Althouse: How many people are reading about the snow paralyzing Washington...

February 6, 2010

How many people are reading about the snow paralyzing Washington...

... and thinking: good?

59 comments:

save_the_rustbelt said...: Gee, a little snow and they all panic.

Candy asses.; 2/6/10, 9:59 AM
AlphaLiberal said...: The percent of the American people who share your anti-government ideology is actually pretty small, Ann. Under 30%.; 2/6/10, 10:08 AM
Anonymous said...: It's, er, Saturday.; 2/6/10, 10:09 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: The number of people sufficiently trapped within their own blinkered ideology that causes them to extrapolate an overarching ideology from a single question completely unrelated to ideology then project that extrapolation upon the questioner and then express that projection is under .02% <--- figure pulled from arse.; 2/6/10, 10:17 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: Just imagine how bad things would be if it weren't for global warming.; 2/6/10, 10:18 AM
KCFleming said...: Stopping by this blog on a snowy Saturday

Whose debts these are I think I know.
His house is in the DC snow;
He will not see us stopping here
To watch our debts and spending grow.

Utopias are lovely, dark and deep.
But we have promises to keep,
And trillions to spend before we sleep,
And trillions to spend before we sleep.; 2/6/10, 10:24 AM
AllenS said...: First there were the emails proving that the climate scientists were making shit up, and now this. Where's Al Gore? There must be an explanation for all of this.; 2/6/10, 10:25 AM
Bender said...: How many people are reading about the snow paralyzing Washington...
... and thinking: good?

I just came out from (partially) shoveling that snow paralyzing Washington . . . and thinking: ow, my back hurts and I hope I don't have a heart attack.

Being from Michigan, I'm used to snow, but I'm a little out of shape from having to shovel this much. Especially when it is this wet and heavy.

Those that aren't shoveling now have about three feet piled up against their cars -- soon to turn to hard-pack and ice.

Then again, there is a neighbor across the way who never bothered to clear his or her outside HVAC unit from the big snow before Christmas, and it has been caked in several inches of snow/ice since then. Now it has a couple feet more covering it.; 2/6/10, 10:29 AM
kentuckyliz said...: Chip--LOL! Brill poetry Pogo.

I have a fb friend in DC who is a prosecutor stressed out by the Jerry Springerness of her life and distressed by the chavs.

She's an Iowa girl.

She loves the snow. I am happy for her, that she gets to watch it and play in it and remember the goodness of her youth in Iowa, as a break from her current hell.; 2/6/10, 10:33 AM
Wince said...: The percent of the American people who share your anti-government ideology...

In actuality, it's that they'd prefer the federal government do fewer things, and do them well, in harmony with the Consitution.; 2/6/10, 10:37 AM
Bender said...: And now I'm thinking -- am I getting a chemical burn from this icy/hot cream I just smeared on my aching back? Ow, it's never been this hot.; 2/6/10, 10:38 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Flexo:

Get one of those snow shovels with the curved handles. They save your back!

Also, sounds like DC and NJ got wetter heavier snow. Here in Philly, it's powdery and fairly light. I think the temp accounts for the differnt types of snow.; 2/6/10, 10:44 AM
The Drill SGT said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/6/10, 10:51 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Me!.

Plus we are laughing our asses off at the MSNBC girl standing in the snow acting like it's the end of the world. She doesn't know the difference between a 'snow drift' and a berm created by snow plows.

While describing how impassible the streets are......an all wheel drive mini van with chains on all four tires just tooled up the street at about 40 miles per hour behind her and a FORD 4x4 went the other direction.

To top it all off they (the MSNBC people) locked themselves out of the their own car and they had to call a locksmith to come out in the "STORM OF THE CENTURY" (breathless reporter speaking) to get them back into their cars..

DUMBSHITS.

Seriously, though I do feel for the people who have no control because they live in an apartment building that has lost power and they have no backup source of heat. AND they may miss the Super Bowl.; 2/6/10, 10:53 AM
The Drill SGT said...: Flexo:

Get one of those snow shovels with the curved handles. They save your back!

