DIG MICHIGAN NOTES THE NESTLE REQUEST to pump 70 million additional gallons of fresh water from Michigan sources. Dave's Blog notes:

Nestle Waters North America Inc. is gearing up for a major expansion of its Michigan water bottling business with a plan that targets some of the area's most treasured river systems.

While we should be allowed to utilize our natural resources, we should also be careful not to be idiots. But so often we are when natural resources (and money) are involved.

I'm not generally in favor of more taxes for anyone, but I can easily see how a reasonable tax or fee to withdraw this water would be a good move. Particularly if the money were required to be used for water-related conservation and restoration projects.

If it just goes into a general fund, all of sudden another group has a financial interest in being idiots with our natural resources. We have enough of that sort without paying to create more.

UPDATE: Dave also writes:

Jackson Citizen Patriot: obtuse?

According to this editorial's reasoning, opposing the commercialization and private ownership of water, the source of life, is just like opposing dancing, necking and inter-racial dating.

Maybe that's why the Jackson Citizen Patriot has not won many Pulitzers.

Heh.