Ducks departure from Pac-12 has some Oregon lawmakers ready to act - OPB

As the old RR quote goes...


"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help. "

I do not think so... all you have to do is listen to the locals about the lack of preparation, substandard or complete lack of physical plant updates due to stringent adherence to outdated historic building code limitations, warning sirens being archaic and how none of the 80 or so were able to be sounded (still above ground electrical with decades old insulators in many cases), and assistance in the aftermath being so sporadic that the native Hawaiian community's organized support was far more effective in a much faster manner.

Being a regular in the area for over 30 years there has been nothing but fights over the possibility of fires (not necessarily wild fires) sweeping thru old town due to lack of critical updates and safety codes. Some of the old town section doesn't have access to modernized high flow fire hydrants. The cost of installing fire suppression systems were so high due to local historic codes businesses simply could not afford them. The downtown area is basically a pile of dry kindling. 

Natural disasters are no one's fault, and I'm not a proponent of big government. Typically the more the government ties to help the more inefficient things become. But, I would like to think government involvement would be more proactive than reactive. There are many things that were left to the "it'll never happen... I can't believe it, what a tragedy" modus operandi. Could have some better planning and precautions saved lives and property? From what is being said by those on the ground, and now a looming investigation... I'd have to say yes.

Well, since you typically do not offer much intelligent insight, focusing more on quick quips and veiled insults, I do think you are an intelligent person. Hence, since you can no longer ask the person who said it, I'll let you research the quote and it's basic summarizing of government getting to big to be efficient.

You're free to agree or disagree... as most would realize it is more a political generalization of government as a whole. Not an indictment of those who actually do their jobs within the guidelines given.

You mean the complete lack of emergency notification? I used to live in Maui. There was a siren right outside my condo. I didn’t know anything about it until it was time for their monthly test. I thought the world could possibly be ending, and ran outside to be hit with more decibels of sound than the Black Sabbath concert I went to in HS when I couldn’t hear my teachers for two days. Yet the entire time the fire approached Lahaina, they were silent.

I, as a Beaver fan, am 100% in favor of the government (or anyone else for that matter) screwing up this realignment. 

It’s interesting how warning systems, even when they work, are routinely ignored. No one really expects it is as bad as it is, and few people really want to change their plans in order to evacuate. Lots of folks didn’t evacuate in Oregon for the crazy wildfires we had in 2020. Look at the tsunami videos of 2011 in Japan. I’ve been too busy to follow the fire in Hawaii carefully enough, but it wouldn’t surprise if disbelief were a major factor.