Is This Heaven? No, It's Iowa

Have you noticed that seemingly every year, about this time, there are huge and destructive wildfires in the hills of California. The MSM sends scads of reporters to the area to let us in on the big story; the Santa Monica fires are causing million dollar homes to go up in flames. What's the big deal? Every year it's the same old story. Every spring there is flooding all across America and some folks continue to build homes in flood plains. Crap happens and so does stupid. The four year anniversary of Katrina is here. That means PBO will have a photo op just after he has his helicopter fly over unreconstructed areas of New Orleans. CBS will interview a sympathetic(or pathetic) black man in bib overalls with no shirt and a gold plated front tooth who will tell us about how difficult it is to carry on. The Prez will jump back on his copter and the saga continues. Next year Barry will be back again.
Let me tell you about some people who struggle and do not complain. How many recall the devastating floods of Iowa last summer? Not many I'd bet. The Cedar River ravaged everything between Waterloo to Iowa City. Cedar Rapids, population 125,000 saw the downtown completely under water. The destruction is evident today. I'm still waiting for Katie Couric or Brian Williams to show up to let the world know what these people have lost. It won't happen though. Iowans are resiliant. They are non-gripers who get by using their wits and hands to get the job done. Iowans don't rely on their neighbors for help. They don't have to since the neighbors will be there before a request for help is asked. This should be the American way but, too often, the chronic complainers want FEMA to dig them out and when they don't do it in a timely fashion it's time to blame someone, any one.
When talking to people in stores, on the street or in an airport and Iowa comes up in conversation I generally ask if they've ever been to Iowa and if they respond with a no it's my suggestion they stop in on the way through, if ever there. It's a wonderful state and the people are even better.