Great commentary from the news editor of the Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun.
http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/031105/opi_eric001.shtml
Evart's city manager was more blunt, alluding to the lumber rush that swept up the state more than 100 years ago. Water, he said, is just like the trees that were mowed down and sent elsewhere.
It's as ironic as it is apt.
The greed that prompted the timber rush from 100 years ago caused people to recoil in horror, and foresters to rethink management practices. It also helped influence the fledgling conservation movement. Today, the lumber rush is generally thought to have been something of a mistake, and the land still bears the scars.