No shortage of water for Lakeside residents?

The editorial board of Austin American Statesman released an article titled Lakeside residents, your days of free water are over. In the article the author writes about how Lakeside residents have been enjoying unlimited use of water from their nearby lake without any restrictions or management from the LCRA. The area residents are aware that the water is not free for them to consume and the LCRA is aware that residents are not bound by a contract to pay for their water but yet had not enforced any action.

In my opinion I feel as if the author of the editorial is making an attempt to inform the public of the water consumption issue that is occurring while we are experiencing a water shortage. A person reading the article would think that the author is intending for the audience to be the public. The author does appear to be addressing the public but at the same time is making the Lakeside residents along with the LCRA know they are both the parties at fault and pointing out the fact blatantly.

The author claims that the lakeside residents have not been voluntarily paying for the water which they have used, nor has the LCRA been enforcing residents to pay for their usage either. The author of the editorial also made sure to include the fact that our current water levels are below average, which should cause the lakeside residents and the LCRA to take even more strides into managing the amount of water being used so that other residents do not incur a shortage of water. If a shortage of water were to occur and being that the public has now been informed of the “free water” that Lakeside residents have had access to, I am betting that the public will want to have further investigation as to if the shortage was caused by the LCRA’s failure to manage the Lakeside residents water usage.

Dallas District Attorney in contempt

On Monday February 6, 2012 Grits For Breakfast featured an article titled Dallas DA defies court order, refuses to reveal police criminal histories. This article discusses how the Dallas DA is being held in contempt due to their failure to comply with a court order. While this may not come as a surprise to many, the reason as to why the Dallas DA is in contempt is actually quite interesting. A criminal court judge has ordered prosecutors to share criminal histories of police officers with defense attorneys when the officers are testifying in court for misdemeanors, which the DA has refused to do. The main argument with this case comes down to the DA feeling as if releasing police officers criminal background histories is a violation of the federal law due to invasion of privacy. Currently witnesses and jurors are subject to criminal background checks, but police officers testifying are being treated as an exception to the rule.

I recommend this article to anyone who is interested in our justice system and who would like to be made aware of the inconsistencies that witnesses face based on what side of the law they sit on.