Pay More. Boil Water. Shut up and Sit Down.

On today’s episode of “The Audacity of These People,” the El Paso Water Utility - through the Public Service Board - decided the best possible moment to jack up water rates by more than 12% was the exact same day thousands of Northeast El Pasoans are still boiling water like it’s 1897. You can’t drink it. You can’t cook with it. Schools are scrambling. Businesses are bleeding. 

But hey - shut up and pay more. Because… reasons.

And just in case anyone thought they could ask questions about this mess before getting hit with the higher bill, surprise! A woman at the public meeting dared to demand answers and was promptly introduced to three full-sized police officers who piled on her like she was public enemy number one. The video shows her small, unarmed, and very much not resisting - unless asking inconvenient questions now qualifies as violent extremism.

Now, to be fair - because accuracy matters - the mayor was there, and he was one of only two votes against the rate hike. Gold star. But let’s not pretend the system isn’t rotten. The PSB is appointed by City Council, and City Council answers to… well, not voters, apparently. Because when turnout is anemic, accountability is optional.

This whole thing is the most El Paso thing that could possibly happen. Raise rates while failing spectacularly. Silence public dissent. Act shocked when people are mad. Then clutch pearls when folks lose trust in local government.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: our elected leaders aren’t afraid of us. Why would they be? We don’t vote in numbers big enough to scare anyone. So they cater to the same donors, the same insiders, the same power structures - and the rest of us get told to boil water and shut up.

That’s how bullies operate. They start counting your lunch money before you even get to the cafeteria, confident you won’t swing back.

So yes - kudos to the woman who stood up. She didn’t just ask questions; she embodied the entire situation in El Paso right now. Heavy-handed government. Fragile authority. Zero tolerance for being challenged.

They forgot who they’re supposed to protect and serve. Right now, they look less like public servants and more like the face of repression.

And before the usual crowd rushes in to defend the officers, let’s be clear about what you’re really saying:

Comply. 

Do what you’re told. 

Stay in line. 

Don’t cause trouble.

Don’t ask questions they don’t like. 

Don’t demand accountability.

Don’t petition your government. Don’t exercise your rights.

Be docile. Be compliant. Be controlled.

That’s what the “patriots” would’ve done, right?

Oh wait - no. They were the first ones to tell authority to go to hell, dumped tea in the harbor, and stood up to a king. Funny how “freedom” always seems to end right where public officials get uncomfortable.

And if you need one last chef’s-kiss example of how upside-down things are: the El Paso Police union is doing an event with Governor Greg Abbott.

If that doesn’t perfectly capture El Paso in 2026, I don’t know what does.