Water districts are formed as a public utility monopoly and are obviously in the business of selling and providing us with water. To that degree, they have the right to set the prices for its sale – and that includes using a sliding scale for higher amounts used. But otherwise they have no authority to tell us, for example, that we must take showers instead of baths, or water our roses but not gardenias, or to “allow” us to run sprinklers on Tuesdays but not on Wednesdays. Yes, during World War II the government imposed rationing of products like gasoline and butter. But once the sales were made, it did not even purport to have the authority to dictate when or where people could drive or whether the butter could be used on toast but not on hot cereal. That was and is the right of the consumer. And just because water districts and city governments might say they have that authority now does not make it so. This is a straightforward question of Liberty, and yet another example of big government improperly attempting to control our lives. Thus any attempts by governments to intrude on that Liberty should be resisted! (Nevertheless, please continue to do your part to conserve water.)
Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)
2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice
President, along with Governor
Gary Johnson as the candidate for President
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There is an increasing movement on university campuses to require express and sometimes even written consent before parties engage in sexual activities – at each step of the way. This is another example of trying to address every problem by passing yet another law. Of course rapes and sexual batteries are serious matters, and they are rightfully criminal violations. So when they occur, call the police! But the present laws on the books are sufficient protection without universities taking the form of government and nosing even further into our bedrooms and private lives.
Disturbingly, there is a movement spreading around some of our universities and elsewhere to promote having a “Freedom from Speech,” otherwise known as a freedom from having your feelings hurt by “insensitive” speech. This has resulted in so-called “safety zones” in which people are shielded from discomforting thoughts. To this end, students and others have received lowered grades or otherwise been censored for using phrases like “the most qualified person should get the job,” or “America is a melting pot,” or for calling people who do not have white skin “People of Color.” (As to that last issue, when I was in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, it was common for a male with Chinese ancestry to be called “Chino,” a Black “Negro,” someone who was thin “Flaco,” or a North American like me “Gringo.” Using these names was simply descriptive and not at all disparaging, and I look forward to the day that this will be true in our communities as well.)
A good friend of mine who regularly participates in our weekly “2 Paragraphs” discussions recently forwarded to me some comments from a friend of his about the fact that the benefits for Veterans are weighted in favor of those who have less money. So the issue of fairness was raised, because his friend was arguing that all Veterans should receive the same benefits regardless of their economic condition. And he certainly has a point, because service is service. But, as I frequently reminded my children as they were growing up (Just ask them!), “Who says life is fair?” In fact it obviously isn’t, because some people were lucky to be born to supportive parents in the United States instead of being born to a single mother in Nigeria who is a narcotics addict with AIDS.
Last week our 2 Paragraphs discussed the failure of the policy of “Tough on Crime,” and put forth realities on how we could have safer and more crime-free communities by being Smart on Crime. What follows are specific things we all can do to achieve those goals:
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