by Nomad
Undrinkable and Unthinkable
Regardless of party affiliation, when you ask a voter what are the responsibilities and duties of a government, the answers are largely uniform.
Polls have found that there is bipartisan agreement that the federal government should play a major role in dealing with terrorism, natural disasters, food and medicine safety, and roads and infrastructure.
Added to this list, the idea that the federal government should provide protection against environmental destruction has majority support across party lines. In theory, clean water ought to be a guaranteed position for any candidate of either party.
In the US, the question whether providing clean safe drinking water -as a critical function of local, state and federal government agencies- is a no-brainer in the US. There are many countries in the world where that's not true, of course.
According to a 2017 report by WHO and UNICEF, Some 2.1 billion, lack access to safe, readily available water at home. That's 3 out of 10 people worldwide.
In spite of this grim reality, most Americans take access to clean water for granted.
That's why it is so unthinkable that there are places in the land of the free where finding safe water to drink is not a given. It's disgraceful to think that, in some parts of the nation, water providers must now put a health warning on the water bill residents receive every month about possible liver and kidney damage (as well as cancer risks).
This is what happens, says Barbiann Maynard, an activist for clean water in her state, when water- a basic human need- is treated as a commodity.
In 2017, the watchdog group, Natural Resources Defense Council, found that Kentucky has some real water problems. When states were ranked by the total number of customers potentially impacted by drinking water violations, Kentucky was in the bottom.
In fact, no state in the nation in 2015 had a larger segment of its population — 53 percent — getting its water from utilities with at least one violation of federal safety regulations than Kentucky.
Local officials disputed that assessment. But it is hard to argue with brown and blue tap water.
Said Erik Olson, health program director at NRDC and a report co-author:
On a state level, Republican legislators have been more interested in stopping fluoridating their drinking water rather than ensuring all residents have clean supplies. It's all related to cutting big government and stuff. With some of the nation’s highest rates of tooth decay and loss in the entire nation, Kentucky dentists couldn't believe their ears.
Such proposals. he said, were out of the question. This clean legislation was part of "an intrusive regulatory regime -- built not on effective policy, but on far-left ideology." Clean water legislation was just an example of "regulatory overreach" by the liberal-infested EPA.
In an ideal world, Kentucky residents would take matters in their own hands and vote in politicians who take the problem seriously. So far, that's not what happens in the far-from-ideal world of Kentucky.
Make no mistake, change is not what McConnell will bring to Washington or his home state. He has done very well with maintaining the status quo. With the income of his wife (the current Secretary of Transportation) he just happens to be the 10th richest senator, with a net worth of between $9.2 million and $36.5 million. So, change is the last thing McConnell wants.
Moreover, in his 2014 victory speech he described the dangers of big government and the "terrible damage to families and communities" it has done.
In the US, the question whether providing clean safe drinking water -as a critical function of local, state and federal government agencies- is a no-brainer in the US. There are many countries in the world where that's not true, of course.
According to a 2017 report by WHO and UNICEF, Some 2.1 billion, lack access to safe, readily available water at home. That's 3 out of 10 people worldwide.
In spite of this grim reality, most Americans take access to clean water for granted.
That's why it is so unthinkable that there are places in the land of the free where finding safe water to drink is not a given. It's disgraceful to think that, in some parts of the nation, water providers must now put a health warning on the water bill residents receive every month about possible liver and kidney damage (as well as cancer risks).
A Commodity or a Basic Human Need?
Here are two reports about such conditions in eastern Kentucky.This is what happens, says Barbiann Maynard, an activist for clean water in her state, when water- a basic human need- is treated as a commodity.
The officials are saying there's nothing wrong but we keep getting more and more and more proof and facts to where we just can't believe what they're saying that it's okay...
It is, says Maynard,
a basic human right to have clean water. We're in the United States of America.If a government’s most fundamental purpose is to protect its citizens, then ensuring a safe, adequate supply of water has to be one of its core duties. After all, the USA isn't some corrupt third-world nation where the people are not in charge of their government, where politicians are up for sale to the highest bidder.
Here's a CNN report on the plight of Kentuckians.
In fact, no state in the nation in 2015 had a larger segment of its population — 53 percent — getting its water from utilities with at least one violation of federal safety regulations than Kentucky.
Local officials disputed that assessment. But it is hard to argue with brown and blue tap water.
