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Health & Fitness

Cap & Trade: Water for Fun and Profit

Saving water is a good idea - in principle.

But like the entire state, environmentally-aware Sonoma Valley is schizophrenic about saving water and refuses to "take its meds."

Families conscientious about saving water look like fools when yet another water-guzzling project (vineyard, business, winery, apartment bldg., housing development, etc) is approved and which, on a slow day, will suck up hundreds or thousands of times the water a conscientious, community-minded family so dutifully saves over the year.

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E.G., Mr. Smith replaces 500 sq. ft lawn with xeriscape, & Mr. Riche plants 50 acres of grapevines. Small restauranteur only serves water to diners on request, Mr. Riche opens a 59 room hotel next door.

Relentless pursuit of growth - in profits & potential tax revenue - trumps community water concerns every time. The increased usage is always justified by the bizarre rationale that "this project will use 100 (or a thousand) times less water than it would use if it was even bigger, or if it was something else altogether." Which of course it isn't. Everyone then applauds the wonderful "green" developer, ignoring the math showing that the project will, of course, use infinitely more scarce water than would no project at all.

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Consider: No development was ever stopped because its water usage would nullify water reductions by existing users -- i.e., the suckers.

"Sustainable growth" is an oxymoron & finite water is a zero sum game favoring the wealthy who will always outbid the 99% for water -- for the vineyard, to wash the Lexis or fill the pool. Ordinary residents will get serious about saving water when local government gets serious about curtailing growth and development.

Until then, Cap & Trade should be applied to water, allowing Average Joe's to replace their toilets with chamberpots, empty those in the trash each morning & sell their saved flushes to the One-Percent.

Is this a great country or what?

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