Jason Rantz: WWU students cite absurd reason for banning bottled water

Starting April 1, students won’t be able to buy bottled water on the Western Washington University campus. The Bellingham school will be the largest college or university in our state to ban it.

In a press release, Carolyn Bowie, a member of the Students for Sustainable water said bottled water and water privatization is detrimental to the environment and human rights.

“When WWU implements this change, we will proudly support our local water source, Lake Whatcom, and be a leader in standing up against water privatization in the United States and around the world. This change is important because it means upholding Western’s values in sustainability and social justice,” said Bowie in the release.

KIRO Radio host Jason Rantz questions just how the sale of bottled water is an issue of human rights and social justice.

“I don’t understand what that means as it relates specifically to human rights and social justice because those are words that are just liberal, PC nonsense. These are code words that progressives like to throw out there to gain some meaning in their lives, but don’t often back it up with any logic or reason.”

Of the students who voted on the issue, 73 percent of students approved the ban. While these types of progressive movements are popular on college campuses everywhere, Rantz doesn’t think students should be claiming this as a human rights issue.

“What this really seems to be is anti-Capitalism, anti-business. They’re saying hey we don’t like the fact that a business is deciding to come in there and sell us something we can get for free,” he said.

“This idea that it’s about social justice and human rights is just utterly absurd.”

Rantz suggests those students who want the ban simply not purchase the bottle of water.

Bowie told KIRO Radio in a separate interview that their decision is based in their belief that water is a shared resource that everyone should have a right to.

“That’s one of our big pushes – bottled water turns what should be a shared resource and what is a human right into a commodity to be bought and sold for profit,” said Bowie.