I just got back from shoveling our cul-de-sac i Alexandria.

Well actually among the 9 homes, we have 4 blowers and half dozen shovelers. curved handles are good. use Pam on the blade in wet snow.

PS: my greatest contribution today was gluh wein.

red wine, citrus, honey, raspberry brandy, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice.

on Sunday am going to use a bottle of Cassis Wine as the starter :)

we've got about 15 inches of wet snow so far. coming down hard still. maybe 1+" an hour; 2/6/10, 10:53 AM
Anonymous said...: If they can't get out of their driveways our townhouses, they can't do any more harm.

At this point I'll take one or two days of less harm, even.; 2/6/10, 10:54 AM
Meade said...: Unfortunately, the percent of the American people who share AlphaLiberal's unlimited government ideology is actually fairly large. Just slightly under 52.9%.; 2/6/10, 10:58 AM
Michael said...: Washington paralyzed. Perfect. I have two ideas re;DC. 1. Pay politicians a bonus for each law they revoke. Make it worth it. $10K per law revoked for each member voting in favor of revocation.
2. Have the congress meet in a different tertiary city every year. Any small town would do but it must be at least 200 miles from the nearest Palm Restaurant. Voila, system fixed!!; 2/6/10, 11:02 AM
Bender said...: Get one of those snow shovels with the curved handles. They save your back!

Maybe I should hire a landscaping company to come out and shovel.

Oh wait -- our condo association does and I pay way more than I should in condo fees to hire that company.

Yeah right. They're as reliable as government workers. More money just flushed down the drain.; 2/6/10, 11:03 AM
Bender said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/6/10, 11:11 AM
Bender said...: DBQ --

I saw a live news story on local DC TV where, instead of a still shot, they were moving down the highway with the reporter not only describing what he saw . . . but he was the one driving.

Isn't there a big stink these days about distracted drivers?? About how we should all be paying close attention to the road when we are driving and not yacking on the phone or doing similar things?

And yet, here is this putz driving fairly fast down the road, telling people that it's dangerous out there and to stay off the road unless you have to, and then drive safe, all while turning to look at the camera every few seconds and generally more concerned with his reporting than with driving the vehicle.

Moron.

Oh, and it was the NBC affiliate here in DC.; 2/6/10, 11:13 AM
Zachary Sire said...: There must be an explanation for all of this.

Uhhh, yeah, there is: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123380157; 2/6/10, 11:15 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Having been in many snow storms that leave us house bound for several days, we are prepared for the inevitable. People need to be prepared for snow and other things that might interupt thier quick and easy lives.

Big snow storm coming in a few days? Remember....it isn't a big surprise.

Step one: check the pantry and get more supplies of things you may be short on. Essentials like wine, scotch, coffee, snacks that don't need to be cooked..... toilet paper :-D

Step 2: Bake a couple of cakes, cookies or pies. Corn bread whatever...can't have enough snacks.

Step 3: Bake a ham, pot roast or turkey so you can have lots of leftovers and sandwiches. Make a big pot of beans that you can put on the wood stove or set right in the fire place in a cast iron dutch oven.

Step 4: break out the kerosene lanterns, candles, matches, flashlights and put them in a handy place for when the power goes out. Same thing for the comforters and extra blankets. Also the cards and board games.....they go well with the drinks and sandwiches.

Step 5: Enjoy conversation with your family and the blessed silence without the television. Take a lot of naps,read books, finish knitting that sweater or pair of socks.

I personally find being trapped in a snowstorm a refreshing experience, because I know it will end eventually and I'm prepared, and I won't freeze. It is like cocooning for a while.; 2/6/10, 11:17 AM
Cedarford said...: I see Meade already corrected the bogus Alpha Liberal stat.

Anti-government sentiment must naturally rise as the "peasantry" of America has the classic historical reaction to seeing their power and wealth trundled off to a remote Imperial City...with nothing coming back for them...but regulators further micromanaging their lives and conduct & lots to non-contributors locally and in the Imperial City.

