In Detroit: No Money, No Water

Originally posted by predator0187
I never understood this... How can we possibly take water from people? Just because they can not afford the bill. Insane what the world has come to when people who have no money cannot have a basic service of water.

Funny how if a farmer did that to his cattle, he would be charged with animal cruelty offences. But if our masters do it to us, it's our fault.

If humans are to be used for a country's gain, they should at least be taken care of properly.

And you people laugh at the South..... HAHAHAHAHAHAH

No, really.......

reply to post by NuclearPaul


You would think hey? Least they can do when all we do is pay for them to get rich is let us survive.

Water is a basic necessity of life and there should be no paying for it. The privatization of water is unreal. There have been riots in other countries over it, but us, no, we'll just sit here and pay for it. The purification should be paid for in full from the government. What are they there to do? take care of us? They're doing a shi##y job...

Pred...

reply to post by predator0187


If you're very sick, you might die without medication.. yet providing that for free would be "socialism" and "government takeover," according to some...

reply to post by Kaytagg


True and I do agree. But if the big mega corporations stop putting sh#t in our foods that is making us sick there would be plenty less sick people. Stop putting chemicals in all of our food and water/drinks and there would be a lot less demand on the health care system.

The biggest cause of disease is malnourishment, if we were completely nourished by our food then health care would be so miniscule money wise that the government would have no problem paying it.

We would have a few problems but nothing like everyone eating garbage as there is now.

Pred...

Water is free just catch the rain or dig a well , these people are dumb and waiting for Obama to bail them out , Water is every where but they want people to give them theres , thats bull get your own water and food and make it on you own stop asking for hand outs

reply to post by yenko13


You mean the water that falls from the skies that is polluted by big refineries or from the airplane exhaust fumes? The stuff they call acid rain that has a very low pH?

I am all for catching rain, in a place with very little pollution. This is Detroit the motor city.

You go catch the rain and drink it. Let me know how that goes...

Pred...

[edit on 22-4-2010 by predator0187]

in a county near me, there was a referundum
for the county to vote on a public water
system county wide. Everybody voted based
upon what was printed in the local paper.
After it passed voting, it was implemented.
It took a year for this county wide water
system to be built. When it was completed.
the entire county population received a water
tax added into their property tax bill once a year.
That water tax avg around $200.00 a yr for
ALL residents. Flocks went to the county tax office
to protest this tax cuz they were not provided
water services. Some roads in the county,
pipes were not even laid so these folks (about
30%) didn't even have access to the water. Yet
they were billed for it. Others protested to the point
of not paying their property taxes. tax man got fed
up with it so he started repossessing real property.
These folks took this to Fed court and LOST the suit.
So now everybody in the county pays their water
tax or they lose their home. It's quite an extortion
scheme going on by the county. If the folks had been
told before the vote that some wouldn't be getting
water and still have to pay, the referendum would
have had a very different outcome.

reply to post by predator0187


I do catch rain and filter it , Its not hard and has no chlorine fluoride , Dont you see its all in the peoples minds that they cant get water because they are spoiled and want it through a tap for free and thats not gonna happen, I grow all my food with rain water and cook with it too, So can anybody , I shower with well water and I never paid a dime for water



[edit on 023030p://amvam by yenko13]

reply to post by boondock-saint


Does this country have a name? or is it one of those friend of a friend countries which you only know second hand? :p


/edit, oh, COUNTY.. where did this happen?

[edit on 22-4-2010 by Kaytagg]

reply to post by yenko13


It's probably not easy to do when you're in your 90s, and your body is on the cusp of death... Old people who can't pay their water bill should probably get it for free, regardless.

Originally posted by Kaytagg
Does this country have a name? or is it one of those friend of a friend countries which you only know second hand? :p

It's Columbus County, NC

and I know first hand cuz
my parents live there

here is a link to the County Board meeting minutes
note: this is a pdf document

www.columbusco.org...

If u'll notice in section 3 of that document that it was
supposed to be put in the paper. However, the printed
version differed from the meeting minutes and left out
certain info. I don't have a copy of that newspaper as they
didn't go online with archives til about 2-3 yrs ago.


[edit on 22-4-2010 by boondock-saint]

reply to post by predator0187


right...it's those chemicals that keep the really bad crap out...I mean you could just purify water but still.

I'm with yenko here, fend for yourself and don't wait for help. I don't think you people really know what the rest of the world is like. People can deal with making their own water drinkable. I had to do it this winter.

If it's that bad, nobody is keeping them in that city. Nobody is keeping them jobless. They're helpless and pathetic, and that is nothing but a product of their own making.

Again, if you pay for anything (if anyone pays for it) it is not a right. God didn't GIVE you water to drink therefore it's not a right. Rights are endowed specifically by God, or whatever the supreme being is. People like you can't grasp that there is danger in living and not everything is going to be safe. The government can't wipe your butt for you. Go to Soviet Russia, see how that worked out.

Originally posted by loner007
In Europe YOu cannot have your water cut off, as its against basic human rights.

In South Africa they cannot cut the water off but they can come and fit a restriction valve to your main water line that only allows you to use 200 litres of water per day

Originally posted by harrytuttle
They might want to rethink their tough stance on cutting off water. Humans are very creative when it comes to getting basic needs, and carrying out vengeance.

i'd guess the fire hydrants would be the first attack target...



isn't Detroit where the devils night (the night before halloween)
originated---where many buildings are set on fire?

[edit on 22-4-2010 by St Udio]

Well, I don't live in Detroit, neither am I an US citizen, so I can't claim I know all the details.

