FLASHBACK: California’s Drought IS Man-made, ….politically.

***As news about California’s ongoing drought continues to worsen (it’s now about to cause EARTHQUAKES, apparently…), we thought we’d re-offer this old post as a reminder that their current water shortage was not only predictable, but also largely preventable.  Something to think about as that state’s agriculture-based economy continues to crater, and our nation’s food prices continue to soar.  —JTR

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[originally posted 2-17-2014]

Recently, our Feckless Leader reached new heights of ingenuousness, as he sought to “rescue” us from a problem which he and his ideological buddies created in the first place:

(via Yahoo! News) – “…President Barack Obama toured parts of California’s drought zone on Friday and pledged to speed help to the No. 1 farm state, but he said harsh weather in the United States will get worse until more steps are taken to address climate change.

California is coming off its driest year on record and a recent winter storm did little to dull the impact of the drought in the state that produces half the country’s fruits and vegetables. A recent drought monitor said 91.6 percent of the state is experiencing severe to exceptional drought…”

In the absence of context, this is kinda-sorta true: California is indeed experiencing a terrible drought, and the winter is doing little to alleviate the situation. What’s deliberately missing is WHY this is such a problem right now. And no, it hasn’t a whit to do with Climate Change.

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California historically experiences droughts, and this one (although quite severe) is nothing particularly new:

(via Ed at HotAir) – “…Most people don’t recall this, but those of us who grew up with gas rationing in the Golden State during the energy crises of the 1970s also grew up with water rationing, too — including odd/even days for watering lawns and gardens, and request-only glasses of water in restaurants.  Most of Southern California would naturally be a desert if it wasn’t for water management even in the best of years, and the Central Valley would never have become an agricultural powerhouse without it…”

No, the problem is the deliberate misapplication of cause-and-effect, which Investor’s Business Daily recognized immediately:

“…President Obama visited California’s drought-hit Central Valley Friday, offering handouts and blaming global warming. But the state’s water shortage is due to the left’s refusal to deal with the state’s water needs.

His aim, however, is not a long-term solution for California’s now-constant water shortages that have hit its $45 billion agricultural industry, but to preach about global warming. Instead of blaming the man-made political causes of California’s worst water shortage, he’s come with $2 billion in “relief” that’s nothing but a tired effort to divert attention from fellow Democrats’ dereliction of duty in using the state’s water infrastructure…”

If we jump into our handy Way-back Machine™ and take a brief visit to 2009, we’ll be reminded of exactly what’s caused this disaster:

Yes, once again Government has created the problem which they so benevolently now seek to “remedy”. Of course, the ACTUAL solution would have been much, much simpler, and would’ve averted the ordeal in the first place:

(Click image for full-size view)

California’s system of aqueducts and storage tanks was designed long ago to take advantage of rain and mountain runoff from wet years and store it for use in dry years. But it’s now inactive — by design. “California’s forefathers built a system (of aqueducts and storage facilities) designed to withstand five years of drought,” said Nunes.

“We have infrastructure dating from the 1960s for transporting water, but by the 1990s the policies had changed,” said Valadao.

Environmental special interests managed to dismantle the system by diverting water meant for farms to pet projects, such as saving delta smelt, a baitfish. That move forced the flushing of 3 million acre-feet of water originally slated for the Central Valley into the ocean over the past five years. 

A while back, I wrote the following about the just-passed Farm Bill, which is even more appropriately applied here:

“…Having Big Daddy offer to pick up the slack may be perceived as a godsend to some, but what if it was Big Daddy’s policies that created the dire situation initially? It’s like the guy who sets fire to an apartment building, just so he can help rescue the tenants and be labeled a ‘hero’…”

It’s not hyperbole to say that if Government could somehow manage to stop intruding into every single facet of our lives, we’d avert the overwhelming majority of the crises which dot our landscape every day. Of course, that might give us the crazy idea that we’re in charge of our own well-being, and our elected betters can’t assimilate power that way. No doubt we’ll hear more about this entirely man-made disaster in the coming months, as surely as we’ll be paying considerably more for our produce. And when that happens, you’d be advised to recall who actually caused this whole mess.