Trump Attacks California for Poor Forest Management – That’s His Responsibility
We all saw it yesterday – Trump, on Twitter, of course, attacked California blaming the state for “poor forest management”. Here’s the tweet:
“There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”
The Twitterverse exploded, rightly accusing him of victim-blaming and calling him stupid, which are both true. But what was generally missed? 60% of forests in California are FEDERAL, under authority of the National Forest Service, which is HIS RESPONSIBILITY. His own 2019 budget reduces forest management spending by $170 million, and this comes on the heels of 2018 reductions. He has signed executive orders ending clean air and water rules, and is known as a radical climate change denier. Climate change is a now major factor in the devastating forest that now regularly rake not only California, but other western states.
The California Professional Firefighters Association responded to Trump’s attack pointing out that not only are 60% of forests under federal authority, but that another 30% are in PRIVATE hands. They also scolded him for being such an asshole when hundreds of thousands of people are suffering and thousands of homes are being burned to the ground.
And that’s the point.
Is anybody really surprised by this? The Orange Moron knows nothing about anything. Why should this be any different?
1One of the main contributors to fire danger – irresponsible real estate developers building ‘communities’ in high fire danger areas without the necessary fire protections, roads, defensible spaces, etc, etc, etc. Just like this irresponsible pResident and former (or not so ‘former’) irresponsible real estate developer. The equivalent, which you Texans know all too well, to building developments in flood planes at the behest of corrupt politicians and their donors.
Sacré bleu to all the snacilbupeR dotards who vote for these corrupt dotard politicians.
2Trump doesn’t give two hoots about the California fires, the people losing their homes, or the people who died. All he cares about is that California voted against him, so he’s free to attack and disparage them any way he can.
3I wonder if this is about further reinforcing a schism between CA and Red Statia. I don’t wonder if 45 gives a shite, except how it looks on his resume…
4What is overlooked in all the budget talks—yes, cuts—is that these are in addition to ongoing sequestration. Previous Congress set up these automatic reductions across board. Need to be stopped.
5Today and tomorrow the weather conditions are progged to revert back to extremely dangerous, the fire risks are going off the charts.
After looking at a lot of fire images, maps, etc., I can’t see how the casualty count doesn’t run into the many hundreds.
The Camp Fire destroyed almost everything in Paradise, CA (and several small towns nearby), a town of ~27,000, most all the homes, businesses, hospital, schools, everything. It has now (0924h CST report) burned 109,000 acres and is only 25% contained; it will probably explode again today after a slightly slower day yesterday.
The Woolsey Fire in Ventura and LA counties has burned from south of Thousand Oaks clear down to the Malibu beachfront, through Topanga, Trancas, and other canyons; locations of some of the most expensive real estate in the world, much of it now toasted. ~84,000 acres, 10% contained as of this morning.
If any of y’all have watched a lot of TV programs and movies filmed in that Woolsey Fire area, like ‘Diagnosis Murder’ with Dick Van Dyke/Dr. Sloan, his Malibu beach house neighborhood may have gone up in smoke (it’s on the beach behind the PCH at Trancas Canyon Road). I saw video and pics of the fire approaching ‘Paradise Cove’, where James Rockford (Files) had his beach trailer, and lots of other stuff was filmed there.
Conditions from Ventura, Malibu, all the way to San Diego are supposed to go extremely critical the next couple of days, as are those Northern CA areas still burning; more fires will probably break out.
0-10% humidity levels are hard for us Gulf Coasters to imagine. Yet when we’ve had extended extreme droughts the humidities will often be below 10-20%, add some wind and you may have–will have infernos popping up all over. Seen too many around here some years (remember the Bastrop-Lost Pines Fire?).
CURRENT FIRE INFORMATION (Cal Fire Gov website):
http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents
There’s incredible video and pics here:
https://twitter.com/CAL_FIRE/lists/official
I’ve seen cane burns and brushfires here in South Texas most of my life, the sights and sounds of these fires are incredible (100-200ft flames); let alone many well blowouts.
6Their damage and destruction is total, and so very quick; you can feel the heat from hundreds of yards away. Although I’ve seen brushfires that burned for weeks, on open country like the King Ranch, when little to no countermeasures to extinguish them were taken.
I think we are missing his point by thinking he’s calling out CA for forest management. His goal is to pillage as many public resources as possible. He would love to use this as a reason to sell off federal public lands at a literal fire sale to his cronies. He just gave them over $1B and there are only so many scores of yachts one can own (right, Betsy?).
7I think it is finally getting through a number of very thick heads that this pResident doesn’t like anybody no matter the circumstances.
8The California national forest wildfires are symbolic of the Trump Administration, on a larger scale, and admittedly faster.
Trump reduces the oversight, the budgets, the qualified management, adds some incidiary accelerant… then blames everyone else when the inevitable occurs.
9And here I just assumed it was that hateful, vengeful Wingnut god that was always punishing California for voting Democratic.
10maggie,
Have a look at the picture linked below for how Comrade Bone Spurs gives an ecstatic, positively adoring smile to his master, Comrade Putin (in Paris). Utterly disgusting:
https://twitter.com/NormEisen/status/1061595280720703489/photo/1
The traitorous son of a bitch…
.
USMC motto: Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful)
USCG motto: Semper Paratus (Always Ready)
Trump motto: Semper Cūlus (Always an Asshole)
11His Orangeness does not see beauty in trees He sees draconian budget cuts to Forestry Service to pay for his personal tax cut, $$ per board foot that one of his donors could be making money on and a blue state he hates because it rejected ‘the embrace.’. No need to worry about what happens after you clear cut because he doesn’t live there.
Replanting with a single species only exponentially increases the risk of catastrophe Think chestnut blight & Dutch Elm disease.
California example: Water stressed trees dying in large numbers (estimated 129 million and growing) due to bark beetles. Good splainer here: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/weather/weather-watch/article214901930.html
12@Sandridge
Dont forget the second motto of Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children, Semper Gumby, Always Flexible. People who are always flexible never get bent outa shape!
13@Micr, Or ‘Semper Fungible’, always oozing around shapechanging.
14Especially how their money slides around avoiding taxes, and our money slides into their bank accounts.
While some of the forests are Federally owned money is paid the the state, billions in fact to maintain them. The Federal government doesn’t not in fact have a forestry crew. What is California doing with that money?
15Interesting point. California’s problem is that it pays more in taxes than benefits received: https://www.politifact.com/california/article/2017/feb/14/does-california-give-more-it-gets-dc/
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