Faux 'news': Do we really need a National Weather Service?

[Ruby the Liberal]

I only *wish* I was making this up. :rofl:

As Hurricane Irene bears down on the East Coast, news stations bombard our televisions with constant updates from the National Hurricane Center.

While Americans ought to prepare for the coming storm, federal dollars need not subsidize their preparations. Although it might sound outrageous, the truth is that the National Hurricane Center and its parent agency, the National Weather Service, are relics from America’s past that have actually outlived their usefulness.

The National Weather Service (NWS) was founded in 1870. Originally, the NWS was not a public information agency. It was a national security agency and placed under the Department of War. The Service’s national security function has long since disappeared, but as agencies often do, however, it stuck around and managed to increase its budget.

Today the NWS justifies itself on public interest grounds. It issues severe weather advisories and hijacks local radio and television stations to get the message out. It presumes that citizens do not pay attention to the weather and so it must force important, perhaps lifesaving, information upon them. A few seconds’ thought reveals how silly this is. The weather might be the subject people care most about on a daily basis. There is a very successful private TV channel dedicated to it, 24 hours a day, as well as any number of phone and PC apps. Americans need not be forced to turn over part of their earnings to support weather reporting.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/08/27/do-really-need-national-weather-service/#ixzz1WHo0WJwT

Dear Irene - your destination has been confirmed. Make a beeline for 1211 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036; coordinates (thanks google!) are 40.758408,-73.981826

Go girl, go!!

[Ruby the Liberal]

1. With 12 states affected, I am thinking that an uncoordinated, 10th Amendment solution

would have been preferable, too.



Heh.

[ixion]

2. Do we really need a FAUX 'news'

not in the least.

[AsahinaKimi]

12. What you said - +1000

I hope IRENE pulls their damn plug and shorts out every circuit in their building.

[madrchsod]

3. the NWS was responsible for 22 deaths in nashville!

[TheDebbieDee]

5. Please explain. Thanks.

[madrchsod]

11. it`s in the article...the writers of the article are

members of http://cei.org/. iain murry is a vice president and the other guy is a researcher for this group.

[Occulus]

22. That a very right-wing site. n/t

[Robb]

4. Oh good Lord.

Where does the author suspect the "very successful private TV channel" gets their weather data?? Their own national infrastructure of monitoring stations?? :rofl:

Socialized weathermen!! :D

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Pathetic, no?

[Ruby the Liberal]

7. Yes - whose super duper doppler 8000 only scans their viewing area.

AND they each have their own private satellite to boot (as well as local Space Agency to launch and position them). Yay!

Libertarians are the best.

:rofl:

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. You forgot the C-130s flying into the eye of a storm

YUP, they are really self sufficient.

[BeyondGeography]

9. Without the NWS we could have false, promotional forecasts which would be better for business

[Ruby the Liberal]

10. Shhh - you will burst the Randian fantasy that businesses

always do the "right thing" for the "right reason" or the "free hand" will adjust.

[nebenaube]

13. Wow,

where do they get their weather data?

[Marr]

14. Good point! They've been reporting weather for years, but we still have weather!

That's the argument I keep hearing about welfare, Social Security, Medicare, etc. The problems they are meant to alleviate still exist, so they say, the programs don't work.

[7wo7rees]

15. Their question will be answered long after we answer: Do we need Fox "News"?

Today Fox News justifies itself on public interest grounds. It issues severe political advisories and hijacks local radio and television stations to get the message out. It presumes that citizens do not pay attention to the truth and so it must keep important, perhaps lifesaving, information from them. A few seconds’ thought reveals how silly this is.

[CatholicEdHead]

16. Plugging Accuweather again

I remember the had Santorum sponsor a bill so the NWS could only get data but not make forecasts. The bill failed miserably (of course) a few years back.

What this Fox idiot does not realize is neither AccuWeather or The Weather Channel wants to take on the NWS' responsibilities and even more its liabilities. Either company knows it could be sued for huge amounts and the NWS cannot under extreme events. All private meteorology operations realize this. Also $1B is a pittance in today's budget for public safety. NOAA and the NWS are responsible to get almost all weather data and run all weather models to make forecasts.

Outside of Fox I never hear anyone, right leaning or not complain at all about the NWS. They know that their lives depend on it and it is a good thing, not outdated thing just because it comes from the government.

[KT2000]

17. Privatization

The Rs have been barking for the privatization of the weather service for a while now.
They probably think the meteorologists are making too much money so they likely want to privatize so they cab pay their R friendly CEOs a bundle and reduce the wages of those darn scientists.

[chrisa]

18. There's no way this could be serious.

I'm starting to get afraid that it is. :scared:

[johnd83]

19. Next time you take a flight

Imagine the pilots don't have a centralized weather service and have to depend on a bunch of scattered local newsmen to figure out a safe route. That is a comforting thought...

[pintobean]

20. K/R

[thelordofhell]

21. Speaking of "useless" government things

What's the terror alert right now?

[Motown_Johnny]

23. ...and the people who don't have cable or a smart phone deserve to die.

:sarcasm: