Water Shortage in California?; Or, Depends on Who You Know?

Water Shortage;

 

Or, Depends on Who You Know?

Is there really a water shortage in California at the moment? I would say, no. There is only the diverting of extremely large percentages of the water to "For Profit" industries, combined with a genuine lack of rain over the last decade or more.

I just lived in Salinas Valley, Ca. for six months. I lived in the valley where it was so dangerous to even walk around my house, that I was almost jumped twice in three walks. Obviously I chose a different location for future strolls. But, my point is this, last year the Salinas Valley produce industry was worth 5 Billion dollars. That's Billion with a B. Miles and miles of green crops that look perfect in every way. Hundreds, if not thousands of Hispanic People of many nationalities are bent over in the fields every day of the week. They live in violent, crowded, under policed, dilapidated housing. This last Fourth of July was so crazy that military drones were flown over the city just to try and record and track the chaos. I spoke with one Salinas Police Officer the day after and I told him that even though I could see the police station from my apt., I only saw one or two police cars the entire night, and only as the went speeding by. He said "WTF did you expect us to do about it? The city was under siege."



My point is this, I drive out of bright green fields, through a few small cities to get to my Godfather Interviews. There are stalled housing developments, failed well sites, failed de-salination projects, and a general lack of water. Even the rich folks in Pebble Beach, Carmel, ect. are having to conserve. It seems only the industrial machine had enough money and or influence to control the water.

I have lived in California, Hawaii, Arizona, and Colorado recently, and in every state, water was a commodity. There are more and more regulations put on individuals whos water consumption is a fraction of the real demand. Are we seriously still bottling water for profit, while people are on water restrictions? And why are these corporations exploiting Native American Tribal Lands and resources in what is ultimately an exploitation of humanities finite resources?

Now that I live in Colorado, I am hearing about the severe drought in the late 1990s. The water people basically used mafia style tactics to control peoples water consumption. Then, when people started conserving water, they raised their rates to "Stay Afloat." Now that they are floating so well here that the Colorado River feeds every state that it touches, the same "Drought" has shown up, but the big fields are still green, while our lawns our brown.

I believe that the answer to this entire problem is micro-farming, and communal living. Don't depend on the big machines of economy anymore. The results are local peace and happiness. The communities fill up with happy, healthy people that don't strain the health care system in later life.  It literally lends itself to World Harmony!

No big plan, just grown your own food, talk to your neighbors, and don't be a dick. Simple.

Author Joe Holt
#microfarm #dontbeadick