WaterpoliticscomestoPhillyinJune07

Thanks to a heads up from my friend, Naas, I got over to a film screening and panel discussion by Food and Water Watch.

Next week, at Bindlestiff Books in my neighborhood, they're featuring authors of the book Dam Nation, who will explore the history of watershed (mis)management in the United States that has contributed to woes of the past like the Dust Bowl of the 30's and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina two years ago, while continuing to weaken ecosystems going into the future.

The gist of the Food & Water Watch panel discussion is that our water systems (like our roads and just about anything else traditionally maintained by government) were historically maintained with the help of major funding from the federal government. A steady roll-back of funding beginning under Reagan in the 1980's has resulted in deferred maintenance and will soon force many municipalities to either raise public money locally through career-killing tax hikes, or sell out to private investors and/or utility companies. The historical record of private water managers tells us we'll be better served by hiking our own taxes, rather than sell out and let our children grapple with intransigent monopoly holders of the most basic resource for life.