Sandy and the President

It remains in the media’s interest to continue reporting on the Sandy storm in the most alarming way possible.  This keeps us reading, watching and listening.

Many people enjoy the sensationalism because it makes their personal ‘survival’ stories more dramatic. Drama queens (and kings) absolutely want these news stories to be as sensational as possible. In fact, if a story read that the tropical storm caused the predictable flooding in subways, tunnels, and construction sites because of the new discovery of gravity, people would be offended. Of course low areas, tunnels, subways and the gigantic hole in the ground near Ground Zero flooded. When the water runs uphill; that is news. Trees fell down and boats were lifted out of the water. This is also routine during a hurricane. However, we want our sensational stories.

The deaths are terrible tragedies and we all mourn the loss of life. However, more people died on our highways the weekend before the storm. More will die on our highways in a single day. Yet, there is no hue and cry for people to stop driving. In fact, people demand that speeders and those running red lights should not be punished if caught on camera.

Comparing the news stories with the warning issued by the National Weather Service clearly shows how hard the media tried to sensationalize every NWS warning and prediction.

Watching the news last night was laughable. A newswoman stood across the street from a single parked car. The water level was not even high enough to reach the bottom of the car doors. She breathlessly reported that when they first arrived the water was higher. She went on to say, "It is like that other shot. When we arrived, things were much worse. That car was completely under water. The water was up to the trunk."  What kind of vehicle can have water 'up to the trunk' and also be completely submerged?

Another newswoman breathlessly reported that the hurricane Sandy had ripped off these awnings. Still another newsman was standing on the street to tell us that when he first arrived, the street was covered with water and now it had subsided. Although he street was muddy, there was no water. If this is the best that the media could find they should have reported that the damage was light and that the storm water quickly subsided or they should have ran an episode of M.A.S.H.

The print media can run the same few photos of the storm and continue to simply provide the doom and gloom stories But here is the thing.

An unintended consequence is that these stories can be the tie breaker at election time. The president and his staff had a lot of time to focus on the national response. Governors and power companies across the nation worked out plans before the storm made landfall. Both candidates were forced to shut down campaigning during the storm. Mr. Romney was left with nothing to do. Mr. Obama was presented with an opportunity to be presidential. Barring any missteps be President Obama, this could be the tie-breaker for the election. His actions will be compared with Republican President George Bush’s actions during Hurricane Katrina. In a sense, Mr. Bush’s actions will be tagged with Mr. Romney since they are both Republicans. (“This is how Republicans help people in a national emergency and this is how Democrats help people in a national emergency").

This election will be one that is analyzed in political science classes for decades to come, regardless of the outcome. Sandy presented the President with an opportunity.

Gas Prices on East Coast

Just as gasoline prices jumped in California due to refinery shut-downs, the fuel prices on the East Coast will jump in the after-math of Sandy.

We all understand short supply. Refineries shut down and no trucks have been able to deliver gas. However, why the increased prices? How does paying more at the pump enable refineries and delivery trucks to deliver? When the storm is gone there should be no increase, but we don't live in 'the land of should'. We live in the land of giving the consumers the shaft.

Recently, many articles (and there will be more to come) have been printed to inform us that oil independence has nothing to do with what we will pay at the pump. The response to those articles should be: we have the solution. A federal law prohibiting the export of any fuel products until gasoline prices (including taxes) is at $2 per gallon. Such a law would cause a glut of gasoline in the USA and prices would tumble.

Our number one export is fuel. Let the oil barons take care of their country.

In the meantime, get out your wallets. Your gasoline will be more expensive because of Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy

Tomorrow we will know the truth about Hurricane Sandy. We already know the truth about the media and storms predictions.

The  national weather service is our best source for storm information, not the overblown and deliberately exaggerated news media predictions. The media cherry picks from the National Weather Service, throws in some adjectives and adverbs to frighten us and creates new phrases to further panic the population. The media twists and uses facts to create an immediate sense of danger.

The storm is barely at hurricane strength and is very wide. It could make landfall at one of a hundred places, so the media reports that New York City may be a target. They also write that cities in the Carolinas, Virginia and all across New England may be the target. They include stories about past storms (or they would only have a one paragraph story) to further create panic.

Many people live for these kinds of stories. They love playing the victim and they love telling everyone how worried they are about the certain disaster that might be heading directly for them. Many people are genuinely panicked and rush out to buy everything imaginable.

The media is gleeful! They've created panic and now have a new story about the people running around in panic.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service downgrades the hurricane to a tropical storm.

The media reports this information with emphasis on a lot of what-ifs. The storm could merge with another storm and result in snow. The snow could cause school cancellations. Heck, if the storms merge it is possible that damages will be over 1-billion dollars.

When the National Weather Service reported that the wind increase to barely reach hurricane strength, the media was elated.

We should always be prepared for extreme weather. People that need to rush out and buy batteries, canned food and bottled water should have those items in their homes for an emergency. It is not complicated. I buy bottled water, batteries,and canned goods just prior to hurricane season every year. These items could even be used in a blizzard or flood. I know of several routes out of town and if I feel imminently threatened I will drive away.

In the meantime, tomorrow is coming. I have a few appointments and some Christmas wrapping to do. I will check with the National Weather Service to track the storm. I hope the daughter I have that lives in Pennsylvania (a 'target area') is at a festival or baking cupcakes. I hope my niece and her family, that live very close to the ocean, are following the news on the National Weather Service. My sister in Baltimore does not panic.

People cannot simply flee and skip work because a storm might hit their city. There are more possible locations for this storm to make landfall then there are numbers on a crap table. Yet the media, like Las Vegas, convince millions that they have a reason to be sure.