NY Times now pushing Disaster Capitalism?

[Donnachaidh]

http://wsws.org/articles/2011/jun2011/nytt-j03.shtml

The death toll from the May 22 Joplin, Missouri tornado now stands at 138, making it the deadliest tornado in the United States in over 60 years. The massive storm left hundreds more injured and destroyed thousands of homes and apartments.

Initial costs of the disaster are between $3 billion and $5 billion, but the economic shockwave will be felt for years. Thousands of residents lost their jobs. A major hospital that employed nearly 2,500 residents was destroyed. Two nursing homes, entire apartment complexes and multiple school buildings were obliterated. Water and sewerage systems, cell phone towers, roads, and other infrastructure were also affected. It is an unmitigated disaster for the people of the city, and indeed for the entire region, within which Joplin functions as an economic hub.

Under these conditions, the New York Times, the leading publication of US liberalism and the country’s main national newspaper, published an article Tuesday, prominently displayed on the left column of its front page, under the headline, “Reconstruction Lifts Economy After Disasters.”

The central purpose of the piece, authored by Michael Cooper, is to downplay the significance of the disaster, praise the possibilities for corporate profit-making and divert public anger over the absence of any significant government assistance. The article made its appearance at the same time that the Times largely dropped its coverage of aftermath of the storm, following President Obama’s brief weekend visit to the city (during which, according to the headline of an earlier article in the Times, he delivered a “message of comfort”).

More at the link --

[joeybee12]

1. If you don't think the NY Times has become a joke...

then you're not reading it anymore.

[madinmaryland]

2. Well that is kind of a "no shit, sherlock" thought. Paul Krugman along with a lot of other

economists, have been advocating for a very big stimulus package. The disaster reconstruction, is in essence a big stimulus project for the affected areas.

[damntexdem]

3. While it is true that recovery from disasters can potentially lift the economy ...

this assumes massive public expenditures on such recovery. And such expenditures are under real attack, so might not be forthcoming. In that case, the destruction will simply drag down the economy.

And, of course, this all ignores the human death and misery involved. Greater public expenditures on warning systems could have reduced the former, and any lack of public expenditures on recovery will deepen the latter.