Summary

California officials warned that Trump’s order to release massive amounts of water nearly caused severe flooding for farmers.

Trump boasted about the move, claiming it would help fight wildfires, but experts said the water couldn’t reach affected areas, which are over 200 miles away.

The Army Corps of Engineers initially planned to release water at maximum capacity but scaled back after urgent pushback.

Experts warned the water could have been better used months later for irrigation.

  • Olgratin_Magmatoe@slrpnk.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    47
    ·
    edit-2
    1 day ago

    The Founding Fathers left us a great system, impervious to tyranny and the sort of populism that Trump represents, and we ruined it.

    It’s not looking impervious in the slightest right now. We’re living in the consequences of their actions, and one of the consequences being tyranny.

    And it’s always been tyrannical, regardless of the year you pick. This country has always been enslaving, discriminating, disenfranchisng, warring, killing innocents, or otherwise robbing workers/indiginous peoples. And always done the majority of this all at the same time.

    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      1 day ago

      They left us a system that was easily abused and hard to change. What’s not great about that?! /s

    • Plebcouncilman@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      12
      ·
      edit-2
      1 day ago

      FDR kind of fucked it up, and from then on every subsequent president added to the enshitification of the office by expanding its powers. But yes it is inherently an oligarchy, but I do not think that is inherently a bad thing. The intentions were good.

      • lolcatnip@reddthat.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        18 hours ago

        Were they? Initially only white land owners were allowed to vote. Seems like they created a system that was great for people just like them.

        • Plebcouncilman@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          6 hours ago

          Yeah because they feared the masses were too stupid to participate in democracy. More than once they describe how a popular mob would end up electing a man exactly like Trump. I would say these elections have vindicated them, although there’s no reason why it wouldn’t have worked with more participation, that’s what the electoral college is for. But the problem is that the electoral college is not working the way it’s supposed to: they are not supposed to vote for whom the people want, they are supposed to deliberate between them and elect the best candidate.

      • BradleyUffner@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        19
        ·
        1 day ago

        And all those mechanisms were designed into the Constitution. You can’t keep defending it as perfect if its very structure allowed this to happen.