Whine sellers (August 30, 2015)

Which of these complaints is acceptable?

I used to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day. I cut back to two packs a day, but my doctor still says I smoke too much.

My car used to get six miles to the gallon. After a tune up, it now gets eight miles to the gallon, but the state still says I’m using too much fuel.

I used to use twenty times more water than the average person. I took out some of my lawn so now I’m using only fifteen times more, but Ranchos still says I’m using too much water.

The correct answer is none, because the important point is not what you used to do, or how much better you are now, but what you’re doing to this day. If you used to kick your dog four times a day and you now only kick him three times a day, you’re still kicking your dog!

To you Apple Valley whiners who try to shift the focus to how much less water you are using, do us all a favor and instead focus on how much water you are currently using.

Governor Brown, the California Public Utilities Commission, the Mojave Water Agency, and Apple Valley Ranchos have each tried to impress upon you the importance of using much less water than you have been. Stop hiding behind the excuse that you used to use a lot more water, and get with the program.

Either that, or shut the heck up about your water bills in general and drought surcharges in specific.

Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.

Published: Daily Press