Lost among the many stories about the recent midterm elections was the outcome of a vote in Baltimore, where residents overwhelmingly supported a measure that would forbid the privatization of water and sewer systems. This marks the first major city to take such a stance — and it could very well herald a new trend.
In a variety of communities across the country, corporations have been working tirelessly to buy up water rights to be used in various ways — be it to administer as a utility for the local residents or to bottle and sell to people across the country.
Earlier in the year, the Baltimore city council passed a resolution against the privatization of their water, and this past week 77 percent of voters agreed to make this official in the city charter.
Let us thank the City of Baltimore - its leaders and its voters alike - for taking an important step to curtail corporate greed. Vital resources such as water should be available to everyone!
