Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? I agree. Who would sell a mouthful of water for ONLY one dollar when soon everyone will be paying ten times that for the same amount? Now, I bet you're thinking "THAT is pure nonsense!" Is it really? Look around for a minute and take note of the world we live in.

Just a decade ago, who would have thought we'd be paying for "purified", "filtered", "spring" or "mineral" water in caseloads? And, do we really know what the definition of these types of water really mean? Just recently a major player in the bottled water industry was found to have "mislabeled" their product. The labels were misleading consumers into thinking the product was originating from a natural spring when in fact it was coming from the same source that most of us visit at the kitchen sink! Of course, the labeling was corrected and now rightfully claims to be "purified" water instead. So sorry. But, what does that mean? The water from my tap isn't "pure" water?

Well, if you monitor the price of these products at all, you'll notice that all of them have been silently, but steadily, increasing ever so slightly over the past few years. Mind you, it is only a few pennies here and there, but don't forget, we're talking about paying a premium for a natural resource already! (Wait until you have to pay for the air you breath! "Would you like lemon flavored or grape flavored oxygen?")

Now, I'm not a betting man, but I would venture to say the businesses that have managed to convince us that we need to pay extra for this "better" water will very soon take a lesson from the gas companies who have learned to profit from every natural event that affects the supply chain to which they belong. With global warming claiming a portion of daily headlines, and drought conditions affecting more areas of the world each day, don't be surprised to see the price of these products take off like a rocket on a day in July. Those often spied water fountains just hanging around restroom areas in public places will soon become partners to their coin-operated cousins dispensing the bottled stuff to willing customers. I can almost hear it now, "Mama, can I have a dollar? I want to get a drink of water."

A dollar for a mouthful of water?! But, wait! ...I'm throwing in a free bag of FRESH air! What a deal!