Instinctively The People do know that offering up our kids' water as collateral to the bond banks is not prudent. They used to offer up our houses as collateral to the bond banks until one day the people collectively awakened to property tax bills they no longer could afford.

At all cost we must be able to afford water. And if the city needs a PR firm to package, spin, and sell this deal, it must not be the best thing for us.

I'm the first guy to guffaw and bellyache when business is accused of being too corrupt, and then the vast improvement is government takeover- as in health “reform”. But, the common thread is that whether business or government, the taxpaying citizenry has NO trust. None. Zilch. We howl and beg for transparency and simplicity, but all we get are the same old shell games.

If you want to run health care, or sidewalk repair, or sports facility management, or a batch of public schools, you can continue to evade, hide, and obfuscate reality- or you can come clean. “Coming clean” does not mean transfer a water company and at the same time fix sidewalks and tear down houses. However worthwhile it MIGHT be, it doesn’t fly in the present societal and political climate.

Earth to voter: We're still at 10% unemployment, millions and billions behind in tax revenue for ungodly spending, trillions in obligations yet ahead, all with business scared %&*!less and more taxes returning next year. Do you feel particularly trusting of government right now? Maybe I missed something. Is there any way citizens, in their present mood of seething frustration and distrust, want anything to do with murkiness, evasion, and lack of candor from their elected representatives? We’ve sent a hidden encrypted message to our public servants along the lines of, “I may say I want you to be clear and transparent in spending our tax dollars, but I what I REALLY want you to do is muddle things up so we not quite sure what, where, and how money’s being spent.”? That’s the secret decoder ring message we've really sent? That's all they seem to be receiving.

If we need to transfer a water company- transfer it. Period. You want more money for more stuff? That's another topic to weigh separately. I may not presently trust government collectively and the water deal specifically, but I'm a long way from being the Lone Ranger on that sentiment.

Using Bateman's logic, I think I'll get an oil change today, because I get a $10 gift card, and I need some laundry soap.

I favor selling the water utility, and Citizens is probably a good entity to buy it.

The rest of the del is pure electioneering puffery. But that's what passes for leadership in this city, so we have to swallow it.

There. A lot less than 600 words.