The irony of Texas’ response to Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey has had the ironic effect of highlighting the dependence of Texas’ allegedly independent citizenry on the rest of the nation: The thousands of stranded persons evacuated by the Coast Guard, National Guard, and others The hundreds of thousands without federal flood insurance, many of whom will seek federal assistance Two million plus lives disrupted trying to restore their lives to some new normal Texas’ conservative Republican governor, Greg Abbott, quickly asked the federal government for assistance The vital roles played by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal entities as well as non-profits with a nationwide reach, especially the American Red Cross with its federal mandate to assist victims of natural disasters The willingness of Texans and Texas state and municipal officials to reach out for assistance during and after the destruction wrought by Hurricane Harvey rightly prioritizes need over an incorrect principle. The requ