David: I actually think people in less affluent times built their lives around this awareness. They saved more. Resisted debt more. Raised their kids more strictly because there was less of a cushion if you messed up. If this storm has any cultural impact — and they usually only do in the most ephemeral sense — it will be to remind people to build low and sturdy. I wouldn’t say our government is built to withstand some future shock (too much debt, too much disunity). This election campaign suggests we’re not going to fix that soon.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/sandy-and-the-politics-of-everything/
