Anything is realistic?

Last night 60 Minutes aired an interesting and frightening piece in which Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke about his "vision" for addressing California's water crisis. After painting a grim picture of the impact that overconsumption and a multi-year drought have had on California's agriculture and environment, the investigation shifted to what the Governator will do to combat the problem. Though he has proposed adding storage capacity through $11 billion in modifications to the State's dams and supports a canal to divert water around the Bay-Delta, instead of taking the opportunity to present additional details on his ideas, Mr. Schwarnegger spoke in platitudes. When Ms. Stahl asked whether his visions of cranes as far as the eye can see and farmers and fish coexisting in perfact harmony were really possible, Mr. Schwarzenegger stated simply "Anything is realistic. It doesn't mean because it's a desert that we cannot go and bring water in here and start growing things. All we have to do is deliver water and then we can grow anything we want."

Now that I think about it, the Governor's plan would have perfectly addressed the request Munson's boss made of him in Schizopolis:

"It should lay out a new course of action... but one that can change direction at any moment. If you must mention facts and figures, don't do so directly. The general thrust... should remain embedded in one's mind forever... but specific words should be forgotten the moment they are heard. It should contain nothing that can be confirmed or denied. It should be on my desk Friday morning."

Check out the video below and suffice to say that I hope this action plan addresses the situation more thoughtfully.


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Amazon crude

Last night, 60 Minutes reported a fascinating, depressing story of Texaco's exploitation of Ecuador's oil and the impact that the activities have had on the country's water resources.