Comments on: Private: Clean water, sanitation goals for world’s poor

By: Ben Z.

Ben Z. — Tue, 22 May 2007 13:04:03 +0000

Deborah, Gretchie, you’re absolutely right. Sanitized effluence does not equal affluence. Basic services like clean water are what enable people to learn and earn.

Ben’s comment is totally insulting to our forefathers who did earn the affluence he feels so entitled to, since we all know that he didn’t educate himself in a place with no education system, build his own water sanitation system or dig his own well while sustainance farming, while his siblings died from being surrounded by their own effluence. Ben, correct me if I’m wrong, but you totally inherited and did not earn any of your education system, running water, or sanitation services – and if you did, you had massive monetary and superstructure assistance that impoverished people, even in your own country do not have.

Further, clean water, sanitation, and education aren’t the result of capitalism, Ben. Yours are provided by social civic programs, just like socialist Switzerland’s and communist China’s are.

And we’re not talking about “aboriginal cultures” We’re talking about modern impoverished people from all cultures, all around the world. There’s people here in the U.S. without flushing toilets or running water. The previous president declared some sections of Texas a disaster area when he saw the level of sanitation in the colonias (for you gringos, that’s a no-power, no-sewer, no-running water shantytown populated by American citizens) along the border.

This is an issue for everyone in the world. Disease crosses borders, and so should good will.

By: Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd — Tue, 22 May 2007 10:41:57 +0000

Gretchie, I agree. A lack of sanitation facilities is causing children to die in some parts of the world. According to the UN, 1.8 million children die each year because of a lack of reasonable sanitation facilities. Here’s an article from the UN about that: Why Children Die for Lack of a Toilet

We are the fortunate ones, to have been born is this wonderful country. Sure, we could ignore the people who are less fortunate. But I personally believe that would be wrong. I believe we who are so fortunate have a responsibility to our fellow human beings in other parts of the world.

There’s a great film about this topic called The Girl in the Cafe for those of you who prefer your learning via art …

By: Gretchie

Gretchie — Mon, 21 May 2007 22:21:25 +0000

I don’t think providing access to sanitary water sources is giving people affluence. It is giving them a chance at better health, a chance to spend less time on gathering water and more time to improve other areas of their lives. Americans have been extremely fortunate to have these luxuries. It’s a fallacy to think that the poor in other countries have the same capability or opportunity to advance their situations as most world leading nations.

Clean water should be a right of all citizens of the world. Shame on us for not doing more to help people without this basic need.

By: Benjamin Napier

Benjamin Napier — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:23:30 +0000

Education and capitalism will allow these aboriginal cultures to advance culturally and technologically. As the ylearn and earn, they will be able to move closer to a modern lifestyle. You can no more give a people affluence than you can give one self esteem. Somethings must be earned.