Public good is a technical term with a clear meaning.
Right but not relevant, and dangerous to the polity.
An example of a `public good' in jargon language is a street sign at
which many people can look (i.e. is `non-rivalrous', to use jargon)
and at which looking is hard to prevent (i.e. is `non-excludable',
also to use jargon).
But this list is more likely to use the concepts of the preamble to
the US Constitution:
... provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare ...
In that document, the notions of the `common defense' and the `general
welfare' provide a definition of what is good for the public.
(Justice, tranquility, and liberty are also listed.)
When gasoline and other fuels are required for cars used for
evacuation and for hospitals, then a lack of gasoline and other fuels
becomes a danger that an official sworn to `provide for the common
defense' and `promote the general welfare' should handle.
It is harmful to disguise this. The danger is that less will be done
about officials who fail to `provide for the common defense' than
should be done.
The US government's weather service predicted last Saturday, 28 Aug
2005, that New Orleans would be hit by a level 4 or higher hurricane.
The prediction was not 100% accurate in that the hurricane went a
little beside New Orleans. But the other predictions, made long
before, that such a level hurricane (or less probably, but still
possibly, lower level hurricanes) would lead to levies breaking was
correct.
There is a nice distinction between the concepts of `typical' and
`normal' that is based on time scale:
`Typically', New Orleans is not hit or nearly hit by hurricanes.
`Normally', New Orleans is hit or nearly hit once in a while.
The latter is what emergency management is about: figuring out on late
Saturday, 28 Aug 2005, what to do if both the US government hurricane
path prediction is correct or somewhat correct and if the US
government's and other organization's flooding prediction is correct
or somewhat correct.
The emergency management policies are not new. After all, in the
United States people in public have talked about a mass exodus from
and the destruction of US cities since nuclear, chemical, and
biological weapon systems became a threat.
And people have talked about the dangers of hurricanes even longer.
A job of people in government is to protect, preserve, prepare, and
provide food, water, shelter, fuel and more. That action is a public
good and those supplies are good for the relevant public.
--
Robert J. Chassell
[EMAIL PROTECTED] GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8
http://www.rattlesnake.com http://www.teak.cc
_______________________________________________
http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
