Healthcare Bad, Wealthcare Good

Before Irma hit, Rick said his mansion was probably going to be flooded by storm surge (link). Psychologically, that prospective comment was supposed to make all us taxpayers feel sorry for him, you know- he’s just like us and his little house was gonna get flooded just like everybody else’s. Except that Rick’s little house is a mansion worth approximately $16 million and is on Millionaire’s row, right there on beach in luxury Port Royal community. You can check it out at (link). Note the address is 3150 Gordon Drive. Gordon Drive is known as Millionaires Row because of all the millionaire’s mansions that line it.

And then take a look at this article by NBC news (link) which includes the Mansion right up the street from Rick’s at 2750 Gordon Drive. Written in 2014 the article is called “Why Taxpayers Will Bail Out the Rich When the Next Storm Hits US” and explains how the Federal Emergency Management Agency has quietly moved the lines on its flood maps to benefit hundreds of oceanfront condo buildings and million-dollar homes. The changes shift the financial burden for the next destructive hurricane onto the neighbors of these wealthy beach-dwellers — and ultimately onto all American taxpayers.

The article notes that the home at 2750 Gordon Drive is worth $19 million and is owned by Robert A. Watson, former president and CEO of units of Westinghouse Electric and Transamerica. In 2013 his home was moved out of the highest-risk flood zone, while its neighbors continue to pay higher rates for flood insurance.

Now we know that, as a republican, Rick thinks Affordable Healthcare Act for regular folks is bad, but apparently affordable wealthcare for rich people like him is a great idea. And, ironically, he is a climate change denier and does not even want the term used in his administration.

Check out Millionaire’s Row next time you are in Naples; might as well, you are literally paying for it.