Political commercials

[only_more_so]

I should just be playing with a slinkee, or actually trying to pack for my move in a few days, but...

Anyway, there was just a commercial about the water crisis in California. One of the lines in the commercial said that the delta couldn't take a Katrina like flood. What the hell! California is not exactly prone to hurricanes. California is not below sea level! How can the same commercial that complains about lack of rainfall causing a water shortage also bare warnings about flooding which could only happen because of rainfall!

I can't leave California soon enough.

 

[Weird Harold]

One of the lines in the commercial said that the delta couldn't take a Katrina like flood. What the hell! California is not exactly prone to hurricanes. California is not below sea level!

A lot of the places flooded by Katrina aren't below sea level either. It's all about rainfall rate and rainfall location; too much rain too quickly doesn't replenish the aquifer, it justs overwhelms run-off channels.

FWIW, The rainfall much of California needs to solve the water crisis won't actually fall in California -- The Colorado River drains Colorado, Utah and Nevada to supply much of southern California's water needs.

I can't leave California soon enough.

If you and a couple of million others did leave California that would help their water crisis more than any amount of rain would.

 

[only_more_so]

If you and a couple of million others did leave California that would help their water crisis more than any amount of rain would.

Ha ha ha... Thanks, I needed that. I can proudly say, "I'm doing my part."

 

[Weird Harold]

Ha ha ha... Thanks, I needed that. I can proudly say, "I'm doing my part."

Glad I could help.

Seriously though, California hasn't had a water shortage for about 79 years, they've had a population surplus -- not that I expect california politicians to ever admit that.

 

[only_more_so]

Glad I could help.

Seriously though, California hasn't had a water shortage for about 79 years, they've had a population surplus -- not that I expect california politicians to ever admit that.

Why should they? Because of the population surplus California has obscene pull in National politics and elections. Especially with block voting in Presidential elections.

Anyway, the whole thing that pissed me off was using the Katrina boogie-man. Next thing you know the commercials are going to blame Bush for the water "problem".

 

[3113]

If you don't know about California flooding, you haven't lived long in California. Where were you when the last El Nino hit? Mind you, California is a huge state with a varying geology depending on where you are. Fresno isn't Sacramento. I remember, vividly, however, certain years of rains when there was a great deal of flooding in the L.A. basin; houses half under-water, mud slides, people being swept away by suddenly flooded rivers.

Katrina like? No, not likely unless climate change really starts to send hurricanes our way. But flooding has happened and will happen if we get another El Nino. It's part of the four California seasons: Drought, Fire, Flood and Earthquakes.

 

[JamesSD]

Issue ads in California are always obnoxious, on both sides. It actually makes me not watch TV sometimes, it gets so bad around election time. I really hate our system where "the public" (i.e. well funded special interest groups) can make laws by collecting enough signatures and then (in most cases) getting a simple majority to approve the initiatives.

Of course, a handful of passed props have been ruled unconstitutional, so there are some ok balances.

 

[Weird Harold]

Katrina like? No, not likely unless climate change really starts to send hurricanes our way.

There have been two east pacific hurricanes this year that "just missed" california's southern border -- Hurricanes aren't unknown in southern California, just not very common and seldom bigger than category 1 hurricanes.

I don't know what you call the howling storms that sweep out of the gulf of Alaska and down the pacific coast as far as San Francisco, but the wind and storm tides are about the same as hurricanes some years. (There's usually one on or around Columbus Day every year.)

Anyway, the whole thing that pissed me off was using the Katrina boogie-man.

When you've only got 30 seconds or a minute, bogiemen are handy shortcuts to generating the images/concerns you want to generate. I agree that it's cheap fear-mongering without any realisitic application to california climate or geography, but I can't think of any catch-phrase or bogieman that conjures more powerful associations with disastrous flooding than "Katrina/New Orleans."

 

[Emerald_Dragon]

gotta love Minnesota

If you don't know about California flooding, you haven't lived long in California. Where were you when the last El Nino hit? Mind you, California is a huge state with a varying geology depending on where you are. Fresno isn't Sacramento. I remember, vividly, however, certain years of rains when there was a great deal of flooding in the L.A. basin; houses half under-water, mud slides, people being swept away by suddenly flooded rivers.

Katrina like? No, not likely unless climate change really starts to send hurricanes our way. But flooding has happened and will happen if we get another El Nino. It's part of the four California seasons: Drought, Fire, Flood and Earthquakes.

This is why I live in Minnesota. We have five seasons. fall (which lasts about a week), winter, butt/ass freeze dry your lungs in 30 seconds winter, gonna tease you with nice days that end in 12 inches of new snow winter, mud (spring), and road construction!!!!