SNT: Should Tax payer pay for home built on the beach??

After collapsing into the surf over the weekend, an oceanfront house in Rodanthe was being pounded today by waves whipped up by a coastal storm.
On Monday afternoon, the house was leaning precipitously into the ocean.

Midgett said he could not determine the extent of damage to the oceanfront properties until the ocean recedes.

Why should tax payers pay to fix these home-owner's problems, after all they either chose to build on the beach or to buy a home on the beach. We have known for years that beaches erode, so why should the tax payers pay for beach replenish programs.

In the chaos of the storms' aftermath, we sympathize with beachfront property owners as much as we do with those whose homes were destroyed inland. But what could be more irresponsible than building next to an eroding beach that is subject to frequent major storms — particularly since the sea level is rising at a rate of about a foot per century along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts?

The price society is paying for beachfront development will only go up, and each storm will make this point again. But there are some things we can do:

• End the sympathy for beachfront-property owners and recognize foolish acts for what they are.

• Encourage the removal of destroyed and threatened buildings and replace them with natural dunes.

• Stop charging federal and state taxpayers for replenishing beaches.

If we do replenish, then require communities to prevent the construction of big buildings next to the beach, so we can maintain some degree of flexibility in responding to a rising sea level in the near future.