A telling stat was that 40 years ago, none of the 15 wealthiest counties in America were near DC. Now, 9 of the 15 wealthiest counties are clustered by DC.

That 40 years ago, a private sector worker in general had a 30% premium in wages + benefits over his similarly qualified Fed worker counterpart. But the Fed worker had total job security.
Now the situation is reversed.. The Fed worker has a 30% premium over those that pay the taxes or accept the China debt to keep the Fed worker employed. And the Fed still has total job security, no layoffs....no foreign low labor cost competition.

I remember an honest reaction in fall of 2008 was a McCain supporter saying we had to start a war with Iran to "surgically remove" the nuclear threat. Otherwise, even if it took a Global Depression when Iran shut off the Gulf Oil - that "we could even one day lose DC! Think about how bad it would be for America if we lost DC!"

Reaction: "How would that be bad for America?"

Then with a slight pang of conscience..."Well, it would be a shame to lose the Smithsonian and the monuments.."; 2/6/10, 11:22 AM
Bender said...: snacks that don't need to be cooked..... toilet paper

I draw the line at having TP for a snack.; 2/6/10, 11:24 AM
rhhardin said...: Dog considering legislation.; 2/6/10, 11:35 AM
The Drill SGT said...: DBQ,

add down comforters to that. You can do well without a fire, if you have 2 bodies and an eider down comforter :); 2/6/10, 11:45 AM
joewxman said...: and guess what..here comes the next one for Tuesday night and Wednesday which will be another major storm for parts of the middle Atlantic and the Northeast. Let the media panic set in!; 2/6/10, 11:50 AM
rhhardin said...: Open the basement door, if you have a basement, and the basement floor heats the house, once the house gets cooler than the basement anyway.; 2/6/10, 11:52 AM
Popville said...: Sidebar headline @link: Obama to DNC: It's 'snowmageddon'.

The guy has a great future on Comedy Central, as his time remaining in WA-DC appears a few weeks shy of three years. Which of course is two years more than the Democratic Congress critters up for re-election in a scant nine months.; 2/6/10, 12:01 PM
Anonymous said...: I saw a live news story on local DC TV where, instead of a still shot, they were moving down the highway with the reporter not only describing what he saw . . . but he was the one driving.

...

Moron.

Oh, and it was the NBC affiliate here in DC.

Sure it wasn't WUSA (the CBS affiliate)? They've been doing live shots on the road via skype (a fascinating, if reckless, use of technology).; 2/6/10, 12:06 PM
Bender said...: Sure it wasn't WUSA?

Oh great! Now the idiocy is spreading.; 2/6/10, 12:18 PM
ricpic said...: That poem is genius, Pogo!

But I bet it frosted Alpha.; 2/6/10, 12:22 PM
The Drill SGT said...: MrBuddwing said...
Sure it wasn't WUSA (the CBS affiliate)?

It was NBC 4 in DC. I saw the same clown, driving fast, 1 handed, turning to the passenger seat, pointing with his off hand and talking to the camera.

even when he had both hands on the wheel they were at like 11 and 1 o'clock. not what you'd want if you had to recover from a nasty spin out.

total rookie and a dangerous idjiot.; 2/6/10, 12:23 PM
dbp said...: This storm is wasted snow: What good is it to paralyze the city on the weekend?; 2/6/10, 12:48 PM
Big Mike said...: Just got power back in our house in Northern Virginia after 13 hours without. Thermometer in the house got down to 62, which isn't all that bad, but we were worried about the food in the 'fridge. Wife thought of putting it in zip lock freezer bags and burying it in the snow covering the deck, but then we remembered that there's raccoon that sometimes comes around evenings. Little bugger is fat enough.

As regards DC and snow, the Washington metro area is far enough north to get some snow in the winter, but far enough south that one modest snowfall per winter is usually the limit. So hardly anyone reacts sanely when we get even 4" - 5", and I had a full 24" in my drive (drifts closer to 36" where I tried to shovel a path to my front door). So coupled with a heavy snowfall last December the area is pretty paralyzed.

