With the massive fires overtaking Southern California, it's only natural I have an opinion (because--let's face it--I always have an opinion). I've been out there a couple times for work so I've seen the devastation. Wednesday night I was down a single lane road that had both sides engulfed in brushfire. I've looked at nothing but a gray sky for most of the week. The devastation is pretty obvious.

And to that, I say who gives a crud.

Now I can't vouch for all of the fires, but I can tell you I have little--sympathy for those who lost their homes in the Malibu and Santiago Canyon fires. The Girlfriend will be the first to tell you that I'm a horrible person, but hear me out before you make me a reservation for Hell. The folks who lost their homes in Orange County aren't the kind of folks people should feel sorry for. We're not talking about single moms or hard-working immigrants--the houses that burned are million-dollar homes high in the hills. The people who lived there aren't exactly hurting for cash.

Just look at the houses that were lost: they sat high up in the hillside--like castles (probably so their owners could look down on all the little people). I know it's an awful thing to say, but the people who lived there chose to live there. They wanted to live in secluded, expensive homes and be the envy of everyone else. Those homes aren't practical. They're not affordable. They are the houses that are purchased by people with too much money--people who want to spend lavishly to showoff exactly how much money they have.

There was even a report on news about a person who was building a house in one of the neighborhoods that was burned down. Real estate in SoCal is expensive and if you can afford to have your own, custom-built house you've got plenty of money.

Plus, it doesn't take a genius to know that if you buy a house on a dry hillside that's prone to fires there's a chance it might burn down. It's like the person who buys a hilltop house and complains when it washes away in mudslides. If you buy a house in ghetto, you can't complain about the gunfire--it comes with the territory.

Like I said, I don't wish bad things on any of those people. But to call them refugees is a joke (at least the ones in Orange County). They all have insurance. They all can afford five-star hotels. This is nothing like Katrina--Orange County is about as far from poor and black as possible.

---

Recently the President and the Govenator flew over the fire damage (imagine how butchered the English language was with those two in conversation). Ah-nald also took President Bush for a walk through the destroyed neighborhoods. I love how our government tries to spin this, saying our elected leaders surveyed the damage. I find it to be a total load of crap.

This sorta thing happens with every disaster. Hurricanes, fires, floods, tornados, earthquakes, or the St. Louis Rams football season: after every disaster the president and/or governor always has to fly over to assess the damage. Then he walks around through selected neighborhoods (press in tow) and sympathetically evaluates the damage. He'll meet a victim or two and vow to help the people.

While I'm all for government assistance (except unemployment: people need to get off their asses and find jobs), I think these staged events are a load of garbage. It's nothing but a photo op--something to show on CNN to prove that our elected official really cares.

I don't see how flying over burned neighborhoods or meeting those who lost everything can help the president do his job. If he really wants to see the damage, all he has to do is watch the evening news. I would think the leader of the free world would have more important things to do that go on a sightseeing tour with a bodybuilder/movie star/governor. Even though I watched "The West Wing," I wouldn't begin to assume I know what an American president's day is like. However, I'm fairly certain he has a lot of responsibilities--and he probably should focus on them instead of trying to looking good for the press.

© 2007 siknerd.com