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In “What Comes Down Must go Up” Kevin Rozario talks on the San Francisco earthquake and fire and how that disaster is good for capitalism. Rozario looks to find why Americans view disaster as a good thing, he states that in the past disasters were seen as a way to punish people for their sins and remind them of what is truly important in life, God’s salvation. Overtime Rozario says that Americans started to see disasters as not only a religious event but also as an economic boon. He says that modern capitalism needs the destruction so that outdated structures can be rebuilt and made new. Rozario seems to take a Marxist stand on these events. Marx in his manifesto talks on how there is an issue with over production and that capitalism can only continue with exploiting old markets even more or by finding new markets. A disaster allows investors to buy up the land and rebuild something better it gives them their new market to work with. Buying up these lands allows them the pick what they want to build be it new apartments or businesses, this could push people out of their homes because they can no longer afford the rent.

Steinberg in his article focuses more on how investors wanted the disaster to be blamed mainly on the fire then the earthquake. Fires can be prevented but earthquakes cannot be. An earthquake is not something one could avoid through planning. Cronon’s idea of second nature to where a city can be built to avoid things, like in Chicago’s case where they lifted to city to avoid sewage problems that JOHNKANE touched on.