Water as Charity

As a water engineer, I follow the media on the water subject. Following the National Emergency (sic!) of Flint, there are more and more popular movements claiming that running water is a human right and it should be provided as a free municipal service. Many  increasingly refuse to pay water bills, and the municipalities are increasingly hesitant to collect the bills. The City of Baltimore is organizing a charity program and asking for donations to pay for those who cannot  or will not (see pic of Dominique and her children). We in Israel are paying for the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, but it is not charity but self-interest in avoiding photogenic protests, since all the world (that is, world media) agrees that water is a human right and we don't want to be accused of violating their human rights and dignity.

America is big and the tax-paying minority will react as it always reacted in face of these situations. They will move away as fast as they can. Baltimore has now only 10 to 20% of its population paying regularly their taxes, Flint and Detroit even less. Growing separation seems unavoidable. One of the lessons of Flint is that the communities I am talking about find it difficult to operate their water systems, so the State will assume the financing and management of the water companies and subsidize them as a necessary public charity.