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2014-02-18 Home Front: Politix

Obama Plays Water Guzzling Desert Golf Courses Amid California Drought

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Posted by Besoeker 2014-02-18 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11140 views ] Top

FDR meets with farmers during the dustbowl of the 1930's. Quite the contrast I'd say.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-02-18 07:04|| 2014-02-18 07:04|| Front Page Top

#2 As he said: "It is good to be President." Like many liberals, restrictions, laws and covenants are only for the little people--not the elite.

Posted by JohnQC 2014-02-18 08:40|| 2014-02-18 08:40|| Front Page Top

#3 18 holes and an ..hole.

Posted by JFM 2014-02-18 09:26|| 2014-02-18 09:26|| Front Page Top

#4 It's petty to associate Obama with the drought, he's bad enough, no need to exaggerate.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2014-02-18 10:23|| 2014-02-18 10:23|| Front Page Top

#5 I'm with Redneck Jim, for once. California's drought is partially politically-caused, but not by the Oval Office.

That said, keep in mind two things:

The state's drought is primarily due to the lack of snowfall, and thus a lack of a snow-pack, in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. But a significant part of it is also due to political factors like limited water delivery infrastructure, plus judicial decisions to close or limit access to water sources.

Coachella Valley's aquifer isn't part of the Sierra mountain recharge. It's recharged from the Colorado River water system. That same water system is also used by agriculture to raise low-value crops such as alfalfa and hay; agriculture also pays much lower rates for its water than do the golf courses. Yes, believe it or not - golf courses do pay for their water (they also use recycled water and agronomic practices to reduce water use. but that's - gasp - "science".) Oh, and it's a part of a multi-million dollar private sector tourism business that keeps a lot of middle and lower class folks employed.

Now, I realize this probably has bored most populists; sorry that I didn't have any 'clever' photo-shopped graphics to amuse you. I have serious issues with Mr. Obama; stupid penny-ante schidt like this ain't among them.

Posted by Pappy 2014-02-18 13:56|| 2014-02-18 13:56|| Front Page Top

#6 Droughts have been politicized. Kerry, Gore, Obama, and others have politicized such issues by lumping everything under the sun under rubric of "the effects of climate change." The left has tried assiduously to extract taxes from the rest of us--despite the lack of science underlying CC claims.

Posted by JohnQC 2014-02-18 15:20|| 2014-02-18 15:20|| Front Page Top

#7 I don't blame the golf courses but I can blame a president who can't sit still long enough to do his job. Either that, or as some on this blog have speculated, he conducts business on the golf course so that some of his more unsavory associates don't have to log in and out of the White House.

As for the drought, there is a concept known as carrying capacity. Some years back the mayor of Poway, a mid sized city in San Diego County, had the nerve to mention it. I can't remember whatever happened to him but it's been a long, long time since we've heard anything from him. It's not a popular subject among the local pols in this county. They'd rather collect campaign contributions for letting developers do whatever the hell they want. Then they wonder why the reservoirs are low and the farmers and ranchers are going broke.

On a federal level, there was also that whole Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac mortgage meltdown boom/bust thing. Obama had to know about that and it isn't far fetched to assume he had some idea of the effect it had on the housing boom in California.

Yeah, droughts are gonna continue to get worse here if we keep building more houses and importing more people. But that's the bright side of Moonbeam's high taxes and mismanagement because for the first time in my memory it's driving people outta here.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2014-02-18 15:21|| 2014-02-18 15:21|| Front Page Top

#8 One can enjoy the irony of left-leaning Time reporting such hypocrisies.

Posted by JohnQC 2014-02-18 15:22|| 2014-02-18 15:22|| Front Page Top

#9 The cities could also help by insisting that all new homes have low flow shower heads, and retrofit as many old houses as possible.

Posted by Rambler in Virginia 2014-02-18 17:09|| 2014-02-18 17:09|| Front Page Top

#10 The best drought resolution would be an earth quake that drops San Fran Nan's district below sea level.

Posted by Omavising Ebbemp9815 2014-02-18 17:36|| 2014-02-18 17:36|| Front Page Top

#11 IMA thinking Nan and a surgical sink hole.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-02-18 17:37|| 2014-02-18 17:37|| Front Page Top

#12 One can enjoy the irony of left-leaning Time reporting such hypocrisies.

That's because, in the author's (and Time's) view, the President is not 'Left' enough in the rest of his doings. I'm sure a few dozen executive orders ranging from raising the minimum wage to sic'cing the IRS on Fox News would have gotten him a pass on golfing at elite courses, sampling the latest meth products from Indio, and enjoying Palm Spring's gay nightlife.

Posted by Pappy 2014-02-18 21:30|| 2014-02-18 21:30|| Front Page Top

23:29 Iblis
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20:59 Barbara
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