Is it too late for California to learn simple survival techniques that have been ignored for decades? Surely not. The biggest wildfire in history might just be the straw to break the camel’s back.
I have seen many famous liberal celebrities speaking out about the fires and the lack of leadership by elected officials. Some of them finally “get it.”
I remember a devastating fire back in 1993 near Riverside, California, that destroyed 25,000 acres of forest and 29 homes. The culprit, at the time, appeared to be the efforts to protect the endangered kangaroo rat. At least that was according to the residents. Apparently, residents were not allowed to clear brush around their homes because it would disturb the rat’s habitat. I understand this varmint continues to stop freeway building and construction. You cannot make this stuff up. It is a rat.
As we watch California burn, our hearts break for all those affected. It is devastating to see what is happening in this beautiful state. As of this writing, the fire has destroyed 153,000 acres and 19,000 structures.
Gov. Gavin Newsom was quick to blame “climate change,” of course. That quickly blew up in his face. Now, arson is being investigated, and a suspect has been arrested.
I watched a video clip from 2017 when another fire wiped out a large forest in California. Newsom was surveying the damage with President Donald Trump. Trump was scolding him on how mitigation efforts had been ignored. Normal common-sense precautions such as water storage and underbrush clearing had not been implemented. The water had been diverted to protect a fish, the “delta smelt.” You would think that it would have been a wake-up call and changes would have taken place. You would be wrong.
Fire personnel are working around the clock. Imagine their frustration when they showed up to extinguish the fires and found the hydrants had no water.
Newsom looks like someone who might play a politician in a made-for-television movie. He would be a great fit for that role, but he has failed immensely as governor of California. At least this should destroy his chance at ever becoming president and damaging the county as he has his state.
Let’s look at the number of failures by leaders and funds spent on other initiatives that have taken place surrounding this devastation.
- The mayor of Los Angeles was in Ghana for a presidential inauguration, even though the warnings were there that California was in jeopardy.
- The mayor cut the fire department budget by $17 million.
- The second in command, the deputy mayor, is on leave. His house was raided, and he is accused of calling in a bomb threat to city hall.
- Billions were spent on DEI policies instead of properly funding needed resources.
- Billions on health care for illegal immigrants.
- Billions spent to fight homelessness (which has only gotten worse).
- Four dams were taken down. Why? The governor claims he will investigate.
- Four scheduled reservoirs were never built.
An article in Red State reveals that the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which holds 117 million gallons of water, had been drained for maintenance during the brush fire season. What idiot made that decision? There has been record rainfall in California for two consecutive seasons. There is no excuse for not having reserved every ounce of rainfall.
Let us look at the second disaster: no insurance. Many of these homes had no insurance because it had been canceled.
Newsom and his liberal friends refused to allow the insurers to raise rates. They were not allowed to use risk data to factor cost. The rates did not cover the cost, and insurers withdrew. These brilliant minds do not understand the laws of Econ 101. Business cannot sustain offering services without covering the costs.
What did it take to get here? Other states have been subsidizing the rich folks in California. The cost of insurance in California is 36% less than the national average. Florida residents pay four times more in insurance than Californians. Florida residents are paying the actual cost to have homes covered in that state.
Am I the only one that finds this amazing? Many of the destroyed homes were beachfront property. They were sitting on the Pacific Ocean. Isn’t that water? Well, duh!
To address “climate change,” officials in California have caused the biggest environmental damage since Chernobyl. Not to mention the devastation to the forests and wildlife, but the air quality from smoke and fire-retardant chemicals cannot be healthy.
I heard someone say, “Good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.” Perhaps the good times will stop rolling in this great state. The residents deserve better.
Joyce Krawiec represented Forsyth County and the 31st District in the North Carolina Senate from 2014 to 2024. She lives in Kernersville.
