US crumbling. Detroit shuts off water to residents. UN asked to help.

Detroit Resumes Cutting Off Water to 150,000 Residents, Prompting Appeal to United Nations for Help.

Desperate calls for help from the United Nations aren’t just for war-torn and developing nations anymore.

The city of Detroit—a city that has been on the brink in many ways—in an effort to balance its books, has begun shutting off water access to city residents behind on their payments.

While that may seem like what happens to anyone when they don’t pay their bills, Detroit is a unique case—nearly half of the 323,900 residents who use the utility are delinquent, according to the Detroit Free Press.

I did a search and didnt find this. I apologize if its already been posted.

I'm in complete shock. I realized that Detroit's government had bankrupted its city but I'm at a loss for words...

Its no longer an exaggeration when we say that the US is turning into a 3rd world country...

...the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department deployed crews to cut some 3,000 residents’ access to the water supply each week as part of an effort to shut off water to more than 150,000 delinquent customers

Could you do that? Could you turn off someone's water? And if you refuse to shut it off, do you lose your job?

I've got a feeling that as the US continues to collapse, more and more government employees are going to have to make these types of "choices".

Hundreds Turn Out To Protest Detroit Water Shutoffs.

a reply to: gladtobehere

I don't understand why over 110,000 people think they can just not pay their bills. If I didn't pay my utility bills, service would be cut off. That' s the way it works.

What is the U.N. supposed to do. Pay their bills for them...

We have huge segments of society that think they should get everything for free. Instead of trying to prioritize what is needed in their lives, they just expect it to all be provided to them.

I'm sorry for the people of Detroit. If I lived in that place, I'd be looking to move. I'd also be looking at my budget and figure out what I'd have to cut back on to pay my freaking utility bills.

Des

I had no idea it was this bad! This is horrendous! I hope the people get some help!

If you don't pay your water bill, your water gets shut off. It's that way everywhere else in the country, why should Detroit be any different?

I would be willing to bet that a good chunk of those behind on their payments just stopped paying because they were told my others that if you stop paying, you still get water. Why pay if you can get it for free right?

Now that the water is getting shut off, they are upset?

Do they get free power? What about their internet connection, is that free as well? How entitled do these people feel to think they can protest against not getting something they have failed to pay for?

originally posted by: Destinyone
a reply to: gladtobehere

I don't understand why over 110,000 people think they can just not pay their bills. If I didn't pay my utility bills, service would be cut off. That' s the way it works.

What is the U.N. supposed to do. Pay their bills for them...

We have huge segments of society that think they should get everything for free. Instead of trying to prioritize what is needed in their lives, they just expect it to all be provided to them.

I'm sorry for the people of Detroit. If I lived in that place, I'd be looking to move. I'd also be looking at my budget and figure out what I'd have to cut back on to pay my freaking utility bills.

Des

Yes, in a stable, working city surrounded by other stable working cities what you say would be logical.

But Detroit and it's surrounding cities were literally torn apart, forgotten about, left to rot to criminals and ignorant leaders. There is little work there, and the work that is there it's very specialized, specific, and generally people only go there to work from outside areas. The city was built on the industrial working class, when that was stripped away from the city, it started to crumble. A city that large needs jobs for the everyday Joe, it can't afford to run on like this.

Cheap labor, and the feds did this, not the people who can't pay their bills.

a reply to: strongfp

I'm sure some people who *don't* pay their bills, spend money on things like booze, ciggies, dope...and many other things that aren't necessities. I can't go with we the taxpayers should pay their bills for them.

Des

originally posted by: Destinyone
a reply to: gladtobehere

I don't understand why over 110,000 people think they can just not pay their bills. If I didn't pay my utility bills, service would be cut off. That' s the way it works.

Whereas warm water, may be dependent on payments for the energy cost of warming it up. Cold water, is a human right ... as it is a necessity to live.

originally posted by: Destinyone
a reply to: gladtobehere

I don't understand why over 110,000 people think they can just not pay their bills. If I didn't pay my utility bills, service would be cut off. That' s the way it works.

Maybe your just the lucky one, maybe the Detroitinians are short of a bob or two and prioritise, maybe the congress could have a whip round.
As another thought, what about the government selling off all those thousands of shiny white painted UN Humvees lying idle around the states.

a reply to: Destinyone

I wish it were that easy, for a lot of people it's not as black and white. For example my family could give up our half payed off mortgage and rent to try and save $$. But it would cost about 300 dollars more per month to do so. A few years ago when we had some change in our pocket we bought all brand new appliances all energy saving including a new furnace courtesy of flood damage and we live on the side of a hill... Go figure? Any who without getting to personal I know what many are going through first hand and I know there are some that are abusing the systems and such but I think a vast majority are just living paycheck to paycheck and you can only cut so far. For the first time in my life I am finding myself playing the game of going off the grid if the man shows up before my disability check does, and with a house full of kids it's pretty #ty.....I can only imagine not having water, one of lifes essentials. I hope they can work it out.

a reply to: xDeadcowx

I'm not even getting into the individual responsibility/blame game aspect of this.

Just saying that things in America are FUGGED UP. There's people in the US who cant afford water...

