Poor excuses

We hear the same discussions again and again the day after every disaster. In the summer it’s about finding who dropped the ball in clearing forests of dead wood and leaves and pruning trees. In the winter we ask who’s responsible for cleaning storm drains and culverts.

The discussion usually fizzles out with a condemnation of the lack of clarity over which authority or agency is responsible for what, but the snarl of bureaucracy that is responsible for overlapping jurisdictions is never sorted out – and the state appears doomed to fail even at the simplest challenges.

The climate crisis is here, however, and we can’t put up with the same old poor excuses.