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Detroit tells judge: We can't give away free water
Yahoo News ^ | September 22, 2014 | ED WHITE

Posted on 09/22/2014 12:32:51 PM PDT by BradtotheBone

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit's water department defended its shutoff policy Monday and warned that free service to people with unpaid bills could be "very devastating" to the bottom line.

Judge Steven Rhodes set aside Detroit's bankruptcy trial to hear evidence in a controversy that has been boiling all summer. A coalition representing low-income residents is asking him to suspend water shutoffs and restore service to people who have lost it.

The water department would be violating Michigan law and breaking agreements with bond holders if forced to supply water and ignore overdue bills, attorney Sonal Mithani said.

The "humanitarian concerns are very compelling" but fairness is critical, too, Mithani said, noting that 60 percent of Detroit residents are paying for water on time.

Opponents essentially are arguing that "every resident has the inherent right to free water," she said.

The water department stepped up shutoffs in March, and about 15,000 customers had service cut from April to June. Criticism and protests followed, even appeals to the United Nations.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Government; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: detroit; michigan; welfareculture
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To: tennmountainman

Skinless chicken in the pot... you must be healthy . . da?


41 posted on 09/22/2014 1:22:28 PM PDT by RikaStrom ("To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." ~Voltaire)
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To: BradtotheBone
Detroit tells judge: We can't give away free water

But we ARE having a special on hope and change, and unicorn farts.

42 posted on 09/22/2014 1:23:16 PM PDT by PGR88
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To: SkyDancer
Who do they think will pay for labor to run facilities that pump water?

Watta free, it come from the bleepin pipe.

43 posted on 09/22/2014 1:26:04 PM PDT by showme_the_Glory ((ILLEGAL: prohibited by law. ALIEN: Owing political allegiance to another country or government))
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To: BradtotheBone

This is heading towards single payer water.


44 posted on 09/22/2014 1:26:50 PM PDT by pallis
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To: BradtotheBone

...warned that free service to people with unpaid bills could be “very devastating”
And warn also that free money to people with unpaid bills should be garnished to pay those unpaid bills.
Shhese whatz wuth dez people peoplez


45 posted on 09/22/2014 1:27:56 PM PDT by Recompennation (Constitutional protection for all not ju st selectively for Democrats.)
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To: showme_the_Glory

Wait until nobody works at those pumping stations and see where they get their water, or, don’t have the money for sanitizing the water? Cholera??


46 posted on 09/22/2014 1:28:56 PM PDT by SkyDancer (I Was Told Nobody Is Perfect But Yet, Here I Am)
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To: RikaStrom

Huey P Long from Louisanna once famously said “a chicken for every pot”.

Of course, Huey was a big liberal back about 1927.

So, I was borrowing a phrase from an old liberal hack.


47 posted on 09/22/2014 1:29:12 PM PDT by tennmountainman (True conservatives don't like being rained on by their own party!)
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To: pallis

Funny. Ha


48 posted on 09/22/2014 1:30:36 PM PDT by tennmountainman (True conservatives don't like being rained on by their own party!)
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To: BradtotheBone
Opponents essentially are arguing that "every resident has the inherent right to free water," she said.

No, opponents are arguing that every resident has the right to make SOMEONE ELSE pay for it.

49 posted on 09/22/2014 1:33:37 PM PDT by sima_yi ( Reporting live from the far North)
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To: BradtotheBone

This is an indicator that Detroit’s final appointment with reality is imminent, and the remaining population will be on a near-vertical learning curve.


50 posted on 09/22/2014 1:42:39 PM PDT by lurk
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To: BradtotheBone

Nothing is free and I’m all for everyone paying for what they use but I’m also curious about increases in the water rates. If they built an infrastructure for 2 million people, but the population is now down to 700,00, then those 700,000 are paying nearly three times as much just to cover the fixed costs.


51 posted on 09/22/2014 1:49:35 PM PDT by Teotwawki (For a person to get a thing without paying for it, another must pay for it without getting it.)
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To: BradtotheBone
"every resident has the inherent right to free water,"

... and free food, and free housing, and free medical care, and free booze, and free lottery tickets, and free ...

Spoken like a true Gibsmedat and that is a lot of the problem with Detroit. They think a money tree grows somewhere and they deserve a piece of that pie. It is owed them.

52 posted on 09/22/2014 1:50:56 PM PDT by Gritty (ISIS is Islam. It is the naked religion. It is Mohammed. - Daniel Greenfield)
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To: SkyDancer

“Who do they think will pay for labor to run facilities that pump water? Why hasn’t that been brought up to these people who demand free water?”

Most of them don’t even understand the concept of having a job, except as a means to grift even more money from the man.


53 posted on 09/22/2014 1:56:41 PM PDT by PLMerite (Shut the Beyotch Down! Burn, baby, burn!)
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To: BradtotheBone
Opponents essentially are arguing that "every resident has the inherent right to free water," she said.

Do they have the inherent right to 40psi in their plumbing?

54 posted on 09/22/2014 1:59:28 PM PDT by Alex Murphy ("the defacto Leader of the FR Calvinist Protestant Brigades")
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To: RegulatorCountry

May very well be able to pay the water bill with an EBT...but that would cut into their supply of 40oz Malt Liquor.


55 posted on 09/22/2014 2:01:44 PM PDT by Ouderkirk (To the left, everything must evidence that this or that strand of leftist theory is true)
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To: rdcbn

Free gallon of water with each taxpayer funded abortion.


56 posted on 09/22/2014 2:24:20 PM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: RegulatorCountry
Must not be able to pay the water bill with EBT.

EBT? That's for beer and lotto tickets!

57 posted on 09/22/2014 2:28:19 PM PDT by Drew68
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To: Quick Shot

I realize that was sarcasm but....they can pay the water with the EBT. They can go to any atm or get cash at the grocery store or....and get their Hiindeys down and pay the water bill. They all Chose NOT to pay the bill.


58 posted on 09/22/2014 2:29:03 PM PDT by sheana
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To: tennmountainman

Oh, I know. :-)

One of my favorite authors expanded that particular phrase into a “skinless chicken for every pot”, because his liberal character in the book wanted to ban everything that tasted good. hehe


59 posted on 09/22/2014 2:40:31 PM PDT by RikaStrom ("To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." ~Voltaire)
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To: Quick Shot

Make EBT cards NOT able to work in strip clubs or for lobster for your dog and enable them to work for water...

easy


60 posted on 09/22/2014 2:40:55 PM PDT by Mr. K (Palin/Cruz 2016)
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