More fear-mongering from Xpress

On the heels of the much-maligned Lexington Avenue article, I read the Dec. 19 story, "Tomorrow Never Knows." More nonsensical fear-mongering, combined with cries for some bureaucratic government solution. Why?

Has anyone on the Mountain Xpress staff even considered the obvious dollars-for-fear system that is at the heart of every emergency-response plan? Jake Frankel seems a cheerleader to these government and “charitable” organizations that continually take our money, promising to make unforeseen circumstances manageable.

For heaven's sake, there were even bar graphs to scare us with weather! Lightening rod salesmen, all.

Does anyone really think it's a good thing that Buncombe County has spent millions of post-9/11 federal government-bankrupting apology dollars on things like a portable morgue? Really? We should support the mortgaging of our progeny's financial future to store today's dead? Asinine.

Do I even need to point to Katrina, Sandy, 9/11, the L.A. riots, etc., to demonstrate how ineffectual government agencies are in the face of real large-scale emergencies? The illusion of these programs makes self-reliance seem redundant to the average citizen, which, I fear, is what the government really wants. They keep stealing our money to save us from the "bang," and I don't blame them, I guess. There's not much money to be passed around over fear of the "whimper."

— Mary Quinn
Asheville

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