Hacker News Reader

It seems to be that much of this could be solved by pricing water at its actual price rather than through some politically set price. I could see an exemption for private household first 100 gallons per month or so to make sure everyone can stay hydrated.

View on HN

That's exactly how you would fix it, the interests who control things don't want to pay market price. People in general hate paying what something costs when they have been paying the subsidized rate.

Well it’s easy to be glib but if your economic viability depends on remaining subsidized it’s different. I mean if you had to start cutting a cheque to Brazil for the oxygen that the Amazon produced you’d fight tooth & nail against it as it’d take your precarious startup and really endanger it.

Not saying change isn’t needed, I just understand why the people who will be ruined by it are fighting it. “Clean coal” is another example.

The market price, I suggested, would only work for the housing developments in the dry areas and not for farmers. Apparently farmers get their water from wells and water rights to creeks running through their land.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com