The Second Largest Dam in California is nearing collapse*. Sondra K has a photo essay showing how neglect and bad management have led to this situation. Maybe California’s All-Democrat All-The-Time Government should have been spending money on dam maintenance and other basic infrastructure instead of The Moonbeam Express (or, “High Speed Rail” (“El Chu-Chu Muy Rapido” for you folks in Rio Linda)).
*Technically, the primary emergency spillway to the second largest dam is the part that’s in imminent danger of collapse. The main dam is problematic, and may be in trouble when the snowpack melts.
The Sacramento Bee newspaper wrote last night that if the main dam fails, the rushing water will be 100-ft deep in Oroville City within 60-mins. And 10-ft deep in Yuba City 6-hrs later. The Oroville Dam is an earthen dam, with only a reinforced concrete core — supposedly to be more earthquake-resistant.
The authorities have ordered most of 3 counties, 160,000 people, out of their homes and businesses; “Leave now!”. The day before they were saying that everything was under control.
Don’t cha’ jus’ love when Gov’mint is there to protect ya?
But…but…they didn’t NEED to fix the dam. The drought was permanent. Climate Change Scientists said so!
The metaphor for this story isn’t high-speed rail, it’s the water restrictions on the farmers in the Central Valley in order to protect the spawning habitat of fish on the Endangered Species List. The “Save The Whales” mentality is what keeps kleptocracies like California focused on everything but the necessary survival of its basic human citizens.
Yeah, about that Endangered Species List:
It isn’t about saving species that are important, or which are fascinating. If it were, they were be setting up breeding programs. No, it’s about preventing the extinction of EVERY species, no matter what. All you have to do to prove this is read how Environmentalist are lamenting the supposed extinction of species as yet undiscovered.
You know what that is called? It’s called “anti-evolutionism”.
Think about it. Evolution requires, yes, REQUIRES the extinction of species to make room for newer species that evolve from the older ones. That is, if one believes the old school Darwinian model of evolution, which so many do and cling to despite a growing body of evidence to the contrary. Most of those on the left in the environmental/climate change groups believe in evolution very strongly…
…yet shudder at the idea of a single species going extinct.
Well, except humans, of course.
Their contradictory stand on evolution turns them almost into mysanthropists.
I’m still waiting for some tree-hugging Socialist parasite to file for an injunction against the emergency draining of the lake due to the surplus water’s effect on the “environment” and “endangered and protected” species downstream. Better the entire city of Oroville drown than for a few Delta fish and frogs be unduly “stressed”.
“But think of the Children…”
Hi V the K,
It is right to point out the “neglect and bad management”. But you might not be aware that those non-liberal states have their fair share of “neglect and bad management as well. Alabama doesn’t even have an agency to keep track of its dams! The overall rating for dam infrastructure is a D around the US. By all means make your political points, but just be aware that other states (including Republican states) also have their butts flapping in the wind as this article suggests … oh, and that infrastructure spending has not been a high priority of Congresses (including Republican ones). I have my fingers crossed that President DT is serious about infrastructure and can bully his party to follow him along that path …
Cheers
Thanks for that info Cas. I look forward to V the K’s response.
Can’t help thinking of the railway tunnel in Atlas Shrugged. It seems to me California is becoming a prime example of the society Rand was trying to warn us all about.
Hi V the K,
“So, what Cas is saying is that California spent billions and billions to have the same level of confidence in their water retention infrastructure as Alabama gets for nothing.”
No, that is what you just said–I am not denying that CA has problems. I am just intrigued by your unwillingness to concede that infrastructure problems are party and ideology uncaring, and that a major infrastructure problem could (will) emerge in red states. So, 20 recently failed dams in South Carolina during the last flooding episode isn’t a big deal because they are not on the scale of Oroville. Is that your take on it–don’t worry–scale is on the Republican side? Or do you just think that this is just a “Democrat problem”or a “CA problem,” V the K?
It seems like you area asking the same question, Cas. But, then again, it wasn’t answered the first time. Maybe it will get answered this time? I look forward to it.
Hi CrayCrayPatriot,
I was interested to see if it would be constructively answered as well. 🙂 … No worries.
Cheers