Introduction to the SNWA Watergrab

Have you ever wondered what the remote backcountry of the Great Basin looked like? Probably not. That's how SNWA intends to get away with draining such a beautiful place. 

Check out this video:


Water is life.
SNWA intends to take it.  

Don't Believe The (Shock Doctrine) Hype

Here's some more proof that desalination is less costly than the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) watergrab pipeline:

The Carlsbad Desalination Plant, in Southern California, recently raised 922 million dollars for the construction of the project. They intend to be producing 50million gallons of fresh water (from salt water) a day by 2016. That is the equivalent of 56,000 acre feet per year.  

On the other hand, the SNWA intends to spend 15 billion dollars on a pipeline network to steal water from Rural Nevada – that will acquire them about 160,000 acre feet per year (with the present proposed wells – if the drought ends).

Unfortunately, the numbers aren't as simple as this example. But from this example; it becomes obvious that desalination is well worth seriously considering.

...For a number of years, SNWA has been telling us that the watergrab pipeline would only cost 3 to 3.5 billion dollars. But, when required by law to tell the truth; SNWA reported to the Nevada State Engineer that the watergrab would actually cost 15 billion dollars. (That's actually only twice what they had been telling us because the 15 billion dollar fee also includes finance charges.)

The Carlsbad Desalination Plant costs likely do not include finance charges either. So, we could assume that since finance charges approximately doubled the watergrab construction costs, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant will likely cost in the neighborhood of 2 billion dollars.

OK... to get approximately the same amount of water from desalination using Carlsbad Desalination Plant technology would cost about 6 billion dollars.

6 billion dollars vs. 15 billion dollars

This information infers that watergrab water will cost between two and three times what desalination costs. And the price of desalination just keeps getting cheaper.

The projected cost of the water from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant is between $2,014 and $2,257 per acre foot. I have never seen an estimate for water cost from the watergrab. Personally, I don't think SNWA wants us to know this. Because of the SNWA history of not quite telling the whole truth, (remember the 3.5 billion dollar cost story from a couple of paragraphs ago) I wouldn't bother to trust their numbers anyway. But we can guesstimate.

For an example; SNWA has paid as high as $9,865 an acre foot from water from Virgin Valley Water District! There is no way SNWA will sell that water for $2,000 an acre foot. My warning to Las Vegans; expect very very high water bills.

Now of course; energy costs are high for desalination. But SNWA never mentions the cost of pumping water half way across the 7^th largest State in the Nation. Oh, you thought that $15,000,000,000 was all Southern Nevadans would have to pay? No. The energy costs will be horrendous. And SNWA has a record of about 30% cost overruns on their construction projects. Which means a city will be burdened with more like 20 billion dollars plus billions in energy costs.

Oh, and by the way; the people of Las Vegas already have enough water for their present population. The people of Las Vegas are being conned into paying for water for growth – that mean's Las Vegans will be paying for the rest of their lives for water for someone else!

If SNWA were to pay for desalination facilities on the Pacific Coast in exchange for more water from the Colorado River, not only would the water be much cheaper, but no pipeline would be necessary.

Don't believe the “Shock Doctrine” hype. The Colorado River won't dry up. Even with less flow, there is still plenty of water to bargain for. And if the Colorado River were to dry up, the water in the Great Basin would be a critical contingency safeguard. My advice to Las Vegas; save the underground water for when you really need it. Make more fresh water. Obviously, then there will be more water.

And if SNWA were to pay for desalination facilities off the coast of California, environmental damage to the Coast would be negligible.

With the cost savings of desalination, SNWA could offer California more water at no expense to Californians.

With desalination done right; for less money, everyone could have more water.

Personally, I think there should be a National policy to encourage desalination to benefit all communities along our waterways.

Clash Of The Titanic Bloodsuckers

In case you didn't notice; there have already been what are essentially five too-big-to-fail bank bailouts in the United States – and now there's another one planned into the U.S. budget. The big banksters have now moved beyond stealing from the poor, the middle class, the upper middle class, the young and the unborn. They're now after money from the sick, the elderly, and even other members of the oligarchy. 

