MLIRD

Reader wants to see voting rules change

Ahh the "Golden Rule." You know, those with the gold make the rules. Then there's the "Law of the Jungle," the strongest and fiercest rule, then they eat you! Thanks to Sam Colt jungle rules now have an equalizer to influence the outcome. The Greeks tried to level the playing field by giving the world democracy. One man, one vote.

The influence of wealth continued, and always will carry the ability to sway support. But it still only buys one vote at a time. Unless you live within the MLIRD boundary. Then you get two votes for each parcel you own! Five lots, 10 votes; 20 lots, 40 votes; 100 lots, 200 votes! It's an "irrigation" district in name only. There are only a handful of real "irrigators" who draw water from the lake. Lawn waterers along the lake shore are not irrigators! And no one has a flow meter on their pump.

The MLIRD has morphed into a "rehabilitation and recreation" priority. We must preserve the water right to irrigate no matter how few true irrigators we have. But to preserve a system where the number of votes a man can cast is limited only buy how much money he could spend to buy parcels? Geez, what if a west side millionaire came over and bought up everything someone would sell him? It may or may not be far-fetched, but it would still give one man unlimited votes! The wealthy will always pay more in taxes, comes with the wealth. But wealth should never entitle a person to more than one vote. To preserve such a system in Moses Lake should be abhorrent. Unless, of course, you own the largest number of parcels.

A lot has changed since 1928, when the MLID was formed. Let's update the rules.

Jon Smith

Moses Lake