
Death by Ballot Prop: How California Outsourced Legislation to the MobJan 29
a brief history of organized shoplifting rings, housing deadlocks, and other fun consequences of the state's 'direct democracy' experiment
Apr 9, 2025

In 1992, Congress voted to make their lives worse — and yours. They didn’t think you’d notice, and if you did, they thought you’d agree. Maybe you do. Either way, the congressionally mandated low-flow shower affects every American by setting a ceiling on a core human experience, and after three decades, many no longer even realize what they’re missing. But sometimes it becomes impossible to ignore — like when Kylie Jenner built a $35 million Los Angeles mansion only to wind up with a depressing trickle in her otherwise opulent shower.

The good news is: we can have satisfying showers again. We can even build innovative tech that alleviates the need for outdated water conservation schemes. All it'll take is overturning one silly little law.