https://www.alternet.org/amp/trump-california-water-2671047745
created by GenXMillenial on 01/02/2025 at 13:17 UTC
5020 upvotes, 117 top-level comments (showing 25)
Submission statement: collapse related because it will affect food supply this coming summer.
“President Donald Trump recently ordered the release of massive amounts of water from two California dams, and now local farmers are scrambling to preserve precious freshwater resources needed for dry summer months.”
Comment by whereismysideoffun at 01/02/2025 at 14:41 UTC
526 upvotes, 5 direct replies
Performative actions to appear like one is solving a problem that has downstream hunger as a result.
Comment by jaymickef at 01/02/2025 at 14:18 UTC
2628 upvotes, 17 direct replies
From the article: The two dams are considered important reservoirs of water for farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, which is known for its “Citrus Belt” that produced more than four million tons of citrus fruits — particularly Mandarin, Navel and Valencia oranges, along with grapefruits and lemons — in the 2020-2021 season alone. Tulare County water manager Dan Vink said the release of water from the dams could make irrigation difficult.
“A decision to take summer water from local farmers and dump it out of these reservoirs shows a complete lack of understanding of how the system works and sets a very dangerous precedent,” Vink said. “This decision was clearly made by someone with no understanding of the system or the impacts that come from knee-jerk political actions.”
Comment by laffman at 01/02/2025 at 14:19 UTC
1228 upvotes, 9 direct replies
After all, why shouldn't we have famine?
Stop trade with other countries.
Destroy american farms.
???
Comment by Gadshill at 01/02/2025 at 14:17 UTC
652 upvotes, 4 direct replies
Pulling random levers just to see what will happen will speed the collapse.
Comment by thechonkiestchonk at 01/02/2025 at 15:28 UTC
199 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Sorry but why are people just doing what he says ? Did he go down there himself and pull levers ? No. Fucking resists these idiotic demands jfc
Comment by UpbeatBarracuda at 01/02/2025 at 16:05 UTC
84 upvotes, 2 direct replies
This is literal insanity. And also would have been an excellent time for the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Water Masters to employ those 'simple sabotage' tactics.
We have to remember that it's not like Trump himself went to the dams and opened the gates to allow water out. In reality, there were many federal employees that this assinine order had to go through.
They could have found ways to delay, they could have contacted the media. Potentially any number of things. A lesson for the next time this happens, people can find ways to sabotage and stall.
The water rights holders could now have grounds for suing the government. As the article says, the USACE owns the dam but the rights holders own the water. (Not that suing the government does much, but it's worth a shot anyhow.) Also, it's unlikely the rights holders are little small farm operations. There are big corporations that own those citrus farms, and own the water.
Comment by SoupOrMan3 at 01/02/2025 at 14:53 UTC
181 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Shit’s barely even holding up and he plays like Deedee in Dexter’s lab but with people’s livelihoods. How are Americans not starting a revolution? I honestly think it’s past the point where something like that was called for.
Comment by Koshakforever at 01/02/2025 at 19:31 UTC
64 upvotes, 2 direct replies
I assume they’re trying to destabilize California’s economy.
Comment by shapeofthings at 01/02/2025 at 14:40 UTC
57 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Good old boy logic, a totally uninformed and destructive decision made out of sheet arrogance.
Comment by Ancient-Being-3227 at 01/02/2025 at 16:10 UTC
105 upvotes, 4 direct replies
How does the president have power over what is done with dams? Wasn’t one of the original founding poins of America that the president doesn’t have such vast power?
Comment by p5mall at 01/02/2025 at 17:29 UTC
51 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Army Corps personnel could have refused. They didn’t. To me thats the bigger story.
Comment by IKillZombies4Cash at 01/02/2025 at 14:19 UTC
204 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Why does The President have say in this?
Edit: U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
But still!! He isn’t an engineer…Good job America,
Comment by SlamboCoolidge at 01/02/2025 at 18:26 UTC
43 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I swear to fucking christ he's gonna send them gatorade and tell them "it's what plants crave"
Comment by rexspook at 01/02/2025 at 19:33 UTC
41 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The only conclusion for his actions is that he’s trying to collapse the country. Incompetence can only cause so much damage before it becomes apparent that this is intentional
Comment by blueteamk087 at 01/02/2025 at 15:24 UTC
62 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Trump’s unfathomable misunderstanding of water management is like Mao’s War on the 4 pests.
Comment by kneejerk2022 at 01/02/2025 at 15:41 UTC
26 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I'm exhausted. What month is it?
Comment by SunMoonTruth at 01/02/2025 at 17:33 UTC
25 upvotes, 2 direct replies
And just like that, the “ we were only following orders” brigade is revealed.
Comment by Geaniebeanie at 01/02/2025 at 15:42 UTC
44 upvotes, 1 direct replies
So… like, nobody thinks to stop him?
Comment by GreatestCatherderOAT at 01/02/2025 at 15:26 UTC
25 upvotes, 0 direct replies
at what point will any of the state security agencies classify them as terrorists?
Comment by EcoterroristBoi at 01/02/2025 at 21:34 UTC
24 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Farmers go bankrupt, cheap land for billionaire friends.
Comment by coconutpiecrust at 01/02/2025 at 14:21 UTC
102 upvotes, 4 direct replies
Meh. The farmers are losers. President Trump gets his direct orders from god, he knows what he is doing. And he gets them liberal tears flowing.
If they cannot figure out water for themselves, they should not be in business.
/s
Comment by thebluespirit_ at 01/02/2025 at 19:30 UTC
18 upvotes, 1 direct replies
The plan is for us to literally starve so we have no choice but to carry on and keep slaving away while he turns the country into nazi germany. We'll have nothing to bargain with.
Comment by qualmton at 01/02/2025 at 15:17 UTC
55 upvotes, 0 direct replies
How did we end up with retarded Jabba the Hutt?
Comment by tecknonerd at 01/02/2025 at 15:16 UTC
85 upvotes, 2 direct replies
That 100 million death toll number people attribute to "communism" was about an autocratic leadership telling farmers how to farm and causing a massive famine. Politics should never fuck with farmers.
Comment by bigtim2737 at 01/02/2025 at 15:41 UTC
11 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Why would he even have the choice to do that?? I know he’s the president and all, but wtf? The checks and balances are failing