Pueblog USa
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The ‘Virtue’ of Unintended Consequences
Selling one’s ‘birthright’ to Aurora.
Interesting report in the Chieftain today.
It seems that the recent fire out in Ordway—the one that claimed the lives of firefighters and destroyed a number of buildings—it appears that one of the contributing factors was that some farmers and/or ranchers had been selling their water to Aurora. Raking in the the cash while their fields withered from lack of water.
Then…some how a fire started and raced through the parched land causing the loss of property and life.
I hope these farmers are on good terms with forgiving neighbors.
However, I’ve seen a larger problem looming on the horizon….
Suppose these people don’t learn their lesson from this incident? This ‘warning’? And they continue to sell their water to Aurora?
Aurora builds family dwellings and business based on that water.
What happens when the farmers and ranchers want their water back?
Do you think Aurora is going to tell all the people and business that moved into town, “Sorry. Ya have to move out. We no longer have the water to support ya.”
I kind of doubt it.
Instead, I think that Aurora will go to the courts and demand that they cannot displace all these people and their economy. That the courts should rule that since these farmers and ranchers have sold their birth...err….water right, just as Esau did to Jacob, they should keep that water as their own.
Anyone wanna place a bet on which way the court will decide?