#infrastructure #levees #rivers #maintenance #flooding
No matter what you have, you have to maintain it.
Your home, your car or anything of value undoubtedly requires some maintenance.
Reporters Mitch Smith and John Schwartz wrote for the New York Times about how the levees burst along Midwestern rivers during the flooding of early 2019. The article was published April 1, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“On the river-specked Midwestern prairie, the thousands of miles of levees are an insurance policy against nature’s whims that, at their best, keep cropland and towns dry, floodwaters at bay and the agriculture-driven economy churning,” the reporters write.
During the early 2019 flooding, however, the levees didn’t hold up. The article says a suggested $80 billion in investment is needed over 10 years, for the nation’s levees, the American Society of Civil Engineers suggested in 2017, long before the 2019 floods.
As a society, we are seldom proactive and frequently reactive after a bad situation is upon us.
The article says 62 levees were known to have been breached or overtopped by the Midwest March floods.
It’s not just the levees, but roads, bridges, sewer systems and other infrastructure is aging in this country. They have been neglected because government at nearly all levels has chosen to underfund maintenance. Presumably, they prefer to have insurers pick up the pieces after something bad happens.
The question becomes, are you taking care of what you have? Or, are you rolling the dice hoping nothing bad happens? It’s better to fix something minor to avoid something major happening to you or your valuables.
Perhaps, like government, you say you don’t have the money to maintain, say, your car. It may be better to save on some of your other spending to make sure you have what you need to maintain your car, appliances and other things you need for daily survival.
If your job isn’t paying you enough, there are actually ways you can do something about that. You can take a look at the many vehicles out there that allow you to earn extra money – some potentially a lot of money – you would need to keep your valuables in working order.
But, you have to be willing to spend a few, part-time, off-work hours on your vehicle of choice. Even before that, you have to be willing to take a look at these programs, to see which one might be right for you. To check out one of the best, message me.
Like saving for retirement, keeping what matters to you well maintained and devoid of disaster requires discipline. It requires taking care of the money you have. It may require you to watch every cent you spend, making sure you have what you need in an emergency, or what you need to keep what you need in working order.
Remember, if you have a job, in most cases, you can’t live without a car. If you like to eat, you can’t live for very long without a refrigerator.
As Dennis Quaid’s Esurance ad goes, insurance isn’t sexy, or delicious or fun. But we all need it. Take stock of what you need to live a decent life. Make sure you are doing what you can to maintain those things.
You may have to give up some pleasures to do it, but you’ll have a lot less stress in your life.
Peter