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Rich Jerks Think It's Cool To Waste Water During The Drought
The entire state of California is in the midst of an epic drought, meaning every Californian has to do their part to cut back on water usage—though some of the state's wealthiest think they are exempt."It angers me because people aren't looking at the overall picture. What are we supposed to do, just have dirt around our house on four acres?" Gay Butler told the Washington Post. Butler lives in the ultra-wealthy San Diego suburb of Rancho Santa Fe, which has actually seen their water use spike up nine percent ever since Governor Jerry Brown called on Californians to cut back. This mindset, according to the Post, is not unusual among California's wealthiest suburbs.
"We pay significant property taxes based on where we live," conservative talk-show host Steve Yuhas, another Rancho Santa Fe resident said recently in an interview. "And, no, we're not all equal when it comes to water." He thinks that as precious water is becoming scarcer and scarcer, wealthy people shouldn't be forced to suffer the indignity of having brown lawns or playing golf on brown golf courses, and detests the trend of drought-shaming.
Brett Barbre, who sits on the board for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, calls it "the war on suburbia" and likened his right to waste water to the right to bear arms, using former NRA President Charlton Heston's quote: "They'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands."
"California... is slowly becoming the land of one group telling everybody else how they think everybody should live their lives," said Barbre, who apparently thinks using a finite resource has no consequence on the world at large.
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Despite this mentality existing among some people, Rancho Santa Fe officials and leaders think that most people in their community are doing their part. Some have embraced drought-tolerant landscaping. "Everybody has been trying to cut back," said Rancho Santa Fe Association president Ann Boon.
And they'll be forced to soon. Starting next month, Rancho Santa Fe will be subject to water rationing. Their restrictions will be among the strictest in the state, and the worst offenders could have their water cut off.
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