Water entrepreneur Aaron Million is quoted as saying that if there were any problems with his proposed Wyoming-to-Colorado pipeline project, "I'd be the first to put a fork in it" (HCN, 7/20/09). To which I'd like to add my own thoughts: "What? After cutting up the public's water, you'd dine on it?" Mr. Million is appropriately named, as he would suck up the public's money as well. Out West, like everywhere, water is money, and you can't do much without either.

But take a global perspective, and consider that some resources should not be privatized — not anywhere and not anytime. In fact, this was the initial position of our government many years ago, and with this consideration it created the many public utilities we used to have. They are rapidly disappearing and in their place are for-profit privatized industries — ENRON comes to mind as an example of what happens when you privatize a public utility (in this case, electrical energy and its delivery). Can you imagine what would have happened if ENRON had been providing drinking water? Do we really want to turn our valuable resources over to a bunch of privateers? Only if we don't mind paying $1,000 monthly water bills.
 
John Wolfe
Moab, Utah