Canadians deliver water to protest Detroit shutoffs

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Sorry if this is all repeats, I'm not going to read 14 pages

Normally I roll my eyes at the do-gooders making minimal gestures to make themselves feel good - in this case though they got tremendous bang for the buck... for the cost of a caravan of 750 gallons of water they may have pushed this event enough into the limelight to cause an actual change. Well done.

I'm not sure what the debate here is - the US has already agreed that water is a basic right. The only debate should be on how that water is delivered and payed for. Piping it in using the current infrastructure is the cheapest route so the only reason not to use it is to try and force those who are not paying to pay.. This would cost more than the back money they owed so it seems like a non-starter.. Better to put liens on properties and other "IOUs" to those not paying. Yes this mean in many cases bills are not paid - In the long run the amount the rest of us have to pay to make up the difference will be less.

Edited July 28, 2014 by OnMyWayID

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

The poor in this country are not left to die. Sorry.

You are correct. Hence the problem was already solved before you even posted about it.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Sorry if this is all repeats, I'm not going to read 14 pages

Normally I roll my eyes at the do-gooders making minimal gestures to make themselves feel good - in this case though they got tremendous bang for the buck... for the cost of a caravan of 750 gallons of water they may have pushed this event enough into the limelight to cause an actual change. Well done.

I'm not sure what the debate here is - the US has already agreed that water is a basic right. The only debate should be on how that water is delivered and payed for. Piping it in using the current infrastructure is the cheapest route so the only reason not to use it is to try and force those who are not paying to pay.. This would cost more than the back money they owed so it seems like a non-starter.. Better to put liens on properties and other "IOUs" to those not paying. Yes this mean in many cases bills are not paid - In the long run the amount the rest of us have to pay to make up the difference will be less.

Spoken like someone who understands the basic needs of humans.

The problem is, even though the U.S. has agreed that water is a basic right of the U.S. and all of the world, they never back up what they write on paper. Go figure.

Then, you have the other people who lack certain characteristics pertaining to humanity who believe people should go without water. I understand everyone is entitled to their own opinion but........

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140717/OPINION01/307170005/-1/rss23

<snip>

But nearly all of those with incomes below the poverty line receive public assistance. That’s money provided by their fellow citizens to help them pay for their basic needs — food, water, clothing, shelter.

And yet barely 50 percent of Detroiters pay their water bill. Meanwhile, up to two-thirds of city residents pay to keep their cable or satellite television service current. And 72 percent do the same to maintain their cellphones.

It’s not a stretch to guess the reason delinquency rates are lower for cable and cellphone service is that the cable and telephone companies cut off customers who don’t pay their bills. The Detroit water department hasn’t done that much, until now.

So instead of using what resources they have to cover their needs, many water customers instead have chosen to service their wants. That’s what happens when people are conditioned to think someone else is responsible for taking care of them.

In Detroit, the someone else is the half of residents who do pay their water bills, and this year were hit with an 11 percent rate increase that was largely necessary to cover the unpaid bills of scofflaws.

Since the cut-offs began, more customers are paying up. The overwhelming majority of households hit with a shut-off are settling their debt to get the water flowing again, suggesting they could have been paying all along. The desperate cases are being offered a variety of assistance programs to make sure no one who truly can’t pay for water is shut off.

Spoken like someone who understands the basic needs of humans.

The problem is, even though the U.S. has agreed that water is a basic right of the U.S. and all of the world, they never back up what they write on paper. Go figure.

Then, you have the other people who lack certain characteristics pertaining to humanity who believe people should go without water. I understand everyone is entitled to their own opinion but........

The US agreed ? I don't recall that being on any ballot I ever saw ?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

That's not biased at all is it

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Edit: Same article quoted just above, no need to repeat.

Edited July 28, 2014 by OnMyWayID

[Janelle2002 3,865]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140717/OPINION01/307170005/-1/rss23

<snip>

But nearly all of those with incomes below the poverty line receive public assistance. That’s money provided by their fellow citizens to help them pay for their basic needs — food, water, clothing, shelter.

And yet barely 50 percent of Detroiters pay their water bill. Meanwhile, up to two-thirds of city residents pay to keep their cable or satellite television service current. And 72 percent do the same to maintain their cellphones.

