Why is there no vision, ingenuity, creativity, and leadership when it comes to water resources for CA (Oakland: insurance, wages)

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Mr5150

I am sorry, but I work in the public sector and your opinion is offensive to me. I could make twice the pay if I worked in the private sector doing what I do for the County. I will retire in two years at 35% of my present pay rate and my health care for life is called Medicare.

I'm with you. I retired seven years ago with 25 years of state service. Due to what I lost in divorce I receive 38% of my final pay. If the divorce hadn't occurred I'd have retired at 50% but in the end, the divorce would have been cheap at twice the price. Can you spell r-e-l-i-e-f?

In any event, I don't know anyone who retired at 100% and like you, I would decidedly have earned more in the private sector, a lot more, at my level of management. Thankfully, our (my wife is a state retiree as well) medical coverage rolled over to a Cadillac Medicare supplement for which we're appropriately grateful. That perq and a few others are well worth the lower pay in the long run.

What's interesting is that those who rail against folks like us could have made similar choices of careers but not having done so seem compelled to indulge in pension envy!

As to the water issue, one of the problems is that any solutions have to go through so many government layers and approval processes while agencies and companies on both sides of the issue file lawsuits and hold things up, sometimes for many years. Meanwhile, administrations change and sometimes the process has to begin all over again.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Few topics could bring me back to post again. But I noticed this one and you got me.

The fact that certain things CAN be done doesn't mean they are good ideas or SHOULD be done.

Just because we could capture more water running to the sea, doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Just because cities CAN be built in the desert, doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Just because we CAN find ways to overpopulate California doesn't mean it's a good idea to do so.

I looked up how Saudi Arabia waters it's agricultural sector. ( Imagine actually doing some research before posting! ) They're pumping groundwater. I wonder if that's one source of water for that city in the pretty picture in the OP? If they keep that up, everything will come falling down like a house of cards, sooner or later.

From Wiki:
Water supply and sanitation in Saudi Arabia

About 50% of drinking water comes from desalination, 40% from the mining of non-renewable groundwater and 10% from surface water, especially in the mountainous South-West of the country.

[GoldenZephyr]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

I looked up how Saudi Arabia waters it's agricultural sector. ( Imagine actually doing some research before posting! ) They're pumping groundwater. I wonder if that's one source of water for that city in the pretty picture in the OP? If they keep that up, everything will come falling down like a house of cards, sooner or later.

From Wiki:
Water supply and sanitation in Saudi Arabia

About 50% of drinking water comes from desalination, 40% from the mining of non-renewable groundwater and 10% from surface water, especially in the mountainous South-West of the country.

They are increasing their percentage of desal by the day. There was a time that virtually all their water use was groundwater. As technology has improved, more and more has become desal.

That's the beauty of innovation and creativity. It allows solutions to problems that go beyond "era of limits" and an endless round of "cuts".

So far the only solutions from CA leadership seem to be "cuts".

You can't cut your way to prosperity, only stave off impoverishment.

You must create and innovate. We have the power to produce more fresh water, we lack the political will.

Maybe someday we'll approach 50% desal for some coastal cities and relieve the pressure on other water sources in the state.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by GoldenZephyr

They are increasing their percentage of desal by the day. There was a time that virtually all their water use was groundwater. As technology has improved, more and more has become desal.

That's the beauty of innovation and creativity. It allows solutions to problems that go beyond "era of limits" and an endless round of "cuts".

So far the only solutions from CA leadership seem to be "cuts".

You can't cut your way to prosperity, only stave off impoverishment.

You must create and innovate. We have the power to produce more fresh water, we lack the political will.

Maybe someday we'll approach 50% desal for some coastal cities and relieve the pressure on other water sources in the state.

Yep,you could stop watering every yard in CA and the savings in water would be eaten up by the need to supply water to .... the new births each year.

Cuts will not really help at all.Unless you can find a way to force several million people out of the State, stop all immigration (legal or illegal) and stop all births, you will need MORE water than is available. Since none of the above alternatives will ever occur, the only option is to supply more water. More reservoirs, more recycling and more Desal and even the use of water from air units like:

BabaMail -This device may change the world

The proposed cuts are like the ones that people, who are slightly nutty, do to themselves because it feels good.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by expatCA

The proposed cuts are like the ones that people, who are slightly nutty, do to themselves because it feels good.

Sure. Right. Why live by your conscience? Silly.

Love your headslap emoticons.

[nslander]

Originally Posted by GoldenZephyr

That's the beauty of innovation and creativity. It allows solutions to problems that go beyond "era of limits" and an endless round of "cuts".

A vocal opponent of the GOP, I presume?

[nslander]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Sure. Right. Why live by your conscience? Silly.

Love your headslap emoticons.

If you do it enough, you can convince yourself the solution BEGINS with building desal to secure and expand upon existing corporate welfare instead of adjusting the rates big ag pays for the groundwater it ultimately exports. You should try it.

[MIKEETC]

Originally Posted by GoldenZephyr

Why is there no vision, ingenuity, creativity, and leadership when it comes to water resources for CA

Since that project is privately funded, maybe the private sector could do the same here.

[]

[spicymeatball]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

1. All state offices are NOT held by Democrats. All statewide offices may be but there are Republicans in both the state Senate and the Assembly.

2. Public employees are NOT paid twice what comparable jobs provide in the private sector.

3. Most civil servants do NOT retire at full pay. The average pension for most state retirees is $2,737 a month.

4. Public employees are NOT different from any other employees in that they use their earnings to purchase their homes, cars and take vacations once a year if they're lucky.

It's one thing to be outrageous. It's quite another to be ignorant and just plain wrong. Once again I sense pension envy!

Back to the subject at hand, the issue of water has been a huge one for the state for decades but is one of those "burning" issues that always seems to just get kicked down the road and extinguished. Lack of will?

I don't get these people who act like California is the Soviet Union or something. It's actually fiscally conservative policies that are destroying California, and bad priorities like always putting schools last.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by spicymeatball

I don't get these people who act like California is the Soviet Union or something. It's actually fiscally conservative policies that are destroying California, and bad priorities like always putting schools last.

Suffice it to say that bad policies are made on both sides of the aisle but one side has been in the majority for a real long time.