After every disaster, someone says, “This will be good in the long run for the economy. Think of all the homes and infrastructure that must be rebuilt. Think of all the new cash that will come out reserves and go into circulation. This is just the stimulus we need.”

To those who genuinely believe this, I have a modest proposal. Instead of waiting patiently for hurricanes to fix our economy, why don’t we just manufacture our own disasters? For instance, the government could order a mandatory evacuation of California. We could then bomb the hell out of the state. Think of the stimulus this would create to the hotel, oil, military manufacturing, and ailing construction industries. Indeed, we could require Californians to leave their cars at home (to be bombed), and thus help the American auto industry as well. I understand insurance doesn’t cover acts of war, but surely this doesn’t count as war, does it?

At any rate, if you really believe this kind of stuff, it sort of solves the problem of evil, doesn’t it? Hurricanes aren’t apparent divine evil in need of explanation. Rather, God is a vulgar Keynesian just trying to help.

If you take enough econ classes, you will eventually learn to describe hypothetical conditions under which destruction could be a net blessing. But, in the real world, it’s pretty crazy for you to think you know that those conditions actually obtain. But if you do think those conditions in fact obtain now, then please explain to me why it would not also be good to have the military bomb a city or two.