Nestlé CEO Says Water Is Food That Should Be Privatized – Not A Human Right

True, but there is already a price on them.

 

Thanks mate,, must have missed it.

I've known about this for many years. When our grandsons were on the "bottle" we gave our daughter explicit instructions NOT to buy Nestle baby formula. We explained the reasons why, and she never did.

 

The reality in the desert states is that water is a resource and you have to fight for it to get it.

 

Two particles of hydrogen, one part of oxygen. I believe God holds that patent!

 

like never when you're sleeping?

 

too bad God doesn't move it to where humans want it. Nestle does.

 

This is news to me.. Have they come up with a new process that isn't so energy extensive (which is what makes it prohibitive now) or just a new easy source of lots of energy?

 

Good point.. We have the right to gather and drink water but we don't have the right to have other people gather it for us and provide it for us.. I believe it's the delivery of water that counts as a service and you can charge for it.

I used to wonder how they could get away with charging 50p for the tire inflating machine when it's only air, but then I realize they are actually providing me the service and energy of pumping the air for me, not the air itself..

Of course we can't allow corporations to control water that should be available to a whole population, and that's where the issue will arise.

For example, some areas only get water from a certain river or aquifer, so some corporation then gets to "own" that freshwater source, then charge whatever they want for its water, and prohibit anyone from taking a sip even if they live right next to it and are walking up to it and sticking their own cup in it.

Like shouldn't ALL the people who live in an area have equal rights to its own water source? But then how much can they take, more than their own fair use, to sell? Or to water their lawns during a drought?

It's a complex issue.. There are problems about it and you do get legal issues. I remember one thing about people allegedly getting sued for gathering rainwater that fell on their OWN property! Water provided by God onto their own land and it's like they couldn't even have it.. WTF?

This is a tough issue and it will be a MAJOR problem in this century, starting already. More so than oil, that's for sure. We will be fighting wars over water. Some places especially, including Spain, the US SW desert areas and California, and the Middle East in particular. In fact, this is a HUGE reason I believe Israel are being so aggressive in stealing the land from Palestinians in the fertile areas of the Jordan River Basin. They know they are going to need it. Already they are stealing water from the Palestinians.

You also have problems with people stealing too much water from upstream and depriving people who unfortunatily live downstream. It's a problem in a few places including Africa and Europe.

We need some kind of official, global international treaty type system agreed on and soon.

Sorry if this post is so long but the water issue is going to be a MAJOR CONCERN coming up for the world, and sooner than we think.

 

solar still.

 

Yes, you are right and we used to be concerned about it. However it has been raining in the UK for the last year so we have more than we know what to do with.

I am surprised about people(in the US?) have had problems gathering their own rainwater!! I know a lot of people here have drilled modern well type things in their garden in order to have their private source of water - and water the garden if hose bans come and many people have water tanks in the garden to collect the rain so there has been no talk of not being allowed the rain which lands on you from the sky here!

We pay for the delivery and treatment of our water. Some places you pay for the amount you take but where I live it is part of local council charges. I did remember after I posted that one of the things Scotland said it would have to make money was to sell water to England if it went for Independence - having forgotten because they have more than enough now.

If water is going to become as important as you say, and you are quite right that that is a major problem with Israel, then I would think some strong laws are going to have to be created and in particular water should not be privatized. As the most essential thing to life it needs to be available to all in a community equally, at least as far as basic needs are required. That is my belief and the best way to get that is to keep it out of private hands.

 

The bottom line is that these corps get away with too much, because they grew too big, and manage to lean into any democratic system, therefore undermining it, and riding roughshod over all decency and morals.

Trade doesn't need to be this way, companies need not function this way, so what if it meets their shallow and never ending goal of more profit, what about the fact that their profits are at a loss to more than who profit?

 

It depends where you live obviously. Water will be a concern in some place but other places will be inundated and have no problems. Hell, some places will be flooding.. Same with farmland.. (*)(*)(*)(*) land will turn fertile and vice-versa, climate change throwing a monkey wrench in the works.. We will be fighting wars though. We need something to sort this out.. Corporate control may be the answer, kind of like oil.. Using trade to swop what we need for what we have in surplus, with the areas and countries with little to offer losing out.. Or some kind of global treaty system where we can all agree to distribute fair ammounts of water to all while somehow "pooling" (pun intended) the costs and quotas.. Unless of course these guys are right and desalinization will be readily practical within the next decade. I don't know really. But I found that story I was on about from before. How's this for f-ud up? http://thecount.com/2012/07/28/we-own-the-rain-man-jailed-for-collecting-rainwater-on-his-property/

http://thecount.com/2012/07/28/we-own-the-rain-man-jailed-for-collecting-rainwater-on-his-property/

 

Corporations are getting out of control and they are destroying our planet and our culture.. It's not even capitalism or corporations that are to blame, so much as our government and its conversion to full fledged plutocracy (unless you believe that plutocracy is an ineveitable result of capitalism).. Maybe Jack have you read up on early 20th century American capitalism and in particular things like Teddy Roosevelt policies, and things like "trust-busting" and the like? Back in the day, campaign financing by corporations was illegal (considered bribery) and once upon a time representatives served constituents and not corporations.. Somehow, it all changed, and it all went wrong, and the driving mechanism was greed. What we have now is DISGRACEFUL and anyone who claims that either the US or UK are "democracy" are dead WRONG.

 

The only way to temper their powers, is for Gov's of many nations to simply have the nuts to make the public aware of what is what, and then to demand v high standards by them, right across the board, that would be applied robustly.

However, since our parties and candidates often rely on large corporate donations, there is your problem right there, before we even start.

All donations of this type should be banned for any party taking part in an election.

It is ABSURD when you have the likes of Goldman Sachs being a backer of both candidates.

 

The old familiar Lucky Luciano-type exploitation rackets might have had some cops and mayors on their payrolls, but they didn't have the entire federal government working for them.

 

haven't read the entire thread but if anyone else hasn't mentioned it yet "Blue Gold" is a documentary on NetFlix that exams corporate takeover of water...in one instance that I recall one corporation(possibly Nestle) made a deal with the old Bolivian government where they even claimed ownership of rainwater so that no one could collect it...the people revolted and the company was thrown out of the country...

 

Problem is that the bastards move it away from places where it is needed more desperately and let people and crops die so that some useless share-holding parasite can sit on his butt and not work for a living.

They are also using up the world's supply of oil at a far faster rate packaging what they stole from starving peasants.


Some times, I think we really should nuke Switzerland.

 

Let the corporate slime build solar stills or pay a hefty royalty for any water resource they tap. Water needs to be administered as a part of the commons, under public ownership, so that in an emergency, it can be rationed without some rent-seeking corporate bloodsucker whining and shrieking about haveing their "property" taken. An aquifer does not just underlie one tract of land.

 

No need.

I am prepared to lead a one man ground invasion.

Never trust a country that makes it's name with cuckoo clocks.

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No need.

I am prepared to lead a one man ground invasion.

Never trust a country that makes it's name with cuckoo clocks.