 

The big banksters are now after a bigger piece of the Federal budget. With the recent sequester, the banking industry is poised to take taxpayer money from the military/industrial complex and the health “care” industry. This could get bloody. Maybe it already has.

...Oh, nobody told you that we're working on our sixth bank bailout?

Well, the term “bailout” is just so incendiary. So, they simply called the bank bailouts something else.

Of course, B.S. by any other name is still a smelly pile of bovine excrement.

Why would those in power want to lie to us?

Because they want to hide an injustice – being done to us.

Lies from our “leaders” are not to be taken lightly.

Thirty years of the LIE of “free market” capitalism has led to oligarchy control of America – and they are taking advantage of us in every way they can.

For more than three decades we have carelessly watched as our Nation's companies morphed into monopolies. There's been a constant stream of news reports about mergers, buyouts, takeovers, hostile takeovers, multi-billion dollar (bankrupting) lawsuits, over-regulation for the little guy, and even what is effectively “corporate anarchy” for the big guys.

Apparently, the way to win in our form of capitalism is to monopolize an industry, sell practically instant garbage (that has to be replaced often), and charge whatever the market will bear for it. Oh... And two more things, if you're particularly sleazy; get the laws changed to favor your business, and get as much taxpayer money as you can. And if your company screws up in spite of all those unfair advantages, be too-big-to-fail.

 

As you may have noticed; four major (monopolistic) industries control most of what happens in the United States. These industries are the too-big-to-fail banks, the military/industrial complex, the fossil fuel industry, and the health “care” industry.  

These four industries rely heavily on taxpayer and ratepayer monies. We're talking billions and billions of dollars – our dollars – for each of these industries – every year!

The recent sequester has cut into the profits of two of these industries; the military/industrial complex and the health “care” industry. And why? To pay down the National debt. But the mass media never seems to mention who's actually going to get paid. The “debt” is owed to the too-big-to-fail banks, of course.

Once you start to think about it, this sequester starts to look like another bank bailout. In fact, there are a number of what are effectively big bank bailouts we've had to endure:

Bailout #1 – the official bank bailout of 2008; TARP

Bailout #2 – the secret FED bailout; the printing of $16 trillion dollars to be loaned to the banks (including foreign banks)

Bailout #3 – the reduction of the prime lending rate to near zero to the big banks (so that they could borrow money for next to nothing – and pay out next to nothing to savings accounts) 

Bailout #4 – the $40 billion dollar a month FED buy out of bad mortgage-backed security debts 

Bailout #5 – the sequester

and now:

Bailout #6 – the proposed reduction of Social Security benefits

Of course, with the exception of TARP, the mass media won't call the big buck bank payoffs bailouts. Apparently, they're hoping we won't notice the money to pay down the National debt is money for big banks. Or at least they're hoping we won't notice until it's too late.

Which brings me to the latest distractions; the bombing of the Boston Marathon and the poison letters sent to President Obama and Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss). Both of these stories are very newsworthy. However, we can expect never ending coverage of these events. Which is a little curious. Because there isn't much we, as citizens, can do about them.

But on the other hand; we could work to stop the Social Security cutbacks. We were. Public resistance was building up against the austerity measures aimed at Social Security. And now; losing our Social Security is suddenly on the back burner in most people's minds. How convenient...

I'm not saying the banks are behind the terrorist attacks. However, the too-big-to-fail banks do spend a lot of money on advertising in mass media news. What does that buy them? Silence. The for-profit “news” corporations know the score. They better change the subject about Social Security, or they won't get paid.

But who else wants the bombings on the front page? Homeland Security, of course. I'm sure they weren't too thrilled about the sequester cuts. In fact, I'm sure they're already working overtime trying to get that money back.

It's quite likely that the rest of the military/industrial complex secretly cheered about the terrorist attacks too. They knew the American people weren't falling for the North Korea hype.

