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Thousands go without water as Detroit cuts service for nonpayment
LA Times ^ | 28 June 14 | Alana Semuels

Posted on 06/29/2014 4:54:35 AM PDT by SkyPilot

Nicole Hill holds up her past-due water bill at her home in Detroit. Her water has been off for about six weeks.

It has been six weeks since the city turned off Nicole Hill's water.

Dirty dishes are piled in the sink of her crowded kitchen, where the yellow-and-green linoleum floor is soiled and sticky. A small garbage can is filled with water from a neighbor, while a bigger one sits outside in the yard, where she hopes it will collect some rain. She's developed an intricate recycling system of washing the dishes, cleaning the floor and flushing the toilet with the same water.

"It's frightening, because you think this is something that only happens somewhere like Africa," said Hill, a single mother who is studying homeland security at a local college. "But now I know what they're going through — when I get somewhere there's a water faucet, I drink until my stomach hurts."

Hill is one of thousands of residents in Detroit who have had their water and sewer services turned off as part of a crackdown on customers who are behind on their bills. In April, the city set a target of cutting service to 3,000 customers a week who were more than $150 behind on their bills. In May, the water department sent out 46,000 warnings and cut off service to 4,531. The city says that cutting off water is the only way to get people to pay their bills as Detroit tries to emerge from bankruptcy — the utility is currently owed $90 million from customers, and nearly half the city's 300,000 or so accounts are past due.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: detroit; economy; gibsmedat; water
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Comment #1 Removed by Moderator

To: SkyPilot
the utility is currently owed $90 million from customers

PERIOD!
2 posted on 06/29/2014 4:58:01 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin.)
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To: SkyPilot

Looks like she certainly had money for lots of food and a few tattoos on that bodacious body.


3 posted on 06/29/2014 4:58:14 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Gaffer

My thoughts exactly


4 posted on 06/29/2014 4:59:59 AM PDT by V_TWIN (white pri)
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To: SkyPilot
I wonder how Nicole and her like friends feel about all the love for criminal immigrants. ...they gots water.

Food, Shelter & Medical Services too!

And never had to wait in line, or fill out any forms! ...Bingo, here ya go.

5 posted on 06/29/2014 5:00:24 AM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: SkyPilot

“Dirty dishes are piled in the sink of her crowded kitchen, where the yellow-and-green linoleum floor is soiled and sticky”

In times with water, the dishes we always washed and neatly stacked in Nicole’s cupboard while he floor was clean enough to eat off.


6 posted on 06/29/2014 5:00:24 AM PDT by MNDude
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To: SkyPilot

I have no idea what the cost of tattoos are but I recall hearing they are not inexpensive. Sure seems like this person has a priority issue, not a money one.

In the picture of the protestors, notice all the signs appear to have been professionally produced? I suppose those dolts carrying them have full time jobs and are carrying their piece of astroturf in their back pockets.


7 posted on 06/29/2014 5:00:31 AM PDT by mazda77
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To: SkyPilot

Nicole is the problem..... single mother, student loans, poor field of studies. loser, loser, loser gibmedat loser


8 posted on 06/29/2014 5:01:36 AM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 ..... Obama is public enemy #1)
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To: V_TWIN

And im sure shes got the obligatory 60” flatscreen and latest gen smart phone.


9 posted on 06/29/2014 5:01:47 AM PDT by V_TWIN (white pri)
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To: SkyPilot

Looks like Nicole has been brunching at the buffet table every day. Another sob story that we;re gonna give a rat’s arse that other people are starving especially when we have our own problems and this “issue” coming from a Rat’ city.


10 posted on 06/29/2014 5:02:02 AM PDT by max americana (fired liberals in our company last election, and I laughed while they cried (true story))
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To: SkyPilot

If they have cell phones, EBT, cable, do drugs or alcohol they are not “poor.” They make poor decisions. And, we enable those lifestyle decisions by taking care of life’s necessities. My brother-in-law’s church will help anybody, but they have to give up cell phones, eating out, etc. Then the help is really substantial. But almost nobody avails themselves of the help, which often included hiring them with benefits to do a job. They won’t give up anything to climb out of poverty. So, the church says, come back when you need us.


11 posted on 06/29/2014 5:02:21 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: SkyPilot

There are hundreds of freepers who won’t admit there’s a Depression. Weird, to me. They think anybody who is out of a job is a lazy slacker, lol.


12 posted on 06/29/2014 5:03:22 AM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard Lives Yet!)
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To: V_TWIN

Obama bailout in 3 . 2 . 1..............


13 posted on 06/29/2014 5:03:36 AM PDT by V_TWIN (white pri)
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To: Gaffer

> Looks like she certainly had money for lots of food and a few tattoos on that bodacious body.

I’d be curious to know how much she puts taxpayers on the hook for annually but that’d be racist... for me to want to know given that I work my fingers to the bone 50 - 60 hours a week to support her so she can sit on her fat a$$ and watch TV while collectng freebies for her and her chill’uns


14 posted on 06/29/2014 5:04:16 AM PDT by jsanders2001
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To: SkyPilot
Whereas federal programs have been developed to help people pay for the rising cost of fuel and electricity, no such program exists for water, Beecher said.

And, this is the crux of the problem. The truth is these people are likely on entitlement existence anyway. Their "condos" and "apartments" are likely all Section 8 where they pay a pitiful pittance, if any. They are on EBT, and collect SNAP, WICs, TANF or any number of the 85 other programs that crisscross this nation like a cancer. Rent assistance, heat and electricity assistance, church pantries, ObamaPhones - the whole nine yards.

SSDI, SSI and EITC also. THOUSANDS OF dollars per year, and they still cannot be counted on to pay a frigging water bill. It is foreign to them because it is virtually the ONLY thing for which they have to pay. Screw them.

15 posted on 06/29/2014 5:04:36 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Gen.Blather

Open a public spigot at the end of the street.

Each person gets 2 buckets to transport the water home for consummation and bathing.


16 posted on 06/29/2014 5:06:07 AM PDT by BunnySlippers (I LOVE BULL MARKETS . . .)
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To: bert

The sad thing is that there are investors lined up who say they can bring the cost down to a median rate of $40 to $45 and implement sliding scales and metering plans but the debt has to be eliminated first.

$75 per month is insanely high but so is $40 in my opinion.


17 posted on 06/29/2014 5:06:32 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin.)
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To: miss marmelstein

Yes there is a depression, but believe me, Nicole Hill is a slacker.


18 posted on 06/29/2014 5:06:41 AM PDT by MNDude
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To: miss marmelstein

With all due respect, you cannot possibly be defending the star subject of this article, can you?

Depression aside, we have and will have, under Obama and similar governance, these permanent class of people who are nothing but leeches. Half of the entire Democrat voter base is comprised of these people.


19 posted on 06/29/2014 5:06:55 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: miss marmelstein

Perhaps not lazy slacker, but lazy

There are lots of jobs but the require moving. They might require new skill sets.

Any body wanting a job can learn to drive a truck and get a CDL license.

Anybody can get a job in The Texas and North Dakota oil fields.

Waiting for the old job to return is just lazy excuse for not seeking what is available


20 posted on 06/29/2014 5:07:00 AM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 ..... Obama is public enemy #1)
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