Guest Editorial by Susan Shotthafer

Posted 4/14/2015

The lefties are self-deluding again with another crisis, excuse to spend more of our earnings, and seize more control. Yes, it’s another—you guessed it—environment crisis, this time a Washington state “drought?” Duh! Drought?

Yes, Governor Inslee declared a “drought emergency” because the Olympics lack a snowpack. With that troublesome human habit, never troubling the lefties (bless their hearts) many of us try to make sense of this announcement as we do of all life’s events. Conversely, once more, leftist masterminds hope to convert make-believe into reality.

Without the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams (at $324.7 million tax payer dollars’ worth of mindless destruction and excluding original construction costs) all our rivers now flow gloriously free into the straits. We no longer store water needed during our Clallam County’s dry spells, but pay higher energy costs to compensate for the clean renewable energy that was produced by our local dam facilities.   Just another consequence of what Thomas Sowell identifies as leftists’ “first stage thinking?”

Clallam County locals fret about predicted lack of needed water for the coming summer. Government officials suffering from self-delusion that lack of snow equals a drought, entirely ignore our current average rainfall. Doublespeak?

Comparing annual precipitation, Sequim’s average totals 16.5 inches, from the first of September 2014 to current date, rainfall equals 16.8 inches. Port Angeles averages 26 inches. From September 2014 to date, precipitation totals 30 inches. Measuring from 3-29-14 to 3-28-15, Sequim’s precipitation measures 19 inches and Port Angeles’s precipitation is 35 inches for a 35% precipitation increase over average. Rainy drought? http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/TotalPrecipSummary.aspx

Why would we want to believe a negative is true when, today, many of us struggle with almost overwhelming assaults on our freedom, American values, economic system, and national security?

Washington’s Department of Ecology (DOE) seeks $9 million of state funds (yes, your dollars) in drought relief to deepen wells, drill emergency wells for cities, farms, fish hatcheries, etc.

But, duh! In 2012, to rescue the fish, didn’t the DOE, establish WRIA 18 East mandating costly meters for monitoring and limiting private well water use? For outdoor water use privilege, the more fortunate landowners may pay mitigation fees for new water uses amounting to thousands of dollars to shadowy entities identified and designated by the DOE as water trusts.

What about those fish if the DOE pumps more water for human use? We thought. . . . Oops! Here we go again, trying to make sense.

Remember that the DOE replied upon their pseudoscientific studies to establish Dungeness water levels never recorded as the water level objective to justify their WRIA 18 Rule. Why don’t the envirochondricacs acknowledge the salmon’s instinct to swim upstream when spring and autumn rains dump debris into rivers that signal sufficient water for migration? Do narcissistic leftists’ insatiably lust for power and powerful special interests funding (such as Tom Steyer) to maintain control of victims needing rescue such as fish and now farmers?

Might farmers, cities, and fish hatcheries blame the envirochondricacs and DOE for lack of water? Maybe the CYA effect has begun for those celebrating our dams’ destruction and responsible for prohibiting new and deeper wells. Might a drought help to justify Inslee’s carbon credits ambitions and salvage the global warming hoax?

Historically, prudent stewards of land have constructed dams to prevent destruction, produce (clean) hydroelectric power, and save water for dry periods. They’ve also installed fish ladders to assist fish migration. Obstructed by their hubris, environmentalist masterminds fail to foresee unintended consequences (unless, of course, they believe mankind’s regression is beneficial). If we’re foolish enough to think we can depend on winter snowpacks to supply summer water, some must bear stupidity’s consequences.

Don’t worry! Be happy! Government is here to help!