Here in Brazil, though, it's pretty simple.

The city government can chose to run the service on its own or privatise it.

Water services is something usually done by companies and the population have to pay for it.

I know a few interesting cases from some small cities.

Case # 1 - City of Cogonhas in Minas Gerais state.

In Congonhas, water is free. That means the city government has to fit the costs into the annual budget and run the service on its own. Now, anyone who's tried to get hired by a government knows they are almost always in a tight budget(heck, at least in most cities here in brazil).

Anyways, water is free. One day they found a corpse in the water supply. That´s right. A corpse. Either someone fell into it and drowned or was murdered and thrown in there. And the corpse looked like its been there for a little while.

It hit the news and the population was enraged. The mayor said, then, that they didn't have the budget to run the water service properly and that the best idea was to privatise the water service, but let them know that once that was done, the population would have to start paying for the water. And left the choice to the citizens.

Well, they decided they would rather keep the poor water service instead of having to pay for water.

I know you cna say the city government HAS to provide a good service, but that´s good to read on the paper. Now try to fit the costs of that into the city budget. It´s not easy.

Case # 2 - City of Piquete in the state of Sao Paulo.

This city has a population of 10.000. With a population that small and no industry or any big company in your city, there aren't much taxes to be collected, so the budget is extremely tight.

Still, city provides water AND energy for free. Now that is absurd. Free energy. There is almost no money left. But people got to used to have all this free stuff that they dont understand it costs money to give it to them for free. And then they demand MORE STUFF. Like, pave the roads, build more schools, raise the salaries of public school teachers, buy an ambulance, etc etc.

So the mayor said that the city has no money to do all that and that he would privatise water and energy. That way the population would have to start paying for those things, but at least the city would have the budget to invest in other areas.

The population was against it!

Now, it seems from what I have read that Detroit has many other problemas besides the water issue, but I can't know for sure.

But speaking from my perspective here in Brazil, I would rather pay for my water and electricity than to get a corpse in the water supply or ruin the city budget just get stuff for free.



[edit on 22-4-2010 by henriquefd]

I am a hard core capitalist! I spend my days laughing at and calling people commies (usually intentionally applying the word incorrectly to situations just for fun and shock value, ie "the reason that I didn't buy from that telemarketer is that he was nothing but a friggin commie!")

I have to admit though, I find myself siding with the people who say water should never be cut off to anyone. In the scheme of things, I would frankly not mind even paying a buck or two more a month (and it really wouldn't cost that much) than i do currently for my water bill if the water bill ceased to come and then I was charged instead on my property taxes. If it meant a kid wouldn't have to go without water, who in the world could reasonably argue with that? I can't think of a capitalist that would deny a thirsty child a glass of water. And if you can find me one, I frankly would personally beat him or her senseless.

There isn't a reasonable democrat or republican (side note, i should end the sentence there!) that would ever deny people water. If they are doing that in Detroit (or anywhere else for that matter) they should be pulled out into the street and again, beaten senseless.

Just my two cents.

I lived for several months without running water or electricity. It was saving me money. I just pulled 10 gallons from the canal each day.

Then I get a knock on the door and there's a cop and some social worker. They told me if I didn't start takig water and electricity I'd be evicted.

So in Detroit I won't get evicted for not having running water? Last I knew few in Detroit could afford their homes. Are they all technically squatting or something?


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by Mr Headshot

This is why.

Water companies need money to operate, electricity costs money. See how capitalism works? Let's just have the government take over water supplies, yeah that'll work.

In Michigan water and sewer are controlled by the government. Charges for usage are to the property where it was used and payable to the city it's located. Unlike other utilities, unpaid balances and shut offs are attached to the property, not the user.

Utility companies do need money to operate, but most areas here in MI. are monopolized by single giant corps. affording consumers no alternative supplier. Energy costs here have skyrocketed causing many business failures. Unrestricted monopolies and corporate collusion are a huge reality and play a large part in destroying Michigan's economy. See how this is not capitalism?

This country portrayed as free market capitalism is a fraud. Capitalism only works when the playing field is level and fair. Competition is mandatory for adjusting prices, yet these utility monopolies are allowed to extort and even bankrupt businesses. In a free market you cannot cause someone the need for a service then provide it as well, yet giant auto insurers are opening collision repair shops to control the cost of auto claims. Worse they are red lining and steering customers away from non insurer owned shops to theirs by slandering repairers out of business and scaring claimers. They get away with this because the justice system here is also for sale. UCC code and other illegalities that violate our phony system are only enforced on the little guys that can't afford favorable verdicts. Same goes for polluting and waste disposal. Small companies that generate tiny amounts of waste pay dearly to follow the laws of handling it, while big corporations grease palms so they can dump huge amounts of toxic waste anywhere they please.

This country is not practicing free market capitalism, but people like you have no clue what's going on. Sadly you are somehow in the majority of people that have no interest in confirming things you're told to believe? Interested in defending, boasting and spreading it around, but not interested in confirming or testing it for accuracy? These people know that we fought to make this country our own, but have no clue it was made a Federal Republic? One day they are told that the USA is a Democracy, so they've since defended, boasted and spread it around, but never realize the truth?

Do yourself a favor and actually look at your statement and try to prove it's true.

reply to post by Zerbst


Good post man, and I agree this isn't capitalism. It's a mixed economy. We can reclaim true capitalism but that would take too much hard work for people. We just want it easy and all but given to us.

star 4 u