Norfolk, Virginia is home to the world's largest naval base. It's also going to be swallowed by the sea. The mayor of Norfolk thought about consulting Speaker Boehner on the issue, considering that it is quite expensive to become part of the ocean's floor, but he realized that the Speaker is not a scientist and cannot offer an opinion on whether the climate is changing in Norfolk. If Norfolk wants to make some effort to save at least part of itself, it will not be able to rely on help from the current iteration of the GOP. This is another reason why the Republicans will not win Virginia in a presidential election anytime soon.

The city hired a Dutch consulting firm to develop an action plan, finalized in 2012, that called for new flood gates, higher roads and a retooled storm water system. Implementing the plan would cost more than $1 billion — the size of the city’s entire annual budget — and protect Norfolk from about a foot of additional water.

They had to scrap that plan though. It would have been pointless.

As the city was contemplating that enormous price tag, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) last year delivered more bad news: If current trends hold, VIMS scientists said, by the end of this century, the sea in Norfolk would rise by 5 1/2 feet or more.

“Clearly, we’ve got more work to do,” said Ron Williams Jr., Norfolk’s assistant city manager for planning.

Five and half feet sounds bad, but that's just the estimate for what will happen if we follow Speaker Boehner and keep our fingers in our ears. If we actually "Drill, baby, drill," as many Republicans want us to do, then the estimate is worse.

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2014/6/1/74936/37630