Hurricane Gustav -- Already A Disaster
The TV weathercasters always get rapped for over-hyping approaching hurricanes, but Texas Gov. Rick Perry is not shy about jumping the gun.
From Austin, he's already declared the counties of Harris, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Calhoun, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Jackson, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Orange, Walker and Wharton to be in states of "disaster" because of Hurricane Gustav, which hasn't even hit Cuba yet.
We're still wondering how Bexar County figures into this, since San Antonio is a good ways from any salt water.
Still, we have no quarrel with this because the motto we live by goes like this: "In case of disaster, be prepared."
Whatever your feelings are about the matter, the Texas Government Code gives the governor the power to declare a disaster before there's actually a disaster. No foolin'. See Section
Section 418.014 of the code if you think we're joshin'.
With it being Friday afternoon, we're just glad Gov. Perry showed remarkable executive office restraint by not resorting to section 418.019 of the government code, which gives him the amazing power of suspending the sale, dispensing and transportation of alcoholic beverages during disasters.
So TGIF, y'all.
-- Steve Olafson
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