By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 21:12:57 +0000

Here in New York, in 1995, local government passed a seismic code for the first time. Interestingly enough, there really has never been a major earthquake in New York, certainly not for over 100 years. But planning is planning, and as the New York Daily News said,
“New York hasn’t experienced a serious earthquake in more than 100 years, so they don’t get much attention. But after a 1984 quake in Mexico City killed nearly 5,000 people, the city decided to look at its codes.”
A linear look would not have made them pass the code.
I guess it never occurred to local Republicans to legislate against what seismologists and science was telling them. Actually, even more heartening is that it never occurred to politicians that this was anything more than a science and planning issue. Certainly it was not a political issue.
Here is the simple fact: events don’t always occur linearly. Those who are prudent look at outside factors that may effect that line in a more dramatic fashion.
In this case, North Carolina developed a commission to make recommendations. Those recommendations were made, and because some politicians don’t like them, the rules are being changed. Politics dictating to how science is being measured.
You can’t make it up.
Actually you can. Its a bit like Springfield, where the Simpsons live. After a meteor crash, it was decided to burn the observatory down…just to insure that another meteor crash does not happen again.

Comments on: The North Carolina legislature has passed a bill that requires its coastal planning commission to ignore the accelerated sea level rise predictions of global warming scientists and instead use more conservative numbers.

By: Jim