We always appreciate effervescent, fluid prose so our hats are off to Kevin Murphy of the Winona (Wisconsin) Daily News for this splashy headline:
Dirty water politics side note: Kevin also reports that “The higher rates may also determine if the city’s only laundromat stays in business.”
You know the feeling, you see a tantalizing headline and bolt upright in your chair; like today, when “Doomsday Jim” (this blog’s eyes and ears “down-under”) sends a link to this:
Wow! I read further on macedonia.eu:
Householders would be charged for each flush under a radical new toilet tax designed to help beat the drought.
This is groundbreaking! Naturally, I am envisioning something like this:
Let’s read more! How shall they implement and administrate this exciting innovation?
The reform would see the abolition of the property-based charge with one based on a pay-as-you-go rate and a small fixed annual fee to cover the cost of meter readings and pipeline maintenance…As nearly all of (the homes in) mainland Australia’s cities and towns already have water meters, introduction of a volumetric charge, such as that used in the City of Bellaire, would not be difficult to implement.
Oh. Charges based on volume. Just like they do it my suburb. I’ve shared my belief over the years that the headline and lead-in should be 5% of the word count but 95% of the labor. This is yet more proof of the truth.
Unnecessary footnote: Photo is a faked-up photoshop job by the author. To my knowledge no such metered toilet exists.