With so much going on this week it’s hard to pick one subject. While I’m sure Obamacare will be a hot topic I’d like to look in to another one. Your water. That’s right. Water.
Cal Water this week indicated they’d like to do a rate hike (as much as 40% in some areas)! What do we get for this increase? Better service? Cleaner water? No and no. Turns out our conservation efforts are working and people are using less water. What does that mean to our wet utility? They’re short on revenue so they need to um, raise rates.
I know, it is confusing. We are told: save water, conserve, there’s not enough to go around. So we all do our part. Turning off the water when brushing our teeth. Less water for the lawns. Wash the cars less, or better yet, pay more to have them washed where the water is recycled. Buy (more expensive) water efficient toilets, washers, showers, etc. Your reward? We’ve won!! We’re all saving water! There’s more of it now and since demand is down we will now raise your taxes (er, rates!).
This is not in the economics text books I read.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for conservation. Waste is waste. But to be penalized for conserving? The irony is killing me!
We may as well just have our water and drink it too!
-Sean Morgan
We need to conserve water so they have enough to ship to Southern California so they can water their lawns and fill up their swimming pools. Why should we give our precious resources to them? If we split the state we could sell our water and be in great fiscal shape. Instead we have no water, high rates and crappy roads because all improvements happen down there.
Now, now, Sean, remember if the rates go up Schwab and the rest of the Gang of 5 will get more of your money, too, in taxes since the tax is a percentage of what you pay and you will pay more!
And we all know what wise stewards of the taxpayer’s money they are! Maybe they can spend the extra loot outlawing more types of grocery bags, like the little plastic ones used to put fruit in.
Anyway, from the Gang of 5’s point of view a rate increase is Schwabtastic.
If you’re a taxpayer it’s time to get lathered up with your Cal Water water and then bend over and get Schwabbed.
“We may as well just have our water and drink it too!”
Meant as a clever ending but still quite right. There is always a backlash of some kind when you push people too far…and our progressive friends always push people too far…THEY JUST CAN’T HELP THEMSELVES!
No more stinking taxes or rate hikes! Enough is enough.
If LA needs more of our water, hike their rates. If state or county public employees want their pension funded, they can pay for it. Im done, tapped out!
Peggy, I’ve long held the same position. End user pays.
Well, if elected Sean, just what would you do about it?
Cal Water owns OUR wells, by the way. Care to lay out a plan to take back our own city water – I’m all ears.
“This is not in the economics text books I read.”
But you’re not paying for the water. The water is a gift from god. You’re paying the people who clean the water after we’ve made it unfit to drink or put on the vegetables. The same number of people have to be paid, whether you drink a glass or a gallon.
But it couldn’t hurt to look into the books of this public agency and make sure the payroll isn’t too comfortably padded. You got a state congressperson for that … ostensibly.
Wait a minute … have you got a private water company up there? Oh, you’re gonna have to do something about that.
Juanita, this is true of all natural resources. In Pennsylvania, cities are bankrupt but the natural gas companies make billions every year taking the natural gas that is underneath these cities. Pathetic how our cities and states have sold natural resources that should be owned by the public to private companies.
“You’re paying the people who clean the water after we’ve made it unfit to drink or put on the vegetables. The same number of people have to be paid, whether you drink a glass or a gallon.”
Sure, but we’re paying way beyond what it costs for a guy to step into a pump house and dump in a bottle of Clorox. I have a well, and I have better sanitation equipment than Cal Water.
“Wait a minute … have you got a private water company up there?”
Water is a life necessity. Nobody should be allowed to get rich off life necessities. Hey, why can’t I just start pumping and selling my water? There’s no rocket science in what Cal Water does, but they’ve been given carte blanche by the gutless Public Utilities Commission to charge whatever they want.
Princess, I agree – the same can be said of PG&E, using the Feather River Canyon for years, and then abandoning that operation when they find they can buy coal power cheaper and keep the difference for themselves.
I’m still waiting to hear what Sean has to say.
Seriously, water is primal. You hand it over to a “for-profit” entity, and you deserve what you get.
What you will get: high rates and dirty water … and don’t come snivelling to me … Jack.
Huh? What did I do? -Jack
Libs, Your reasoning powers astound! Everyone knows government bureaucrats are all above suspicion while those private sector folk can’t wait to poison themselves and their families with filthy water.
Speaking of expensive water…how about those public sector employee salaries and retirement and healthcare packages! Add in that paid vacation and sick time and Californians can rest easy…those people are on the job delivering clean water at a real cheap price too!
Pppppppffffffft!