MI: pass the compact, don't surrender the public's water

As intransigent legislators and lobbyists in Michigan -- for no defensible reason -- refuse to assure public ownership of water in that state's pending water conservation legislation, the advice from the Detroit Free Press yesterday makes more sense. Break the link between the legislation and Michigan's approval of the Great Lakes Compact, and pass the latter. Come back again and again on the other bills until the public trust is protected.

There is no clamor in the general population for commercializing Michigan's water. In fact, any decent public opinion survey would show an 80-20 margin against. So why are a few special interests in Lansing refusing to enact language that expresses the people's will?