Kenders' Musings

I present for your education some politicking that has slipped under the radar and needs a bit of light shed on it.

This bill provides for the US to aid poor countries in building a better, safer and more reliable water infrastructure, which I admit sounds noble.



Read this:
(14) At the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the United States announced the Water for the Poor Initiative which committed the United States to provide $970,000,000 over 3 years to increase access to safe water and sanitation services, improve watershed management, and increase the productivity of water. During fiscal year 2004, the United States provided an estimated $817,000,000 in assistance to the Water for the Poor Initiative, including funds made available for reconstruction activities in Iraq, of which $388,000,000 was made available for safe drinking water and sanitation programs.

OK, so almost one billion dollars isn't really a big drop in our bucket these days, especially considering that illegal immigration costs well over 30 billion a year.


Keep reading.


***sidenote***
(16) At the 2003 Summit of the Group of Eight in Evian, France, the members of the Group of Eight produced a plan entitled `Water: A G8 Action Plan'

Is it just me or is kinda funny in an odd way that a water bill was crafted in Evian?
***end sidenote***

But here is where it gets scary.

(18) The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 58/217 of February 9, 2004, proclaimed `the period from 2005 to 2015 the International Decade for Action, `Water for Life', to commence on World Water Day, 22 March 2005' for the purpose of increasing the focus of the international community on water-related issues at all levels and on the implementation of water-related programs and projects.

The UN is involved.

Anytime the Useless Nations get their grubby little hands in our pocket books we get it without so much as a kiss.


There is some good news in the bill......if you happen to own a multi-national company that deals in water systems, such as Seuz (french), or RWE-Themes or Violia.

`(4) ADDITIONAL CRITERIA- In making determinations of eligibility under this subsection, the President should give preferential consideration to projects sponsored by or significantly involving United States small businesses or cooperatives.

My advice? As an American I would but stock in the companies that deal in this stuff, so keep your eyes and ears open and watch for the companies that are going to vye for these contracts. American citizens can get rich while we bring water to the world. I like the sound of that idea.

But these companies that are going to vie for this kind of contract are most likely the companies that provide equipment to your local water company.


It goes on, way down at the bottom of the bill:

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) IN GENERAL- There are authorized to be appropriated for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2011 such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act.

(b) OTHER AMOUNTS- Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in subsection (a) shall be in addition to the amounts otherwise available to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act.


In other words the money is legislated to be there.....but from where?

The bill also says:
SEC. 5. SAFE WATER STRATEGY.
(4) methods to mobilize and leverage the financial, technical, and managerial expertise of businesses, governments, nongovernmental, and civil society in the form of public-private alliances such as the Global Development Alliances of the Agency which encourage innovation and effective solutions for improving sustainable access to safe water and sanitation;

This is where it gets really wonky for me.

The whole "public-private" thing.

So far here is a brief round-up of private water company troubles here in the US.

It seems that Atlanta GA., New Orleans LA. and Stockton CA. have had some probems with their outsourcing of water problems, so this must be a bad thing to privatize these public resources that should be available for all, and since they should be available for all it definitly shouldn't be at the hands of some corporation that looks at a dwindling resource such as water with the same greed that oil barons of a century and a half ago eyed the black gold seeping out of the ground in Pennsylvania

After all, public ownership and control always make for the best and most efficient system right?

I mean really, what has a private company ever done to lower costs and get a product or resource to the people?

Right, just as I thought, absolu....huh? Well, yes, dear quick thinking reader, there is a certain efficiency in a profit motive...but this is water we're talking about here......it isn't like oil...I mean where would the incentive be to get water to people dependably and affordably for profit?

I mean really people come on here wake up and smell the coffee...coffee brewed with fresh clean water that literally runs from your faucet when you turn a handle. How can a water company ever survive in the free market?

Or any utility company for that matter?

Private ownership of public utilities????

What is this world coming to????

Next thing I will hear is that some god-awful private company is making and selling me electricity at some horrendously low price!!!

Private ownership never did anything good for anybody......just ask all those big multi-national corporations.