A propósito do "Katrina"

As palavras sábias em "OUR ENEMY THE STATE", Albert Jay Nock (o libertarian anti-New-Deal e Old Right dos anos 30, falando de cheias):

"When the Johnstown flood occurred, social power was immediately mobilized and applied with intelligence and vigour. Its abundance, measured by money alone, was so great that when everything was finally put in order, something like a million dollars remained. [é fácil supor que se tratou de uma cheia passada - isto é, antes da publicação - onde as suas consequências foram prontamente assistidas e resolvidas pela socideade civil].

If such a catastrophe happened now [Katrina?], not only is social power perhaps too depleted for the like exercise, but the general instinct would be to let the State see to it. Not only has social power atrophied to that extent, but the disposition to exercise it in that particular direction has atrophied with it.

If the State has made such matters its business, and has confiscated the social power necessary to deal with them, why, let it deal with them.

We can get some kind of rough measure of this general atrophy by our own disposition when approached by a beggar. Two years ago we might have been moved to give him something; today we are moved to refer him to the State's relief-agency [fala dos efeitos do New-Deal].

The State has said to society, You are either not exercising enough power to meet the emergency, or are exercising it in what I think is an incompetent way, so I shall confiscate your power, and exercise it to suit myself. Hence when a beggar asks us for a quarter, our instinct is to say that the State has already confiscated our quarter for his benefit, and he should go to the State about it."