Sad

Sad is a word commonly associated with tragedies. It is seldom that one finds those who, at least admittedly, will celebrate a tragedy. Tragedies come in many shapes, forms and in varying degrees. It is true that while tragedies  may come as a blow to many, they may also fall as a boon to others. Like anything else they may at once mean different things to different parties. It always comes down to whose ox is getting gored.

The tragedy that is of the most soul crushing variety is that which, upon review of the facts in evidence, proves to have been entirely preventable. The circumstances need not even rise to the threshold of entirely preventable. It is true even when it can be shown that the harm from the tragedy could have quite easily been substantially mitigated in degree. Monday morning quarterbacking is very annoying to a lot of people, yet only a fool would deny it when it is proven to be correct. The current tragedy unfolding in Los Angeles conforms to all of these.

In keeping with our title I will now catalogue a list of just some of the sad things we're all witnessing now.

The look in the eyes of the animals that have been living in LA County. All of them. The owls; the cougars; the many species of rodents; all of those wild animals in their native habitat. Already hard pressed to adapt this habitat to the human incursions upon it, these creatures now find every bit of it swept away. Sadly these beasts have no capacity for the irony that this fate should befall them in what is ostensibly the most "environmentally friendly" state in the nation.

Then there are the thousands of domestic animals. I'm sure that the cats will be fine, as they are at any time only a half step removed from feral, but then there are all of those hounds. There are large numbers of these dogs who already suffer for their owners' capricious bastardization of the canine species to suit their own vanity. These breeds owe their very existence to humans because they are contrary to the natural order. My apologies to the sensitivities of Dachshund lovers (I know more than a few), but the truth is that without human sponsorship this is a breed that would have been naturally selected into extinction centuries ago. Even among the heartier breeds the fate of these dogs is inextricably tied to their human masters. Without the benefit of speech the looks in the eyes of these poor brutes speaks more to the depths of this tragedy than may be told in any thousands of articles about it.

Moving on up the food chain we now arrive at the domestic servant class. These are the people who live and work in LA County. They live in LA County, but they work in communities like the Palisades, Malibu or Brentwood. Places where there is enough money to sustain their existence, but not enough money to permit them admission. There are housekeepers; groundskeepers; gardeners; chauffeurs and valets. The sources of their livelihood have been erased. It is not just individuals, but also countless numbers of small businesses in the home services sector. No more need for painters, roofers or lawn care companies. Very sad. What are these people to do? I would not suggest that the regimes in LA County or the state of California either one give a rat's ass for the fate of small businesses, because quite clearly they do not. There might be some glimmer of concern for their lost tax revenues off of that labor, but little more. 

Then there is that sometimes forgotten servant class: the County and Municipal employees. I will admit that my first reflex is to regard this group with utter contempt. That would be true anywhere one goes in this country, but in few places would this be more true than LA County. I'm not referring to the high priced administrators, that will come later.

County and Municipal employees encompass many categories. The most familiar are of course Police and Fire services. For the time being there is plenty of work for these folks. One hopes that among those police services there will be a thorough and untainted investigation into the origin of these fires. I suspect these hopes to be in vain, but we should hope nonetheless. As for the firefighters? They are currently living that universal civil servant's creed: we the willing, led by the unqualified, do hereby set forth to do the impossible with nothing. Godspeed to them all.

Then there are all of the other service divisions. Child Protective Services; building inspectors; code enforcement officers (quite lucrative); the erstwhile field crews of the LA Department of Water and Power. Don't forget the Health Department! Think of all their great work and sacrifice during the "pandemic". The heavy handed administrative state of California is such that they probably have departments I can not even imagine, most of those probably redundant. We'll only touch upon a few here.

One may reasonably assume that all of these operate under the "protections" of some public sector employees union. The rules are such in California that they may not operate otherwise. For many of those divisions the wildfires are but a temporary disruption of their normal work days. It will only be a matter of some months before they resume the jobs that they all do so w.... uh, the jobs they do. Of course there wont be any interruption in their paychecks. The taxpayers have that covered. Which is kind of sad when you think about it. I think all of them should be pressed into service to aid the Fire Department and the clean up efforts. You want paid? Earn it! Screw your union.

Continuing our climb up that food chain we now arrive at the merchant/entrepreneur class. Many of us outside of California may picture the affected communities as being inhabited only by the idle rich. While this may be true in some instances it is hardly universal. Despite California's exceedingly hostile posture towards the entrepreneur, there are still those who operate small businesses in these communities. There were restaurants and hair salons. Pool service companies. Auto repair centers. These too have been reduced to ashes. What you won't find sifting through those ashes? The lives that their owners poured into them. There may even have been some insurance agent offices. I wouldn't want to be you right now. In fact, if you haven't already left I'd get moving. And don't look back.

Now we're brushing against that simultaneously revered and reviled 1%. Not quite there, for we must yet consider the professional class. The lawyers, doctors and academics. In LA one must include the actors, agents and producers... anyone within the orbit of Hollywood. It is a tragedy for anyone to be suddenly confronted with such devastating and humbling loss. It is indeed a sad occasion. It is equally sad; no, indeed more sad that schadenfreude is such an intoxicating brew. Many in this category of victims have contributed greatly to it's fermentation. Many of these people have used their platform of fame and bestowed credibility to preach to all of us uncultured rubes on matters of social justice, climate change and environmentalism. They have offered their full throated endorsement of candidates and policies that embrace these agendas. It was perfectly fine for all of us to suffer under this folly. Now that you find yourselves reaping the bitter harvest of all this lunacy it is suddenly different. For right or wrong one thing is true. We don't feel sorry for you. And that is the part that is really sad. We have been reduced to this.