It’s not a stretch to guess the reason delinquency rates are lower for cable and cellphone service is that the cable and telephone companies cut off customers who don’t pay their bills. The Detroit water department hasn’t done that much, until now.

So instead of using what resources they have to cover their needs, many water customers instead have chosen to service their wants. That’s what happens when people are conditioned to think someone else is responsible for taking care of them.

In Detroit, the someone else is the half of residents who do pay their water bills, and this year were hit with an 11 percent rate increase that was largely necessary to cover the unpaid bills of scofflaws.

Since the cut-offs began, more customers are paying up. The overwhelming majority of households hit with a shut-off are settling their debt to get the water flowing again, suggesting they could have been paying all along. The desperate cases are being offered a variety of assistance programs to make sure no one who truly can’t pay for water is shut off.

The US agreed ? I don't recall that being on any ballot I ever saw ?

Quoted from a person who did not quote the resource of his stats?

This is an estimated opinion at best, not from any kind of statistical data.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

I'm donating 100 dollars to the cause. Anyone else care to pitch in?

Not saying I wouldn't ever do such, but in this case, I think donating will only escalate the problem of dependency on others.

Plus, I just donated $200 to a family whose house was destroyed by lightning (not due to anything they did or did not do), and loaned $3K to a family with 3 kids who hit some financial difficulties, so I am rather tapped out at the moment.

[Boiler 45,535]

And yet you referred to them as Africans... Interesting...

African American

They certainly did not look Irish American.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Percents are hard for people!

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

This was a natural disaster caused by our idiotic politicians. Detroit was doing okay until the auto industry crashed. Then they decided to cut the pensions in Detroit 4.5% but why are the politicians still receiving their same salary. They should take a cut too to support the economy of Detroit, not it's citizens only.

Cable is cheaper than water? Aiyooooo

What has our country come too when you can get cable cheaper than water.

Please post your source

No, it was NOT a natural disaster, but a man made one.

And he never said cable was cheaper; rather, folks chose to pay for cable before water. Pretty dumb decision, if it is true.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Some of them only had bills of $150. Wow!! Big savings! Please let me skip out on paying this because I can save sooo much money.

In my area, that's about 10 months of non-payment. In my last locale, about 3 months. Either way, a conscious decision was made not to pay for water. Not just one time, but several. Personally, water is one of the FIRST bills I'd pay, unless I had an alternative source nearby.

But what do I know?

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

The US agreed ? I don't recall that being on any ballot I ever saw ?

On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realization of all human rights. The Resolution calls upon States and international organisations to provide financial resources, help capacity-building and technology transfer to help countries, in particular developing countries, to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.

In November 2002, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted General Comment No. 15 on the right to water. Article I.1 states that "The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights". Comment No. 15 also defined the right to water as the right of everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable and physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses.

http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/human_right_to_water.shtml

--

We can argue about what's fair but if I have to pay an extra 20 dollars per month to create a system of forcing people to pay to make it fair as opposed to say 10 a month knowing some get away with not paying I'll choose the second option... We should supply water through the infrastructure (the lowest cost) and put effort on the money collection side, not the supply-the-water side..

[GandD 5,966]

The US agreed ? I don't recall that being on any ballot I ever saw ?

You vote for representatives. Representatives then vote for you or appoint people to vote for you. That's how things work. What UN resolution have you ever voted for? Why do you even make statements like this? Is it to waste my time?

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

In my area, that's about 10 months of non-payment. In my last locale, about 3 months. Either way, a conscious decision was made not to pay for water. Not just one time, but several. Personally, water is one of the FIRST bills I'd pay, unless I had an alternative source nearby.

But what do I know?

In my area Water is combined with the rest of the services (sewage and trash) - the highest bill I ever received was when I had a leak under the house and 10,000 gallons was lost.. My bill that month was 87 dollars.

I will bet in the Detroit case word got out that they would not turn the water off so people stopped paying their bills - this got around enough that eventually enough people did it to force the cities hand. I base this on that out of 90,000 delinquent accounts in one month they only shut of 400 of which 200 were turned on the next day... those 400 must have been seriously behind.