But I cant ignore government in all this. They've got money for a trillion dollar a year foreign empire. Money to bail out the banksters, even money for a $650 million hockey arena (WTF?), but nothing to help these people...

a reply to: gladtobehere

Water distribution systems, pumping stations, and treatment facilities don't magically build or maintain themselves and nobody works for free. It sucks, but it is simple economics at work.

The lowest wage earners in our society are barely able to make ends meet, and the cost of living increases daily....so a lot of people are between a rock and a hard spot.
When I was a single parent with two kids, I broke my foot and missed one day of work because of it. That meant I would not have enough money to pay rent.
No; I didn't go through all the red tape of finding out if .gov would take care of it- that would have required missing another days work.
Our water and electric companies post million dollar profits every single fiscal year. Their exec. get million dollar benefit packages. As long as the top % keep increasing their profit margin by raising the price of basic necessities, the lowest wage earners will have no choice but to succumb to being on the government dole if they want to survive.
I don't think this is happening by accident. The government isn't too far away from controlling our very existence.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
a reply to: gladtobehere

Water distribution systems, pumping stations, and treatment facilities don't magically build or maintain themselves and nobody works for free. It sucks, but it is simple economics at work.

And even worse people living in cities can no longer go out to the nearest river/ stream and gather water because of what the polluting companies have done to them. Thats the even sadder part. Perhaps collect rain water and spare or wait till winter and melt snow? Who knows. If it were me though I would take my 2 foot pipe wrench to the nearest fire hydrant and turn the valve.....

originally posted by: strongfp
Cheap labor, and the feds did this, not the people who can't pay their bills.

That's part of the story, but is a bit disingenuous. The previously strong working middle class of Detroit packed their bags and moved when the jobs vanished. They also left behind a kept class of people who were either employed in menial jobs whose existence depended entirely on the patronage of those middle class laborers or were flat out on the public dole. Remember for awhile there, in the late 80s and 90s, Detroit was a progressive honeypot with massive wealth redistribution policies. Detroit is "Atlas Shrugged" come to life.

originally posted by: Destinyone
a reply to: strongfp

I'm sure the people who *don't* pay their bills, spend money on things like booze, ciggies, dope...and many other things that aren't necessities. I can't go with we the taxpayers should pay their bills for them.

Des

Right.

And generally people who can't get jobs, will steer towards this type of mentality.

It's a far deeper situation than just people 'not' paying their water bills because you assume they are all lazy, alcoholic-stoners.
I am not saying that some of these people fit that category to a tee, but I can bet a good chunk literally can't afford to pay their water bills.

a reply to: jaynkeel

Hell, most people living in the urban jungles don't even know how to collect water from a river, assuming it was safe to drink.

Wait a second and hold on... why are we asking for the help from the U.N.? I admit i'm still learning a lot on all the craziness going on in the world and don't have answers. why is it that Obama can ask for billions for the border and why not ask to help out for the water? Stop sending my tax dollars out of country and focus on our own issues sounds like a better idea. I heard once that we would be fighting people wearing blue helmets one day...

I think one aspect we need to look at here, instead of immediately blaming the citizenry is, WHY are over 100,000 people delinquent? There could be several reasons. Not the least of which could be poor water treatment processes, constantly rising utility bills, and so on. In my neck of the woods, both of these have become a problem. Utility bills go up, quality keeps going down. Unfortunately, not paying your bill doesn't get anyone in local gov to listen any more. Instead, they whine and cry there's not enough money left over to keep stealing from the people. I mean, that people aren't paying their bills.

It's an ugly situation, but I expect it will continue to worsen. In Detroit, as well as else where.

who are those 3,000 that are now shut-off of water supply...?


are they fixed income disabled or retired people
are they crack houses
are they Muslims who have enclaves all over the place...is this city now detroitistan?

just too much to weigh ~~ it's not just a problem/solution model of an address behind on payments - we cut off service->

there has to be an eviction or expulsion because the residents without water will create a more severe problem with sewage, disease from not having a flushing toilet and such...
the problem of continually losing another $50 a month of non payment of a water bill to the utility/city... will be far less than the disgruntled occupants sabotaging the water meter or disabling the city fire hydrants in rebellion...


the city or utility can just add up the unpaid water bills and add that sum to the annual Property Tax bills--- if not paid then the Sheriff seizes the property & the home residents lose their property plus extra assessments (of un paid water utility)


last year I sold off my tiny stock holdings (10 shares) of 'DTE', an electric utility provider in Detroit, because I foresaw the whole mess that is now snowballing as time goes on

originally posted by: Destinyone
a reply to: gladtobehere

I don't understand why over 110,000 people think they can just not pay their bills. If I didn't pay my utility bills, service would be cut off. That' s the way it works.

What is the U.N. supposed to do. Pay their bills for them...

We have huge segments of society that think they should get everything for free. Instead of trying to prioritize what is needed in their lives, they just expect it to all be provided to them.

I'm sorry for the people of Detroit. If I lived in that place, I'd be looking to move. I'd also be looking at my budget and figure out what I'd have to cut back on to pay my freaking utility bills.

Des

Reminds me of Gas supply to Ukraine.

Everybody cried noooo thats not right thats not fair...

Same principle applies.