Let's face it; one little-bitty country with a couple of nuclear bombs isn't really a threat to us. Attacking America would just be “Assured Self Destruction.” We all know that if the U.S. wanted to, we could literally vaporize their whole little country. We all realize that the only way Korea would ever launch nuclear weapons on the U.S. is if they were desperately losing a war with us. In other words Korea's only practical use of nuclear weapons is as a last ditch act of defiance.

After the invasion of Iraq and the accusation by then President George Bush Jr. that North Korea was part of the “Axis of Evil,” you can't blame Kim Jong Un for being a little paranoid. So, what does America do? We yank his chain...

The U.S. conducted military exercises recently right near North Korea. They knew the new leader of North Korea would just have to say something about it. And then U.S. mass media jumped on his statements as a threat to attack us. And this all happens right about the same time as the sequester... Things like this don't just happen. This blatantly looks like a contrived threat to stop the Federal cuts. I think most Americans would concur. We were never fully convinced Korea was really a threat.

And then the Boston Marathon gets bombed.

How convenient...

Homeland Security faces funding cuts from the sequester – and suddenly there is this slaughter of the innocents. This “terrorist attack” just doesn't look that plausible.

Nonetheless at this point, when it comes down to National politics; it doesn't really matter who did it. Homeland Security will react to this just as if it were a false-flag operation. That's right; expect just what you saw with 9/11 (unending terrorism hype). What really matters is; this act of terrorism can be used as an excuse to get more taxpayer money. The Boston Marathon bombing will be used over and over again as an excuse to refund Homeland Security and the military/industrial complex. Never mind the fact that even before the sequestration cuts, with billions of taxpayer dollars funding anti-terrorist efforts; they failed to prevent it...

Homeland Security failed us. And they will be arguing that we reward them for that – with more taxpayer dollars.

And the military/industrial complex failed us in the Middle East. America now spends more on “Defense” than the next 12 countries combined – and we are less safe now than we were before we (for lack of a better word) invaded Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. etc. Of course; what the military/industrial complex really wants is not more war, but more taxpayer dollars. Nonetheless; if that takes another war....

This all reminds me of a George Carlin quote on a bumper sticker I recently saw; “Fighting for Peace is like Screwing for Virginity.” 

(Guess what: Only the American public is going to have to suffer the austerity consequences of the greed of the Titanic Bloodsuckers. The Obama budget request already includes returning 80% of the sequestered military/industrial funding – already!)

As I mentioned earlier; there are four major monopolistic industries that run most of our country. I haven't spent much time on the health “care” industry. The recent austerity moves are most likely to hurt the profits of the health “care” industry. I pity the sick. But I don't pity the health “care” industry. We have the most expensive health care in the world and America ranks as the 40th country in life expectancy. Our health “care” industry has failed us also.

I also haven't mentioned the fossil fuel industry. But they are so big that even the banksters can't take their tax monies. In fact, they are so big that they can force America to run the Keystone XL pipeline across America to sell oil to foreign countries, so that they can raise their prices on us! Moreover, the fact that they secretly hold back renewable energy development so that they can continue to poison our air, land, water, and destroy the balance of our atmosphere - makes the fossil fuel industry the biggest failure to humanity in history! 

And the too-big-to-fail banks? Everybody knows the banksters have failed us. The takeover of America is just another hostile takeover for them. But they're not the only ones. This is just what monopolies do.

In the short run (shorter than our lifespans), the Titanic Bloodsuckers haven't failed themselves. They want to take as much money as they can get from the taxpayers and the ratepayers. In this, they've been very successful.

This isn't about terrorism.

This isn't about National Security.

This isn't about helping the sick.

This isn't about energy independence. (That would mean generating our own power.)

And this isn't about saving our economy.

This is about taking your money.

This is about taking you savings.

This is about taking your tax dollars.

This is about taking your wages before you ever even see them.

