After a $14B Upgrade, New Orleans’ Levees Are Sinking
It's just a headline, but this title makes me sigh.<p>For this thread, it's the title; for others today, it has been the "dose of realism" cynical first comment. It's probably just bad luck, but it feels like the first comment on every thread I've read today has been some variation of "here are the clouds to this silver lining."<p>In this case, it's amazing that we give enough of a damn about each other to allocate the money in the first place. How many people say caring for the less fortunate should be a matter for charities but then don't donate a dime themselves? How many in an honest moment would reply, "that's tough, move to Houston." Yet some among us cares enough to try instead of just rolling their eyes at building below sea level. I'm happy to take more trying and failing if it's in exchange for "serves them right" hindsight or abject cynicism.<p>Proceeding to read the article, over a decade the Army Corps of Engineers raised hundreds of miles of levees. If this were a thread about how the US can't complete big projects any more, that alone would be a ray of sunshine.<p>There are real problems in the world, folks. There's no denying that. But when the people with the ability and the inclination to be doers spend their time wringing their hands or giving themselves over to "the constipation of bittersweet philosophy" that's when there's really a problem.<p>Instead of worrying about the state of the world, spend an hour of your social media/fuck around time a day/week/month doing something for someone else. It'll do some actual good.