What Are We Doing?

Measure W (September 24, 2016)

Is taking over Liberty Utility an act of big government or an act of survival?

For as long as I can remember, I have been a strong advocate for the free market system. Whether in sports, education or life in general, competition forces you to improve. I have found that big government takes more and more control of your life, legislating fairness by being blatantly unfair.

So it may seem to many who know me counterintuitive that I would back Measure W, which supports the Town of Apple Valley moving forward to acquire Liberty Utility Water Company. I see it differently. In this case, Big Government is the State of California’s Public Utilities Commission. It is a classic example of crony capitalism and pay to play politics.

The CPUC has been the target of many scandals over the years and certainly doesn’t side with the public very often. As I see it, Big Government most often resides at the State and Federal levels, allowing multinational companies like Liberty to hold a community hostage and extort money. The CPUC guaranties private utilities a profit. On top of rate hikes, the company can charge back all the costs of doing business to the ratepayers, including costs associated with their own ballot measure.

Democracy, as envisioned by the Founders, is best exemplified at the local level. We the people of Apple Valley both individually as well as corporately have a right to control, conserve and protect our water resources. To secure this necessity of life, we not only have a right, but a duty to remove it from corporate greed and assume ownership. This fight isn’t complicated; we need to rectify the wrong being done by the greed and selfishness of a corporation in Canada, whose investors reside around the world, no doubt some in countries hostile to the USA.

Passing Measure W and rejecting Measure V will do just that. The Town of Apple Valley answers to us, the citizens who pay taxes and vote; the employees of the Town and the Town Council work for us. This is our opportunity to take back control of our water resources from the State and a corporation in Canada. When we started H2OWN Our Water Now, we knew that Liberty would go after us personally; this letter alone will cause their attack dogs to be released with a fire hose of lies and innuendos. We don’t have their unlimited funds, but we do have truth on our side.

Rick Piercy, Apple Valley

Source: Daily Press