CA Couple Will Face Fine If They Water Their Lawn, or Pay Another Fine If They Don't

[KrazyHorse]

I know that it WOULD happen. The question is WHY.

As I said, status quo bias + some unnamed bias against being able to pay the government more money to get better/more stuff.

[AAAAAAAAH!]

Those may be factors but people would still want to ration water during a drought in the southwestern US even if water was already privately sold.

[Guynemer]

Those may be factors but people would still want to ration water during a drought in the southwestern US even if water was already privately sold.

The southwestern US is in a perpetual state of drought; there simply is not enough local water to support the population of Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, etc.

[AAAAAAAAH!]

The southwestern US is in a perpetual state of drought; there simply is not enough local water to support the population of Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, etc.

That's a point in favor of Krazyhorse's proposal.

[The Mad Monk]

I'm glad people don't leave tons of food on their lawns.

I do. our garden is so productive, we can't handle it all.

I'm glad food is easier to import from other regions than water.

It isn't. That's why food costs more per pound.

[Hauldren Collider]

If they let the price go up, someone would do something like build desalination plants and other supply-increasing activities in order to meet demand. Trying to keep the price down just causes shortages.

[Aeson]

Graduated pricing. (Probably only need 2 brackets.) Up to minimum water usage requirements would be kept lower.

This way rich people could pay exorbitant prices to keep their fountains going through the drought, and poor people still have water to wash their hands/drink/boil noodles in. The best part would be the whining of the less-wealthy wealthy when some Enron clone buys up all the discretionary water in SoCal.

[Fake Boris]

They should seed their yard with a less demanding plant.

[AAAAAAAAH!]

Cactus?

[Aeson]

gravel

[Aeson]

Smurf Turf

[Fake Boris]

Cactus?

Thyme

[Fake Boris]

gravel

Zen rock garden