[cicero's_son]

Ditto.

The smug, callow arrogance on display makes me sick. I wonder if the Iowan expresses the same condescending smugness to his neighbors who have been victims of tornadoes. After all, "why would anyone build a house in an area where you know tornadoes are going to hit?" Duh.

[kabar]

I must admit that I have a hard time with some of these comments, which blame the victim rather than accept the vagaries of natural disasters. There are very few places in the world that are free from the threat of some sort of natural disaster. Throughout the history of Man, people settled near rivers and oceans for obvious reasons. The benefits outweigh the risks.

A significant portion of our country has just experienced a major tragedy, and we have some jerks castigating the victims and questioning whether their tax money should be used to provide assistance. It is mind-boggling. Smug, callow arrogrance is a good description.