Ron HartLast week, Atlanta was brought to a halt by two inches of snow. The South was so blanketed in white that presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett instructed Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate. I fully expect the filmmaker of "Snow White" to be jailed within the week.
The potholes in Atlanta roads, in which you can normally fish for bass after a rain, were available for ice fishing. On the bright side, five years after a trillion dollars in the snow job called "stimulus" were spent, Atlanta finally had some shovel-ready jobs -- for two days.
Of course, the media did what they do best during a storm. They sent hordes of reporters out to report on the icy roads -- telling viewers to stay off icy roads.
Georgians were trapped in their cars for hours. Thank goodness for the obesity epidemic; those extra layers of fat kept them alive. One resourceful Atlantan lit dollar bills to start a fire for warmth. The Obama Administration took notice; he is in line to be the next budget director.
But the real story is the notion, reinforced by the media and politicians, that government is going to protect citizens in the case of emergencies.
Tellingly, both the mayor of Atlanta and the governor of Georgia were at the Ritz Carlton honoring each other in a ceremony when the storm hit. Mayor Kasim Reed was given an expensive Penley portrait of himself, worth about $18,000, by crony business interests. Of course, since he is a Democrat, Atlanta's liberal monopoly newspaper would never investigate.
Neither politician was willing to man his battle stations to stay informed and make good decisions for constituents. Our elected leaders rarely administer or manage a city. They are politicians. They get "honored." They attend political events, give speeches and shake down businesses and unions for donations to their next campaigns.
As with Hurricane Katrina, there was mass confusion because federal, state, county, and city representatives, FEMA, the National Guard, etc. did not communicate or coordinate with each other. When everyone is in charge, no one is in charge.
Obama has taught other politicians that, as long as you can find someone to blame, you will never be held accountable -- if you're a Democrat.
When individuals subordinate their judgment to government's, bad things happen. NSA, FBI, CIA, the Secret Service, etc., always tell you they are protecting you against what you fear in order to justify their funding. But it seems that, when it's show time, they fail; individuals and citizens working together help each other. Home Depot, Publix and ordinary citizens did more to help and house storm-displaced Atlantans than all government efforts combined.
Liberal Northerners, like arrogant Jon Stewart, resorted to their Scarlett O'Hara stereotypes and made fun of the South -- again. Hey Yankees, bad weather is rare down south; It happens about every 10 years -- not even as often as a BCS championship is won by a team north of the Mason Dixon Line.
They don't believe the Weather Channel because of its documented pro-weather bias. This Atlanta-based channel famously over-reports snow and ice forecasts to the detriment of political news.
There is an app for constant weather updates: it's called returning your mom's phone call. Parents can be counted on for weather updates and can explain the difference between sleet and a wintry mix -- for hours.
At least I got to spend time with my family for two days, with no TV or Internet. We actually talked. They seem like good people.
Ron Hart, a libertarian syndicated op-ed humorist, award-winning author and TV/radio commentator can be reached at Ron@RonaldHart.com.