Free utilities for residents of the City of Detroit? [View all]

[FrodosPet]

Recently, old news became new again.

For as long as I can remember, people who do not pay their water, electricity, gas, or phone had them shut off.

Usually, when your water is shut off, you go to a neighbor or friend's house, take a shower, and fill up some jugs. And then, you return all your beer and pop bottles, borrow a few bucks from a friend, and go pay 50% of your bill to get it turned back on.

Not that I would know from first hand experience, of course

Question: Water is THE most necessary part of life. We've lived millions of years without electricity, but not a single whole week without water. And delivering water costs a LOT of money. Electricity for pumps, repairing and replacing mains, etc.

Since the citizens of Detroit cannot afford to pay for water, who should pay? Should suburban customers subsidize the costs of water for the city? The State of Michigan, or the Federal Government? And should there be rationing - perhaps smart meters that give each household an environmentally responsible amount of water so it does not get wasted?

By the same token - heat is necessary to survive. Should citizens of the City of Detroit receive free natural gas, subsidized by suburban customers? And, if so, should it be rationed for environmental and economic reasons?