Going In Debt to Buy Water

In response to nearly half of their residents falling behind on water bill payments The City of Detroit has resorted to extreme measures.  This week they announced plans to shut off water service to 420 customers.

Why is the cost of water out of reach for so many people in Detroit?

DEBT.

The city's water system has run up an incredible $6,000,000,000 of debt.  These debts are backed by revenue from the city's water system.

Lenders to Detroit expect (perhaps unreasonably) to be repaid.  The city's bankruptcy efforts notwithstanding don't expect a decrease in the cost of water as long as extreme levels of debts are outstanding.

In the meantime do current water customers of Detroit have an obligation to make interest payments on money borrowed by city officials decades ago?

More on the story from the AP.

The Good People of Detroit

Charles Molnar and students from the Detroit Enterprise Academy came up with a pretty good plan.  Place benches at bus stops.  

(Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

It turns out that the people calling themselves "City of Detroit" were not filling the market need for places to sit while waiting for the bus.  Young enterprising minds have come up with a solution and received some good will from the community.  Nice work kids!