Water War
I've written about the Blue State/Red State divide in this country. The Red States were the ones who went for Bush and the Blue States were the ones who went for Gore in the 2000 election. The Red States are found in the Sun Belt South, the Central Plains states, and the Rocky Mountain West. The Blue States are found on the coasts and the Rust Belt region. Red States are growing in population. Blue States (particularly those on the East Coast) are either stable or declining in population.

I'm fascinated with this relationship within the US. It can be approached by a number of angles. This particular one discusses the charged issue of water usage out West and how the impact of the ongoing drought is generating friction between the various states that rely on the Colorado River for survival. For many years now, California has been drawing more water than it has been allotted. In years past the issue was ignored, but as the Rocky Mountain and Desert Southwest (Red) states have exploded in population, so has their need for more water. It looks as if the Bush Administration is siding with the Western states in the growing water war and will turn down the spigot that runs to California (Blue State). It will be interesting to see how this plays out since so much of Southern California simply could not exist without the gushing largesse that the Colorado River provides.