This several-days old Canadian commentary is another alarm bell. The free market religion that has brought the U.S. a failed health care system, the contracting out of war and other misadventures has captured advocates of water sales here and north of the border, leading to such visions as:
"It would cost between $4-billion and $9-billion to build a pipeline of water to Texas from Manitoba," said Paul Wihbey, president of GWEST LLC of Washington. "Annual revenue could be $7-billion, which is about the current budget of the provincial government and City of Winnipeg government combined."
And now comes the real charge:
Ironically, Canada's wing-nut politicians -- Liberals and NDPers in particular -- have spoken out against water exports, as though it was somehow bad for the nation or that Canadians would die of thirst.
Some even spoke about water as the "hidden agenda" behind free trade with the United States. But water is in huge surplus in Canada and is, unlike oil or natural gas or metals and minerals, a renewable resource.
Renewable? Really? There is a finite amount of water in the world. What this thinker is discussing is really water mining -- taking a resource from one place and selling it somewhere at great profit. But water is part of the commons. If there is a profit, it goes to the public.
Wing-nuts indeed.
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/columnists/story.html?id=dbb04244-e54d-48f7-bdbc-6d4d03383696
Posted by Dave at September 29, 2006 08:47 AM