When it comes to emergencies, no one abuses emergency powers like our government.

And it’s doubly worse when the government creates the emergency, and triply worse when it doubles down on those doubly worse emergencies it created. Think like the “double-secret” probation Dean Wormer at Faber College put on Delta House. I mean, they revoked their charter and took the whole bleeping bar! Just substitute essential workforce and your favorite restaurant or bar closing during Covid – although they did leave the pot shops and liquor stores open.

But the main point on the above isn’t the punishment “we the people” endured, it’s the crime contained in the “emergency.” And you gotta give the government credit, it keeps trying. But that’s also for nefarious reasons. You know, our “leaders” like to call the reason “the greater good,” while we all understand it’s just to accumulate more money and power from the people.

I mean. just look at the past couple of years. We all know respiratory emergencies lead the way, because you can control more folks with viruses than bullets. King of the hill was, of course, Covid. But even since Covid they’ve tried multiple viral “emergencies,” such as RSV, the “resurgence” of the flu, which all but disappeared during Covid, and the latest, the Hantavirus. Add to these “annuals” another Ebola emergency and the ever-present climate change, and, of course, the constant “threats to democracy” of anyone with conservative thoughts.

Regardless, the results are the same, more money and power to government.

Hate to break it to our “leaders,” almost to a one you are the biggest threat to democracy, although I wish you’d call it by its real name: Freedom. Besides, democracy is mob rule, which is never good for the individual. You know, the ones you swore an oath to protect against “democracy” in its true form. But I digress.

And do you know where freedom is most threatened? That’s right, in government-declared emergencies. After all, nothing in my lifetime took away more freedom than Covid.

Yet, these emergencies also affect our lives beyond freedom. And it’s usually in our wallets. After all, the basic design of government power is funded in confiscation of property, and the property it loves best is monetary. And you thought taxes were to help the people.

I mean, if government was designed to help the people, you’d think in our latest emergency here in Mesa County our government entities would be looking for a way to get folks more water. It’s not like droughts aren’t commonplace out here (heck we’ve been in one since I moved here in 2000) with some years worse than others. You’d think our government water lords would have a plan in place when a serious one occurs. That would be common sense, no?

And yet here we are, in a drought where the only solution the government can come up with is to charge us more for the water we use under the guise of “emergency drought rates.” Which is simply a progressive water rate based on usage. I remember getting a surprise bill one year under this same scheme a while back. Problem is, I don’t think anyone understands or can gauge when they go over the arbitrary amount now considered basic. It’s also patently unfair to those folks whose lawn-watering systems are not on irrigation, although I’m sure the government will find a way to even out the starving of those folks’ lawns as well. I’m also sure it’s not very effective.

So, raising prices on water is being used to change behavior, and it only affects certain people? Sounds like a typical government revenue raiser to me. After all, who has a monopoly on water? That’s right, the government. And yes, our local water districts are government agencies, same as your electric or gas supplier. They “serve” at the pleasure of your local politicians. Those are the folks calling the shots when it comes to our utilities.

And to think, of all the rights our elected leaders claim they will “fight” for us to have, water isn’t one of them. If they did, they would have had a plan for a severe drought to make sure we all had all the water we needed for whatever we needed it for besides “we’re gonna charge you up the wazoo” if we decide you’re using too much. Not to mention someone will probably find a way to release a list of abusers, so protesters know whose lawn to take over.

But just to help them out, it will probably be a green one.

Let’s just think about another scenario involving water. Let’s say a different weather-related emergency occurred in an area where thunderstorms and tornadoes caused power outages, which affected supplies of water and other water-related items like ice. Can’t be too hard because it happens all the time. So, the people are in a situation where they need to stock up on water and ice to preserve their way of life.

Now let’s say you own a convenience store, and you’re smart enough to stock up on water and water-related items like ice to help the community when the emergency hits. But your smart planning has a run on your store, and folks are trying to buy up all your supplies, and in order to be able to assure supplies for as many folks as possible, you raise your rates of said supplies to limit buying power. Essentially this is what our government is doing with our water right now, no?

But what do the government and the politicians call the store owner? That’s right, a greedy, price-gouger. Some communities go as far as pressing charges and fining smart retailers like your local convenience-store guy. He’s not allowed to raise the rates. He’s supposed to find more water supplies and keep prices low.

It was the same with Covid and toilet paper. Or more recently with Biden’s chicken-killing spree with eggs. Now with Trump playing war games in Iran with gasoline – but it’s always something with gasoline. Where you should take note is when the government does it with supply and demand, it’s for the people. When private business does it, it’s greed.

The bigger problem, the government controls all the water across the United States, even the stuff in the clouds about to hit your roof. Don’t think so? Put a barrel on your downspout or build a pond on your property. The government will descend on you like white on rice, which you soon won’t be able to boil up, because it takes too much water.

So, here’s an idea or two for our suppliers and our political and community “leaders.” Find more water and keep the rates where they are. Maybe tell Denver and Vegas and LA to do the same and come up with their own solutions. Have a plan in place for the next, expected, severe drought besides filling your coffers. Here’s an idea, which will also shock California, fill more reservoirs. Literally save for a rainy day.

Because no matter how much you raise rates, it won’t create one more ounce of water.

I mean, with all the rights our overlords create out of thin air, why isn’t one of them water? It’s the wellspring of life. There’s literally no more important compound on the planet. One might say it’s priceless. Because it is. Then again, that’s why they raise the rates.

In Truth and freedom.

Craig Hall is owner and publisher of The Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com