Our taxation system has become a racket – that just funnels our money to the biggest monopolies – who don't give us anywhere near our money's worth. But that wasn't good enough. Now they're cutting our government benefits, that we taxpayers pay for, to boost their profits. They're manipulating our money, so that eventually it will be virtually worthless. And they're driving down our pay, so that they can keep the profits for themselves.

President Obama stated in a recent speech:

“So to change Washington, you, the American people, are going to have to sustain some passion about this. And when necessary, you've got to send the right people to Washington. And that requires strength, and it requires persistence.”

After five years, it has become obvious that even the most powerful man on the planet, the President of the United States, can't get real change without the American people forcing the system to fix things.

Though President Obama's speech was about gun control (which I believe is mostly a distraction), it applies also to the budget. Social Security is about to be whittled away while the bloated and ineffective military/industrial complex is about to get almost all of our hard fought sequester cuts back – and the too-big-to-fail banks are going to get another bailout.

The Republicans are the Party of austerity.
But the Demcrats have become only the Party of less austerity.
Only the people will have to suffer austerity.
The Titanic Bloodsuckers will take all of the tax money you pay, and then want more.   
Please, don't be distracted.

To do nothing is to willingly become a slave to a dysfunctional system that will ultimately crash in upon itself.

Rural Nevada Is Just “Bush-Meat” To SNWA

We all know it...

At the rate we're going:

Humanity will “bush-meat” the planet.

(In case you don't know what “bush-meat” is; it is anything that can be killed and eaten by an increasingly desperate population. In many parts of the world, it is people eating the last of what's left of nature.)

But don't just blame the poor. This is effectively how our version of capitalism (dis)functions. Think about it... Capitalist thought has morphed into a gold-rush mentality of “take everything” (maximize profits).

...At the rate we're going; soon there won't be anything left to exploit.

Gold-rush capitalism has morphed our businesses and governments into monsters of consumption that destroy everything in the way of profits – including our environment, our democracy, our country, our civilization, and maybe even eventually humanity. 

 

In a way, that's effectively what the watergrab is; first world “bush-meat.”

They're willing to strip the very last bones of Rural Nevada for that last drop of profit.

Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) pretends that Las Vegas is the only place there is a drought. 

Yet Central Nevada is fairing no better...

Besides; Nevada water law states that SNWA can't take any more than the perennial yield (what rains that year). If there's a drought, there's a drought all over Nevada. Which means that there is no water to take. DAAA!!!

Of course, Nevada water law could be changed... And if one were powerful enough – and didn't care whether they destroyed the rest of the State, then a gold-rush for bush-meat makes sense.

In fact, the only way to guarantee that there will be water to pump across the State would be to alter Nevada water law.

Presently, water mining is illegal. If water tables drop too fast, SNWA presently could be forced to stop pumping by the Nevada State (Water) Engineer. Of course; water buffaloes this big aren't that easily stopped. After they spend $15 billion to $20 billion dollars on this Groundwater “Development” Project, how much more do you think they would be willing to spend to gut either Nevada Water Law or the power of the Nevada State Engineer. (Personally, I suspect the State Engineer already knows who runs the State.)

So, let's follow this insane idea to it's next (il)logical step:

The gaming industry in Las Vegas critically relies on the image of “the oasis in the desert.” They can't take the fountains down. But they have enough water now. 

It's growth that stands to radically change the equation. Even massive drought now would only require the residents of Southern Nevada to conserve better. However, a combination of drought and massive population increase could get desperate.

The construction and “growth” industry critically relies on growth of unsustainable cities – and big projects (like the watergrab pipeline).

Quite likely, some big tax-guzzling ratepayer-raping construction company believes it will be the one to build this watergrab pipeline. For the bigger part of $7 billion dollars, that construction company would most likely be willing to “influence” Clark County politics – maybe even Nevada politics.

By the time the residents of Southern Nevada realize that this Groundwater “Development” Project is a loss-leader scam, 2 to 3 million of them will be paying $30 to $100 more in waterbills per household per month for up to the next 50 years – and they will still want water.

Present water law won't stand a chance.

