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The ethics of snow days
By Lauren | February 8, 2010
Washington, D.C. and its suburbs were buried over the weekend in more than two feet of snow. That may not be a lot by Midwestern standards, but the capitol region rarely sees much of the white stuff and our local governments aren’t equipped to deal with it. Schools were shut tight, the federal government closed early on Friday and stayed closed today and, despite the best efforts of highway treatment crews, even the busiest roads are still largely covered with an inch or more of tightly-packed ice.
Personal circumstances forced me onto the roads today, and the situation is downright scary. Folks who live here come from all over the world, and only a small percentage of them know how to drive on snow. People tend to come here in pursuit of power, so self-importance and impatience are common local personality traits. And cabin fever has clearly set in. Put those facts together and the roads are a death trap today, loaded with egotistical lunatics who think they can drive just as aggressively as they would in better weather and who are absolutely convinced that, by God, nothing should keep them from getting wherever it is that they think they absolutely have to be right this minute.
So, what about tomorrow?
Every day that the federal government is closed costs American taxpayers about $100 million in lost productivity. (And you thought government employees were lazy.) Shutting down has a real impact on federal workers and the citizens they serve; it’s fun to be home for the day, but don’t we all still want to get our mail on time? And then there are all of the restaurants, dry cleaners and other small businesses that lose money if federal workers aren’t out, about and buying their services. On the other hand, if it’s downright dangerous to drive, is it worth putting people’s lives in jeopardy to save money? Sometimes the government shifts the burden onto its employees, opening on time but allowing them to take unscheduled leave. That may be politically expedient, but it’s tough on individual workers who then face the unenviable choice of risking their lives on the road or using their limited leave. This storm was big and bad enough that local governments declared a state of emergency before the snow even started to fall. Isn’t the government better-equipped to deal with unanticipated natural disasters than individuals are? It’s an ethical dilemma - people or money first? - that the government will have to address, and just a few hours from now.
Oh, and there’s another foot of snow in Tuesday night’s forecast …
Topics: Business Ethics, Social Ethics, ethics |
February 9th, 2010 at 12:28 am
[...] The Ethics Of Snow Days | The Business Ethics Blog Schools were shut tight, the federal government closed early on Friday and stayed closed today and, despite the best efforts of highway treatment crews, even the busiest roads are still largely covered with an inch or more of tightly-packed ice. It’… [...]
February 9th, 2010 at 3:20 am
[...] The Ethics Of Snow Days | The Business Ethics Blog Schools were shut tight, the federal government closed early on Friday and stayed closed today and, despite the best efforts of highway treatment crews, even the busiest roads are still largely covered with an inch or more of tightly-packed ice. It’… [...]
February 9th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Just a follow up:
The federal government did close today, and may stay closed tomorrow if our region gets the additional snow that the National Weather Service predicts. This can’t have been an easy decision, but it certainly helps keep people safe.
Lauren