We also got started planting onions today. Busy, busy, busy. Spring is in the air.
There is little controversy about this Fall's ballot initiative on water. Not a big surprise. If you have three farmers you are going to have five different opinions. I have the greatest respect to some who disagree, but here are the simple facts. We have 150% normal rainfall in our area and 0% water for our farms. We passed a water bond two years ago and we do not have one drop of new water. IN fact, the governor and the president have been squandering that money on things like watershed management. Don't get me wrong, watershed management is important, but they are more interested in blowing the money there than creating permanent solutions. This foolishness will not change until we change the rules. The Water Priorities Constitutional Amendment and Bond Act will give We the People a chance to change the rules in favor of common sense. And, polling shows we have the general public's support in this. The iron is hot, it is time to strike.
Why I Support Water 4
All
By Paul H. Betancourt
February 2016
Growing up
in San Diego in the 70’s I didn’t worry about water. I was just a kid. When I
turned on the tap, water came out. After college I came up to farm and landed
deep in the middle of the water wars. The 1986-93 drought is etched deeply in
my mind. We have never had water to waste on the farm.
Water 4 All
This Fall we get to vote on a
ballot proposition and constitutional amendment that is basic common sense
reform. One of the principles of my book “Ten Reasons: Finding Balance on
Environmental Issues” is that we need a healthy environment and a healthy
economy. Right now we have neither. Fish populations are still in peril in
spite of the years of effort and gazillions of gallons of water. Tens of
thousands of people have lost their jobs and farmers have lost their land. This
is not good.
The
water situation will not get better until we change the rules. We are
talking about a change to California’s Constitution. This will not fix our federal
problems, but this year the people of California have a chance to literally
take the law in to their own hands.
There are three principles in CA Water4
All-
First- we prioritize water use in
California. Domestic use first, then water for our farms.
Second-we take $8 billion of bond money
from high speed rail and put it to water storage. Recent polling shows 53% of
California voters support this idea.
Third- we make water policy more
representative of the people of California. The measure creates a Water
Management authority with leadership drawn from all over the state. That will
sure beat having Sacramento decide for the rest of us, won’t it?
I Love Trains-
My family
still lives in San Diego. For over a decade we have taken the train to visit
them instead of driving. I would love it to be a three hour trip instead of an
eight hour ride. But- and this is a big but- everywhere we have seen the bullet
train the ticket price has been sky high-literally. Sheryl took the bullet
train in Japan and it was the same price as an airline ticket. Why not just
take the plane? When I ask high speed train supporters this question they say
it is more convenient. So, the taxpayers should pay $68 billion dollars to make
things more convenient for a handful of people?
They Have Gone Too
Far
After years
of telling us to put buckets in our showers to save water and to not water our
lawns so we could save every drop of water in January 2016 they let TWO MILLION
ACRE FEET of flush out to sea!!
We have a
population of 39 million people and a water system built for 19 million.
Something’s gotta give. You cannot fill the tub if you don’t plug the drain!!!
By next summer they are going to be on us again with less water, more
restrictions and higher water bills. Enough is enough.
If climate
change really is the issue the enviros should be leading the charge to build
more water storage. Their own projections show there will be less snow and more
rainfall. In that case we should be building storage to catch the rainfall because
we won’t be able to count on the snow slowly melting over a long period of
time. It is going to be all at once.
For Ten Cents on the
Dollar I Can Help All Californians`
Like I
said, I love trains. But, a $68 billion dollar Choo Choo will only help a
handful of people who can afford expensive tickets. For 1/10th the
price I can help every Californian
for a generation to come. For $6 Billion, which is a lot of money, we can build
more storage and raise the levels on existing reservoirs.
Current estimates
price the
Sites
Reservoir at $2.3-3.2Billion
Temperence
Flats at $2.5-3.35Billion
Raising
Shasta at $1.1Billion
Raising
San Luis at $360Million
That’s a lot of money, but it’s a lot cheaper than a choo
choo for the few. Those projects will benefit every Californian for decades to
come.
I’m just a
dirt farmer, but this seems like a better use of taxpayers money than a Choo
Choo. People win. Farmers win. the environment wins.
Why Do I Support
Water 4ALL?
That’s easy. They have shown
what they will do when it does rain-they will flush it back out to the ocean.
We need that water for our cities and farms.
I would
like you to think about something. Next summer when they are telling us to save
a drop here and there, when they are telling you not to water your lawn and
when you higher water bills come in- ask yourself one question-wouldn’t we all
be better off if we had another two million acre feet of water in our
reservoirs? You can’t fill the tub if we don’t plug the drain!
So, what can you do? Sign the petition to get this on the ballot and find a friend to sign the petition.
See y'all next week.
P
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