So, eventually; Las Vegas and surrounding cities will drain most of Central and Eastern Nevada completely of water.

That's right; like the next step in a hideous dance of self-destruction; Las Vegas intends to kill all the bush-meat over an area possibly bigger than the State of Vermont. But, instead of eating their bush-meat; they'll just kill them (and pretend it was someone or something else).

Without water, any hope of economic development in the Rural Nevada area will be impossible. The only use this land will have left is as a massive dumpsite for the nation.

That's right; a massive dumpsite for the whole nation right in Las Vegas' back yard. This is bound to harm tourism eventually. And worse; it's likely only a matter of time before Las Vegas gets boycotted because of the watergrab.

Essentially, the growth industry in Las Vegas is willing to take profits from the tourism industry. And not only will they be taking profits from the tourism industry in Central Nevada, they are willing to take profits from Las Vegas casinos.

Ultimately and obviously, the watergrab is a critical step towards turning Nevada into the dumpsite for the Nation.

I don't believe this is some massive conspiracy. This is effectively a trend. And it has been a trend ever since the Federal Government and Military secretly chose to use Nevada as a nuclear test site. They didn't care about Nevada – and neither will any of the other States, if they have dangerous waste to get rid of...

We were born into a system that is inherently unsustainable. Those who don't want to fix that have already considered themselves expendable. We can't safely live a Ponzi scheme. 

In a way; we expect our whole economy to work like some expanding perpetual motion machine – that keeps giving, no matter how much we take. The profit motive has been perverted into: We want our cake, and everybody and everything else's too.

Everyone knows that any system that relies on unlimited growth is a Ponzi scheme. Instead of a perpetual wealth machine – what we now have is a perpetual B.S. machine, driving us straight towards a Hell on Earth.

I'm not against capitalism. Capitalism is an intricate part of the human condition. (Our ancient ancestors were capitalists back before there was even money, or even humans – when female primates traded sex for food.) 

Money and capitalism are just tools. We need to learn how to use our tools right. And we need to reward good behavior better than profitable behavior.

Las Vegas could limit growth, trade desalinated water for a bigger allotment of Colorado River water, save water in Central Nevada for when we really need it, promote renewable energy, clean vehicles and mass transit; and consequently have plenty of water, the cleanest of air, and still be the funnest place to go in the country.

Or they can choose to continue to be a part of the biggest problem humanity has ever faced.

What If We Learn How To Live Forever, Just As We Kill God?

What if we learn how to live forever, just as we kill God?

I don't mean this question literally, of course. But figuratively, this question is possibly the most important question of our time. 

 

Allow me to explain. There are a number of religions that offer to help you live forever – after you die. This is not the “live forever” I'm talking about. I'm talking about developing the technology to live for a whole lot longer than we ever expected. It's not quite living forever. But it might seem like it from out present perspective.

And the “kill God” part? Well, that's little more complicated. Of course we couldn't kill an all-powerful being. But the “God” I'm speaking of is not all-powerful.

I know. I know. If it isn't all-powerful, it isn't really a God.

But God didn't make that rule. Man did.

Hear me out:

What if this God only functions as a God?

...Think of times when you were outside in Nature.

That wonderful feeling that, in that moment, everything is just right.

It may not feel all right, but it feels just right.

Some people call this the hand of God.

Some people call this God.

But whatever – It feeds us. It makes clean water for us. It mixes the air in just the right proportions. It surrounds us in a cocoon of life. In a way, it made us. In a way, it made all life.

To me, that sounds kind of like a God.

Life on Earth essentially functions as a not-all-powerful God.

In fact, in a way; whether one calls this the “hand of God,” “functioning as a God,” “natural God,” or “God” is really just a matter of semantics... I hope most people can relate to a “God” such as this, whether or not they believe in the supernatural God.

I suspect we all feel something very special when we are outdoors sometimes.

I'm not here to explain what that feeling is. So, I'll quit trying.

All I'm saying is that I believe we all know that our natural world, Life on Earth, is so very, very special that sometimes perceiving it as a not-all-powerful “God” is understandable.