Said Erik Olson, health program director at NRDC and a report co-author:
"We take it for granted that when we turn on our kitchen tap, the water will be safe and healthy, but we have a long way to go before that is a reality across our country.”Kentucky's Martin County in the heart of what used to be coal country is the drinking-water crisis is the worst in the state. According to U.S. News and World Report, Martin country ranks as the worst-performing white-majority county in the nation. That analysis factored in a number of health and economic factors, including job availability, the prevalence of various diseases, smoking rates, housing affordability, and air and- you guessed it- water quality.
One of the main problems is the lack of funding for maintenance of the water infrastructure. Nobody was interested in investing in keeping things running. According to one local source:
Most of the water that leaves the treatment plant never reaches anyone’s tap. Broken lines account for most of that loss, though theft or customers not being billed could cause some. Groundwater enters the broken lines as pressure fluctuates. The result: frequent outages and boil-water advisories, discolored and smelly tap water. Those who can afford bottled water use it for drinking and cooking. Many in this poor county can’t afford it. The district estimates the cost of needed upgrades and repairs at $13.5 million.That said, Martin country far from the only area plagued by failing infrastructure, outages and frequent boil-water advisories. Rate increases in a region where poverty runs rampant is not a workable solution.
On a state level, Republican legislators have been more interested in stopping fluoridating their drinking water rather than ensuring all residents have clean supplies. It's all related to cutting big government and stuff. With some of the nation’s highest rates of tooth decay and loss in the entire nation, Kentucky dentists couldn't believe their ears.
Without the slightest trace of irony, state Rep. Mark Hart, one of the two sponsors of the anti-fluoridation bill, said:
"Let the people drinking the water decide what goes into their water.”
Clean Water as a Far-Left Ideology
As with all of Obama's proposed legislation at environmental protections (Clean Water Rule and Clean Energy and the Recovery Act) Kentucky Senator and Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell stuck to the Republican mantra.Such proposals. he said, were out of the question. This clean legislation was part of "an intrusive regulatory regime -- built not on effective policy, but on far-left ideology." Clean water legislation was just an example of "regulatory overreach" by the liberal-infested EPA.
The 77-year-old McConnell has been in Congress since 1985. (That's right, back when Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union.) And despite being around forever, McConnell had the audacity to proclaim that he was going to bring change to Washington the last time he won an election, (2014).
Make no mistake, change is not what McConnell will bring to Washington or his home state. He has done very well with maintaining the status quo. With the income of his wife (the current Secretary of Transportation) he just happens to be the 10th richest senator, with a net worth of between $9.2 million and $36.5 million. So, change is the last thing McConnell wants.
Moreover, in his 2014 victory speech he described the dangers of big government and the "terrible damage to families and communities" it has done.
To the sound of cheers and applause, McConnell made his required empathy noises:
We' ve seen the hurt in people's eyes in the mountains. It breaks your heart to see the pain that distant planners in federal agencies are causing to so many in our state. And if you're an elected official like me, it hardens your resolve to do something about it.McConnell's solution is to de-regulate environmental safeguards.
For too long -- for too long this administration [Obama] has tried to tell the American people what's good for them and then blamed somebody else when their policies didn't work out. Tonight, Kentucky rejected that approach.And, as a result of that victory, many Kentuckians are further away than they ever were from water they can drink without fear.
Since the 1950s, Kentucky has been reliably Republican, and, despite the water safety problems, will likely stay that way. McConnell- and Republicans elected in Kentucky have had the power and the time to do something about this problem.
The truth is Republicans legislators in Kentucky are simply not interested in the fact that their own constituents are having to pay for the water they cannot safely drink. They do not believe that ensuring Americans have clean air and clean water is a responsibility of government. They will, like McConnell, continue to insist that such demands are merely part of a liberal agenda.
The truth is Republicans legislators in Kentucky are simply not interested in the fact that their own constituents are having to pay for the water they cannot safely drink. They do not believe that ensuring Americans have clean air and clean water is a responsibility of government. They will, like McConnell, continue to insist that such demands are merely part of a liberal agenda.
And, in December 2018, when President Trump rolled back decades of environmental protections overseeing water safety ("an end to the previous administration's power grab"), it was seen in the GOP as a victory. McConnell and other Republicans very likely toasted the ideological triumph with a flute of champagne or Lauquen Artes Mineral Water.