I blame Obama for going to Copenhagen and signing onto Anthropogenic Global Warming. He's gotten the Al Gore effect attached to himself, and the Washington metro area is the worse for it.; 2/6/10, 1:24 PM
Penny said...: DBQ, have you thought about doing contract work for those in need of blizzard preparation services? lol

My own planning never made it past the "buy enough food and "juice" for a week of being house bound.

Up to 24 inches here in southern NJ, and currently in what they are calling a "snow band", where it is expected to continue at the rate of an inch or two an hour. I am still reporting optimistically, but only because I still have power.

Now, as for our friends in Washington... Earlier today, Governor Ed Rendell from Pennsylvania reported that he and Nancy Pelosi attended a fundraiser last evening in the Lancaster area, and that both had made it home safely. He called her a "Trooper". Fortunately, not OUR Trooper.; 2/6/10, 1:34 PM
Bender said...: I remember that year in Michigan when, during a 24-inch snow, the pump to our well broke. We also have lost power for a while.

We didn't use the snow as a make-shift refrigerator, but we did melt it in a big pot on a fire outside to have water for the next couple of weeks until it was warm enough for them to come out and drill a new well.

There's nothing like bathing in melted snow in the sink, I'm telling you.; 2/6/10, 1:44 PM
Bender said...: Looking ahead, this is the question --

Will I want to drive anywhere tomorrow or Monday?

If I do, someone is certain to take my immaculately cleared parking space, and when I come back, I'll have to dig out a space.; 2/6/10, 1:50 PM
traditionalguy said...: This could be a good thing about nine months from now. All of this weekend's snowed in and out of power women are probably going to give birth to a mini-baby boom next November.; 2/6/10, 1:51 PM
Unknown said...: They're talking 20 - 30 inches in the Chesapeake Bay area and it's wet snow (for those who spent their lives in the Midwest, this adds a whole 'nother dimension). Anyone who's lived on the East Coast anywhere north of South Carolina has seen these storms at least once a year around this time. No big whoop except for the Establishment Media.

Actually, there's probably some nefarious plot that's been thrown off track by this, but, yes, it would have been so much better had it waited until, say, Tuesday.

Meade said...

Unfortunately, the percent of the American people who share AlphaLiberal's unlimited government ideology is actually fairly large. Just slightly under 52.9%.

I have a feeling that figure has taken a hit of late.; 2/6/10, 1:55 PM
MadisonMan said...: It's always exciting when a storm that dumps accumulations in the top 5 of historical storms occurs. In other words, edutcher, once every 50 years or so for that kind of accumulation, not at least once a year.

Here is a link about heavy snows in Baltimore/Washington.; 2/6/10, 2:08 PM
Scott M said...: Being one of 200k without power isn't as bad as finding out they added a login queue to the newly-released STO. Trekkies everywhere are pulling their hair out right now.; 2/6/10, 3:14 PM
Anonymous said...: I hope Al Gore gets stuck in a drift.

This weather report is pretty funny: Snow Hysteria; 2/6/10, 3:37 PM
Unknown said...: MadisonMan said...

It's always exciting when a storm that dumps accumulations in the top 5 of historical storms occurs. In other words, edutcher, once every 50 years or so for that kind of accumulation, not at least once a year.

I was talking about heavy snows in February generally. One or two feet around Valentine's Day isn't that unusual for Philadelphia. Surprised it's that big a deal such a small distance further south.

Unless the media is having it's usual "Storm of the Century" cow.; 2/6/10, 3:46 PM
Sniggy said...: We actually watched the Weather Channel this morning (we're on the Left Coast), and every time they mentioned "snow" and "Washington (DC)" in the same sentence, I started cheering and hooting at the TV. My husband said that I'm the only person he knows who cheers at the Weather Channel, complete with clapping, foot stomping and fist pumps.

In my humble opinion, anything that socks it to the feds is cause for cheering.

