Who Is Controlling Our Water Distribution?
By Emma Forman
As the year 2020 creeps closer, the amount of drinkable water in the United States lessens and by the year 2025, the shortage of water is expected to spread to the entire world. Starting in 2010, California entered a drought which became worse as the years progressed. People did not see the dangers of this problem at the time and did not do enough to stop it. Once 2018 hit, California had run out of drinkable water and began to borrow from neighboring states.
As of today, the top one percent controls most of the country's purified water distribution. Harris Maxwell, the head of California’s purified water distribution company, is one of those one percenters. Harris Maxwell and a few of his friends, owned a purified water store in Manhattan Beach in the early 2000s. Overtime, they bought the largest purification plant in Southern California. By limiting supplies to other companies, he was able to put them out of business. Once he had no competition, he made the decision to sell bottles of water for $25, putting it out of the reach of millions of Californians. There are 2.1 million people, who make no more than minimum wage as of 2018, that are having a difficult time buying water. The NB Times asked Maxwell what he would do if the amount of people who could not pay for water increased.
“I believe that only the people who were meant to have water can pay for it. This is natural selection at its best. Soon only the best will remain. Commoners do not give up, I have been offered anything for just an ounce of water. People will only grow more desperate and I will continue to get paid.”
As additional information is discovered about Harris Maxwell, the larger a villain he becomes. Maxwell and his men do not seem concerned with the fact that the non-one percenters do not make enough money to buy purified water. However, Maxwell continues to maintain loyal followers who pay at least $50 for a gallon of water. Mr. Maxwell remains under the opinion that as the amount of purified water decreases, his level of income will increase substantially.
“We are doing the best we can to diminish the chance of any other monopolies growing in the rest of the country. We will not allow them to control all the water in the United States. Currently in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maryland, there is no shortage of water. These nine states will hopefully allow us to provide purified water to other states. The government is doing everything in its power to stop the current epidemic,” Chelsea Clinton, President of the United States.
“Ever since the rich got control of safe water, people who do not have a high income cannot buy any. They are killing the United States because they believe that they are entitled to have purified water. Because of these people, only the rich will survive in the United States and possibly the rest of the world. Even my boss wishes, that he could pay us more so we can buy water,” Peter Grey, factory worker.
Already in California, those people who cannot afford safe water have been forced to drink contaminated water. Experts predict that this will result in an increase in disease, particularly cholera and typhoid (More information in News Article, New Diseases as a Result of Water Contamination). This will ultimately result in a drop in the human population. Due to the shortage, there have been scattered incidents of break-ins at purified water plants with 100s of gallons of water stolen.
The one percenters are in the mindset that their lives are perfectly fine because they personally are not running out of water. When passing by their homes, one is able to see sprinklers constantly on and hear the running of water. Thirty minute showers followed by leaving all the faucets on for extended periods of time are normal actions for the one percenters. These people are making the United States worse because of their extensive use of water. They all live life like there has never been a drought that is destroying the land around them.
As of today, the top one percent controls most of the country's purified water distribution. Harris Maxwell, the head of California’s purified water distribution company, is one of those one percenters. Harris Maxwell and a few of his friends, owned a purified water store in Manhattan Beach in the early 2000s. Overtime, they bought the largest purification plant in Southern California. By limiting supplies to other companies, he was able to put them out of business. Once he had no competition, he made the decision to sell bottles of water for $25, putting it out of the reach of millions of Californians. There are 2.1 million people, who make no more than minimum wage as of 2018, that are having a difficult time buying water. The NB Times asked Maxwell what he would do if the amount of people who could not pay for water increased.
“I believe that only the people who were meant to have water can pay for it. This is natural selection at its best. Soon only the best will remain. Commoners do not give up, I have been offered anything for just an ounce of water. People will only grow more desperate and I will continue to get paid.”
As additional information is discovered about Harris Maxwell, the larger a villain he becomes. Maxwell and his men do not seem concerned with the fact that the non-one percenters do not make enough money to buy purified water. However, Maxwell continues to maintain loyal followers who pay at least $50 for a gallon of water. Mr. Maxwell remains under the opinion that as the amount of purified water decreases, his level of income will increase substantially.
“We are doing the best we can to diminish the chance of any other monopolies growing in the rest of the country. We will not allow them to control all the water in the United States. Currently in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maryland, there is no shortage of water. These nine states will hopefully allow us to provide purified water to other states. The government is doing everything in its power to stop the current epidemic,” Chelsea Clinton, President of the United States.
“Ever since the rich got control of safe water, people who do not have a high income cannot buy any. They are killing the United States because they believe that they are entitled to have purified water. Because of these people, only the rich will survive in the United States and possibly the rest of the world. Even my boss wishes, that he could pay us more so we can buy water,” Peter Grey, factory worker.
Already in California, those people who cannot afford safe water have been forced to drink contaminated water. Experts predict that this will result in an increase in disease, particularly cholera and typhoid (More information in News Article, New Diseases as a Result of Water Contamination). This will ultimately result in a drop in the human population. Due to the shortage, there have been scattered incidents of break-ins at purified water plants with 100s of gallons of water stolen.
The one percenters are in the mindset that their lives are perfectly fine because they personally are not running out of water. When passing by their homes, one is able to see sprinklers constantly on and hear the running of water. Thirty minute showers followed by leaving all the faucets on for extended periods of time are normal actions for the one percenters. These people are making the United States worse because of their extensive use of water. They all live life like there has never been a drought that is destroying the land around them.