Maher on Fires: Climate's Mostly Out of Our Hands, We Can Control High Taxes for Nothing, Stupid DEI, Bass Going Nero 

During his closing monologue on Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher stated that while climate change makes wildfires worse, “that’s largely out of our control. What are we going to do? Pass a ballot measure to make sure [the] Chinese stop burning coal?” But it’s “not wrong to associate some of the unforced errors our government made with the things normies see as hallmarks of uber-progressive politics, questionable budget priorities, high taxes that get you nothing, making everything about identity politics, virtue-signaling overseas instead of tending to the nuts and bolts at home.”

Maher began by saying, “A lot of Democrats in this one-party state this week went right to, don’t blame politicians, you can’t do anything about the wind, which is exactly half true, the wind part. Yes, fire is a tough fight out here, and yes, global warming absolutely makes it worse. But that’s largely out of our control. What are we going to do? Pass a ballot measure to make sure [the] Chinese stop burning coal? It’s also, yes, undeniably true that L.A. is built in a stupid place to build a city, but when it’s not on fire, it’s really quite lovely, and it’s my home. And stupid as its origin may be, it’s not going anywhere.”

He further stated, “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% 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 (D) said, ‘The local folks are trying to figure that out.’ Yeah, you’ve got to do that before the fire. At least in the Palisades, the hydrants were still there. 300 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. L.A.’s Mayor, Karen Bass, the Nero of American politics, was fiddling in Ghana while the city burned and later placed the blame on eight months of negligible rain and winds that have not been seen in L.A. in at least fourteen years. Yeah, that’s not that long a time. Maybe look in the history books to see how our ancestors handled it back in 2011. The Mayor said about cuts to the fire department’s budget, there were no reductions that were made that would have impacted the situation. 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.”

Maher continued, “Exposed power lines keep causing fires and keep not getting buried underground because it’s expensive. I’ve heard people say, do you want to pay more taxes to fund this? No, I want you to use the exorbitant taxes you already collect to prioritize it. The power lines that cut through Topanga weren’t upgraded because it endangered an herb, the milk vetch. … Talk about not seeing the forest [through] the trees. You know what the absolute worst thing for the environment is? Wildfires. A ’22 study found that the smoke from just the two in 2020 wiped out 18 years of carbon reduction in the state.”

He added, “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. 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.”

Maher further stated, “The good news is, our fire chief is a lesbian. Am I against a lesbian being chief? Of course not. Do I think a lesbian can do the job? Of course, I do. And maybe she’s the best person for the job or maybe they really wanted a lesbian in that job and she’s just the best lesbian for the job, and with essential services, that’s not good enough. Crowley’s official bio says, ‘Chief Crowley leads a diverse department…[C]reating, supporting, and promoting a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and equity while striving to meet and exceed the expectations of the communities’ well, you didn’t exceed my expectations, which was that the whole city wouldn’t burn down, but it’s telling that diversity is mentioned twice before we get to ‘while’. … Now, can you do two things at once? Yes, but it matters where your head is.”

He concluded, “[W]ho pays the highest price when politicians don’t prioritize basic services? The first responders, our heroes, who, every time, go above and beyond, because they have to, because we leave it all to them. Now, is wokeness the main reason for the fires? Of course not. But it’s also not wrong to associate some of the unforced errors our government made with the things normies see as hallmarks of uber-progressive politics, questionable budget priorities, high taxes that get you nothing, making everything about identity politics, virtue-signaling overseas instead of tending to the nuts and bolts at home. Cali has no shortage of safety commissions and agencies and bureaucrats and regulators, and, of course, sign language interpreters who communicate with their face. But common sense? We better get some of that back soon, because wildfires in California are like boob jobs in a strip club, inevitable, and they’re only going to get bigger.”

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