Water quality
Story
From NY Times - Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012
Coalition response...Writer Mark Bittman should be commended for his efforts to try and learn
about food production in California's San Joaquin Valley. Unfortunately he
started with some assumptions that were off-base and drew conclusions that
would have us adopting a Soviet-style collective farming model that is a proven
failure. His statement that federal money pays for much of the irrigation
systems is just plain wrong. The federal government took the lead in
constructing those projects but it is the water user that is paying for all of
the construction, operation and maintenance costs of the system. The only part
forgiven by the government is the interest on the original cost of
construction. Amazingly, as far back as 1980 new tax revenue generated as a
result of the federal Central Valley Project was a whopping $3 billion per
year, totaling $28.4 billion, which has since dwarfed the original $10 billion
in construction costs.
Who benefits from this? Consumers
who buy food for their families at the grocery store, that's who. Their
purchasing decisions drive the decisions farmers make on what to plant. That,
coupled with efficient farming practices, translates into lower food costs for
Americans. We spend just 6.2 percent of our disposable income on food and
non-alcoholic beverages, compared to 10.2 percent for families in 28 other
high-income countries. At the same 10.2 percent, Americans would have to spend
an additional $3,820 per year on food, robbing dollars from other items in
their lives, such as little league or dance lessons, vacations, housing and
even charitable giving.
Central planning didn't feed the
people in Soviet Russia and it won't feed us here in the United States. The
federal government helped kick-start production of the nation's food supply but
it is the farmers that are paying for that system and growing the kinds of
fruit and vegetables consumers have demonstrated that they want in the store on
a year-round basis.
WATER SUPPLY
Blog
By Damien M. Schiff
From Pacific Legal Foundation - Thursday, Oct. 11,
2012
Story
From Capital Press - Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012
Blog
By Mark McLaughlin
From Sierra Sun - Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012
Story
From ACWA - Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012
DELTA
Letters
From LA Times - Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012
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