And whether we want to believe it or not, we're killing it.

90 percent of the big fish in the oceans are gone. Fished out...

20 percent of the coral reefs in the oceans are dead. Global warming...

Starving sea lion babies are washing ashore on the coast of California. No fish to eat...

There's more. Much more... But it's just too painful to read.

You probably have some of you're own observations where you live. This isn't just confined to the oceans.

We are destroying the cocoon of life that created all life – and supports us in every way.

The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, has stated; “Indeed the world is currently facing a sixth wave of extinctions, mainly as a result of human impacts.” This is may end up being the greatest extinction event in Earth's history.

Think about it... the irony...

We are on the verge of life after our expected death: 

stem cell therapy

gene therapy

micro and nanotechnology

super-nutrition

There are some among us who may be capable of living far longer than our ancestors.

And though Life on Earth isn't exactly God to most of us, it's essentially doing God's work. Life on Earth functions as “God on Earth” for us. But, life on Earth can die. 

...What if we learn how to live forever, just as we kill God?

I believe that would be this world's definition of “Hell.”

Water May Soon Become A Federal Issue

If the States can't come to sensible water agreements soon, the Federal Government may get involved. 

It only makes sense that if inland States pay for desalination facilities off the coast, they should get more water from the rivers that lead to the coast. And coastal communities should support this because they too will get more water.

But how much more water? 1%? 5%? 20%? 50%? Negotiations for how much more water coastal communities get than upriver communities could lead to standoffs that could last for years, if not decades. If the States can't agree to providing more water for everybody, the Federal Government may step in to set guidelines.

But then again, there may be other reasons the Federal Government may get involved.

Developing a new technology is expensive. Developing renewable energy powered offshore desalination is no exception. 

 

Coastal military bases, such as Camp Pendleton, are considering desalination. Herein lies an opportunity for the use of Defense monies to develop renewable energy powered offshore desalination facilities.

Also; Federal subsidies for desalination would be a sensible use of taxpayer monies. 

And if that doesn't work, Nevada still can sue to get the Federal Government to pick up at least part of the bill. Nuclear Tests polluted a vast amount of underground water under the Nevada Test Site. Nevadans didn't ask to be the sacrificial nuclear test site area. Which means that the Federal Government owes Nevada for the water they polluted. 

Either way, Southern Nevadans could save 15 to 20 billion dollars on the watergrab pipeline and get significant Federal financial help designing/developing/building desalination facilities off the coast. Moreover, SNWA would only have to pay for desalination facilities as needed. Which means far less money up front from people in Nevada who won't really benefit from these water projects.

The people who already live in Las Vegas already have enough water. This water is for growth. The people of Las Vegas are being told they have to foot the bill for water someone else. At the present population, that amounts to almost $10,000 for every man, woman, and child in the Las Vegas Valley. When the watergrab pipeline bills start to come in, they aren't going to be happy. But if smaller desalination projects can be built, as needed, new residents can pay the bills for their own water. We shouldn't have to ask the Federal Government to force SNWA to be more fair. But apparently, it has come down to that.

Top 10 Reasons Why Offshore Desalination Is Better

1. No ugly desalination plants to look at on the coast.

2. No huge releases of brackish water in shallow coastal waters.

3. No angry hordes of environmentalists protesting on the beach.

4. Because offshore desalination facilities would be smaller:

      a. they would be less expensive and could be built as needed

      b. distributed facilities would mean greater reliability (loss of one facility of

          many wouldn't matter as much)

      c. consequently, they would be less susceptible to terrorism

      d. they would release much smaller amounts of brackish water – into deep waters

      e. they would require less power per facility

      f. they would be easier to relocate

5. Barges could be moved away from red tides

6. Offshore facilities would be unharmed by tsunamis

7. Offshore facilities would be unharmed by earthquakes

8. Offshore facilities would be unharmed by floods

9. Offshore facilities would be unaffected by sea level rise

10. There is room offshore to install renewable energy generation