Earlier this week, I attended yet another meeting here in Phoenix that featured a panel of experts on the subject of allocating Arizona’s water supply. Each panelist reflected that tired notion that we just need to do better planning, which means having smart people tell other presumably dumber people what to do or not do.
This is the solution for all who believe in government central planning. This does not work anywhere else, and it does not work very well for water, either. Isn’t it about time we try another method of allocation, namely, the free market?
We actually have no shortage of water in Arizona. Rather, we have too much government. The web of subsidies and regulations of water use creates a false shortage. If we would just put all water - surface water and groundwater alike - on the market and let price determine water allocation, there would never be a need for another panel discussion like the one I attended. And there would be no water shortages.
Phoenix
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