They call this "paradise"?
Simply incredible what a few sparks and a howling wind can do, isn't it? California may not have tornadoes, but the seeming randomness in the destruction of homes from the wildfires seems pretty similar. . . your home may be safe, but the neighbor's is reduced to a pile of ashes.
This ain't global warming in action--it's the earth cleansing itself. . .consider it Mother Nature getting a Brazilian Wax. Once in a while, the earth just needs the stubble cleared off so it can grow new bush. Once the fire season is over, look out for Part II: The Mudslides. Then the charges of price gouging of construction materials, insurance fraud, and the inevitable cessation of insurance companies in writing new policies. Can't say that this is all that unusual, except for the large area covered this year.
But all isn't gloomy. The fires apparently came at a great time for Southern California's economy. Damage estimates have topped $1 billion, but it's a good thing that housing bubble burst, or we'd be looking at around $2 billion for sure. You'd think that with the California National Guard (those that aren't in Iraq, anyway) diverted from securing our borders, illegal aliens would have a Green Light into the Southlands. . .but apparently not so. They'll probably be needed soon enough, as there'll be lots of construction jobs by the time this is over. Economists are predicting that with all the rebuilding and trickle-down to the economy, the fire will represent a mini-boom to California's economy, and that, in the larger scheme of things, the losses will be far less than those due to the sub-prime mortgage collapse. Well, thank God for that, huh?
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