Bill Maher Blasts California Government’s Wildfire Response in ‘Real Time’ Premiere
Bill Maher had scathing words for government officials and their wildfire response in his home of Los Angeles in the Real Time Season 23 premiere. As the Palisades and Eaton Fires continued to burn in the LA area, Maher told viewers that “[we] need a better plan for putting out a burning city than waiting for rain.”
He said: “Axios ran a story on how getting the water out of the hydrants in Pacific Palisades was more complicated than it seems. I’m sure it is. I’m sure it’s very complicated. That’s why I pay 13 percent of my income in this state every year to people who I assumed were working on things like this. When asked why so many of the hydrants in the Palisades ran out of water, Gov. Newsom said, ‘The local folks are trying to figure that out.’ Yeah, you got to do that before the fire. At least, in the Palisades, the hydrants were still there. Three hundred other ones around the city are just gone, stolen for parts. One of the three reservoirs for the Palisades was offline at the one time of year when it was most needed.”
Maher also criticized Karen Bass, Los Angeles’ mayor. “The mayor said about cuts to the fire department’s budget, ‘There were no reductions that were made that would have impacted the situation,’” Maher relayed. “The fire chief here had a slightly different take. She said, ‘We are screaming to be properly funded.’ And, ‘Yes, [the budget] was cut, and it did impact our ability to provide service.’ And by the looks of all the fire engines in the boneyard, out of service because we didn’t fix them, she’s right.”
The comedian said on the HBO show that he expects those who collect “exorbitant” taxes in California to prioritize fire prevention.
“California is the place that spends money and gets nothing, which is why you may have noticed, when the fires broke out, no one escaped by high-speed rail,” he said. “We have the highest marginal tax rate in America, higher than almost all other states — and soon, Greenland. What is included for that, breadsticks? Because it clearly doesn’t cover fire. That’s government’s job: protect us from crime, violence, theft, fire. I’m not saying Alabama would have done better with fires by fighting them with prayer in school, but look me in the eye and tell me anyone could have done worse. We just got our ass kicked by fire, something Neanderthals fought to a tie.”
Real Time With Bill Maher, Fridays, 10/9c, HBO
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I guess I’m curious as to where those 300+ hydrants went to. In one city? 300+ ? I know doctors and scientists don’t use them. Just curious.
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There are definitely a LOT of questions to be answered... when the immediate crisis is over. Get the fires under control and put out first, and THEN you can start pointing fingers.
And btw, some of those fingers need to be pointed at those wealthy people who hired "private firefighters" to protect their homes. Where did those hose-jockeys-for-hire get their water?
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Good question. Also not mentioned, the L.A. fire chief said no amount of fire fighters or water could have stopped this disaster. I think he aught to know. In fact, he said it would take 26,000 firefighters to save these homes, and there are not that many firemen in the whole state.
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I think Bill’s chicken feathers are showing. Curious to me that on the first night of his new season, and only a few days away from the biggest event since the civil war, the overtaking of democracy by an oligarchy, Maher has on his show a competitor of L.A. Mayor Bass, and a Trump 2020 campaign manager. He has very little to say about Trump other than he was right about “raking the forest.” He never challenged the lies told by the MAGA guest. He spent a good deal of his time Monday morning quarterbacking the response to the L.A. fires, where he showed inadequate knowledge of the whole thing. He’s not as smart as he likes to think, and now he is running scared.
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He's probably steeling himself to lick some boots.....
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Good grief! “…the biggest event since the Civil War, the overtaking of democracy by an oligarchy…”
And you accuse Maher of chicken feathers and running scared?
Whoever’s in office, the sun will still rise and the sun will still set, and your life, along with the rest of the nation, will continue as usual.
Put your big boy pants on and stop with the hysteria.
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Disappointed. Wonder what Bill would’ve said if it was a white male as fire chief.
Women can be leaders Bill! Lesbians can be leaders!
I expected more from Bill Maher.
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Did you see the DEI hire who said if a man's in a burning building and she can't pull him out, he shouldn't have been in the building burning. Yeah, women can be great leaders. However, if you're unable to do the job, and carry a person from a burning building, then you shouldn't be in that job. Just like in the military. It doesn't matter how much a person weighs, with 100lbs or so of extra gear, I'd never leave that man behind. I guarantee that if it were me on the ground everyone i was with would've got me to safety. Regardless of race, color or political ideology.
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Why do you go straight to ‘lesbian’? Does that make her somehow infallible? Are we not allowed to criticize the job she’s done because she’s lesbian? Does being lesbian make her untouchable?
Substitute black, minority, LGBTQ, woman, etc for ‘lesbian’ too.
And you can’t see why people are fed up with the ‘progressives’.
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