up to the individuals to either rebuild, or move to higher ground!

[Feathers and Fins]

These were local media's i was hearing it on. Justin Im with you, Sorry but you build on a "BARRIER" Island or the shore WTH do you think will happen when a major storm does come and one will sooner or later. Personal Opinion is the Goverment should make it illegal to build on "Barrier islands" Hello people the first word should tell you something there.

And if the goverment wont then I do not think Insurance should be provided to them, let me make it clear ( flood insurance ) because guess who pays for that. There comes apoint when sympathy for people goes right out the window. You cannot predict a tornado or wildfire or even an earthquake, you can build and do maintenance to try and protect when they happen BUT when you build in an area that you KNOW a hurricane will sooner or later hit, well " you cant fis xtupid " but we shouldnt pay for stupid either