And thank you, Weather Channel, for brightening up my dreary, cloudy, West Coast morning. By the time they mentioned that a new system will end up in DC by Tuesday, I was grinning from ear to ear.; 2/6/10, 3:50 PM
TheCrankyProfessor said...: eh - it's a weekend. I would have been happier if it had hit on a Monday.; 2/6/10, 4:25 PM
Roger J. said...: Couldnt happen to a better place in the continental US--Our political class and bureaucratic minons are learning a lesson in self reliance.
DBQ: your advice was absolutely on target. Thanks
Me? Rachmaninoff concert tonite in memphis followed by a late supper with my lady: oysters on half shell, roasted veggies, prosciutto, poached pears.

I do hope the poltical class suffers tonite and tomorrow in the DC area--I love the smell of schadenfreude in the morning--almost as good as napalm; 2/6/10, 4:34 PM
Big Mike said...: @edutcher, it really is a big deal only a little further south. See my post at 1:24; 2/6/10, 4:55 PM
Lindsey said...: edutcher, in the winter, much of VA might get an inch of snow that is gone by the next day. The last time we had something like this was 96, but this winter is much worse.

Most of the people I know don't even have appropriate footwear for this. I've been wearing rainboots with lots of socks to keep dry.; 2/6/10, 5:04 PM
Charlie Martin said...: +1.; 2/6/10, 5:33 PM
Bender said...: Just a note about the newscast "official" snow measurements -- they are well below what real people are finding at their homes. One problem with snow this wet and heavy is that that it compresses the existing snow.; 2/6/10, 6:31 PM
Meade said...: "Dog considering legislation."

I vote for Vicki!; 2/6/10, 8:33 PM
Big Mike said...: FWIW, I live not far from Dulles airport, which recorded an official two-day snow total of 32.4" So it's a fairly nasty storm by any standard, but by the standards of a metropolitan area where 5" of snow is cause for panic, this is quite something.; 2/6/10, 9:34 PM
J Melcher said...: Consider this another warning about how vulnerable the nation is to concentrate government in one city. Wouldn't it be better if power were shared out to regional sub-dominions of some sort, perhaps 50 or so, over various sized regions?

Perhaps, too, each cabinet branch should be moved out of D.C. to other distributed cities. Treasury to Denver, Agriculture to Kansas City, Labor to Detroit, Health and Human Services to Salt Lake City ...

Whether a weather disaster or terror attack, we could better prepare by dispersing command and control.; 2/6/10, 9:43 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Perhaps, too, each cabinet branch should be moved out of D.C. to other distributed cities. Treasury to Denver, Agriculture to Kansas City, Labor to Detroit, Health and Human Services to Salt Lake City ...

HUD should go to Chicago for obvious reasons.

Sooner or later DC is going to be hit with a WMD attack. I'm not rooting for it, since my wife works a mile downwind from the WH.; 2/6/10, 9:55 PM
Clyde said...: I read someplace that Washington has only received more than a foot of snow about 13 times since 1870. And, of course, twice already this winter. I love the idea of Obama and the congresscritters getting slammed with two blizzards in one year. Hopefully it will be the final nail in the coffin for all of the global warming foolishness, after all of the disclosures about false claims by the AGW hysterics.

We had record cold weather here in Florida, too, back in January. Those damn fools want it to be colder?! Bad idea!; 2/6/10, 10:44 PM
From Inwood said...: From those wonderful folks who bring the calamitologists the official reports:

This is what I found in The Baltimore Sun website:

A likely record, but experts will get back to us.

Measurement problems prevent meteorologists from saying for sure.

The powerful nor'easter that buried Central Maryland in more than 2 feet of snow Friday and Saturday will be ranked among the biggest in the region's weather annals. But meteorologists at the National Weather Service were unable to say Saturday precisely how much snow fell. Problems with measurements at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport have left Baltimore without an official tally.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/weather/bal-stormrecord0206,0,4657792.story

Calamitology: It’s an art, not a science.; 2/6/10, 11:29 PM
Big Mike said...: @Clyde, I have some seriously bad news for you. Aren't you aware that Global Warming is supposed to predict extreme weather? These two blizzards, and the unseasonable cold that most of the US has experienced this winter. That's not climate, that's weather.

Yeah, right.; 2/7/10, 10:43 AM