Responding to extreme drought conditions in 2015, California governor Jerry Brown ordered a mandatory 25 percent reduction in water use for most Californians. Commenting on the order, Steve Yuhas, a resident of the wealthy San Diego suburb Rancho Santa Fe, reportedly said: “[People] should not be forced to live on property with brown lawns, golf on brown courses or apologize for wanting their gardens to be beautiful. We pay significant property taxes based on where we live. And, no, we’re not all equal when it comes to water.” 

a. Should the wealthy be able to buy as much water as they wish? Explain.

b. Explain Yuhas’s argument that we’re not all equal when it comes to water. See Rob Kuznia, “Rich Californians Balk at Limits: ‘We’re Not All Equal When It Comes to Water,’” The Washington Post, June 13, 2015 [www.washingtonpost.com].